You’d be surprised how many customers I’ve seen that pick leather or cloth based on appearance alone. Nothing wrong with that if it’s what you want, but when you start thinking about long-term ownership, there are some big differences between the two that you might want to consider. I’ve broken down some of the pros and cons below, so look them over and come tell me if you can think of anything I’m missing here.
Cleaning Messes
If you eat in your care and are prone to spilling, you might want to go with leather. If you have children this is a good choice, too, and even though it might be more expensive than cloth, it is a lot easier to clean. Stains have a way of seeping in cloth interior and not coming out.
Overall Comfort
If it’s hot where you live and you’ve had leather seats in the past, then you probably know what happens to hot leather when your skin touches it, right? If you’re wearing shorts, not only will it be very hot, it will also be sticky. If it’s cold where you live, you might not be sticking to the seat, but that leather gets just as cold as it does hot! Go with cloth and save yourself the torture.
What’s That Smell?
Score another point for leather — cloth holds in smells a lot more than leather. What kind of smells? Smoke, food, animals, sweat, and the list goes on. Sure, it can hold good smells, too, but if you go with leather then you won’t have to roll the dice on that one.
Upkeep & Maintenance
Now, it’s almost an even break here and it will depend on your preference. Leather does take some upkeep to make it look nice and fresh, but cloth fades over time. Cloth also rips and tears easily, but leather is usually more expensive. I’ll call it a tie and let you have the final decision.
