Leatherette vs Leather - Which wears better?

L

Lbear

:
2017 CX5 AWD Touring
The 2017+ have either the leatherette (suede insert) or the synthetic leather seats. Which actually wears better?

I know it's not 100% leather. More of a vinyl, leather, synthetic leather combination.

On my 2016 GT it had the parchment/white leather seats and while they looked good, I would probably never get white again as my jeans would rub off on it and create blue spots. The parchment interior was also hard to keep clean. Lastly, I slid around on the leather seats as they were slippery.

On my 2017 Touring, it has the black leatherette (suede) insert. Easier to keep clean and the suede actually keeps you from sliding around on turns. It's also warmer before the seat heaters kick in.

I would be curious to find out which wears better; leatherette (suede insert) or the synthetic leather seats?
What is the non-suede part of the seat actually made of? Vinyl?
 
I have the 2017 Touring pep, I like the seats with the insert. Granted my seats are heated, so not cold at all. No sliding about either as you noticed. If mine wear out, I might search out a pair of neoprene covers. Have had them in my Xterra since 2003.
 
Puyapim said:
Which wears better? There are too many variables to really know that answer.
Click to expand...

I agree, mainly depends on how you treat the car, and what sort of thickness the material is. generally real leather will last longer if it is a thicker or more rough material.
 
Leatherette is different from suede. Leatherette = imitation leather = plastic coated fabric. Usually, it's a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coating on polyester fabric. We used to just call it vinyl, but that term fell out of favor in the auto industry because of the reputation it gained in the 20th century for being cheap and deteriorating easily. Real suede is leather with the soft side out. But real suede isn't used for car seats because it's not durable enough. The suede inserts used in automotive seats are actually synthetic, usually an Ultrasuede or Alcantara or equivalent.

The following is all IMHO:

Vinyl/leatherette is the easiest to clean and most resistant to staining, but least durable over the long term. Temperature cycling and sun exposure eventually causes cracking of the surface coating and/or delamination of the surface from the fabric. Using a vinyl protectant (UV block + wax) can delay that. IMO, this is the least comfortable surface to sit on: feeling cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and it's not very breathable.

Real leather is also relatively easy to clean, but light colored leather is prone to staining. Real leather seems to hold up better than leatherette, but you can still get some hardening and cracking of the surface if you don't use a leather conditioner periodically. Premium grades of leather can be very comfortable because they stretch and break-in to your body shape and have some breathability, but leather does feel cold in the winter and hot in the summer (though not as bad as vinyl).

Imitation suede or microfiber is the most comfortable seating surface to me. It doesn't freeze your backside when you get in the car on a cold day or cook you on a hot day, and it's breathable. In my experience, it holds up very well over time. It does grip your clothing more than leather or vinyl, which is a good thing for hard cornering, but maybe not as good on a long trip. It's also a little harder to clean.
 
Red MC said:
Leatherette is different from suede. Leatherette = imitation leather = plastic coated fabric. Usually, it's a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coating on polyester fabric. We used to just call it vinyl, but that term fell out of favor in the auto industry because of the reputation it gained in the 20th century for being cheap and deteriorating easily. Real suede is leather with the soft side out. But real suede isn't used for car seats because it's not durable enough. The suede inserts used in automotive seats are actually synthetic, usually an Ultrasuede or Alcantara or equivalent.

The following is all IMHO:

Vinyl/leatherette is the easiest to clean and most resistant to staining, but least durable over the long term. Temperature cycling and sun exposure eventually causes cracking of the surface coating and/or delamination of the surface from the fabric. Using a vinyl protectant (UV block + wax) can delay that. IMO, this is the least comfortable surface to sit on: feeling cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and it's not very breathable.

Real leather is also relatively easy to clean, but light colored leather is prone to staining. Real leather seems to hold up better than leatherette, but you can still get some hardening and cracking of the surface if you don't use a leather conditioner periodically. Premium grades of leather can be very comfortable because they stretch and break-in to your body shape and have some breathability, but leather does feel cold in the winter and hot in the summer (though not as bad as vinyl).

Imitation suede or microfiber is the most comfortable seating surface to me. It doesn't freeze your backside when you get in the car on a cold day or cook you on a hot day, and it's breathable. In my experience, it holds up very well over time. It does grip your clothing more than leather or vinyl, which is a good thing for hard cornering, but maybe not as good on a long trip. It's also a little harder to clean.
Click to expand...

Leathette and most real leathers also have some sort of coating on top to protect it, so youre not actually conditioning anything when you take care of your leather. Just use a vinyl/plastic trim cleaner that smells good and thats the most youll need.
 
Red MC said:
Leatherette is different from suede. Leatherette = imitation leather = plastic coated fabric. Usually, it's a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coating on polyester fabric. We used to just call it vinyl, but that term fell out of favor in the auto industry because of the reputation it gained in the 20th century for being cheap and deteriorating easily. Real suede is leather with the soft side out. But real suede isn't used for car seats because it's not durable enough. The suede inserts used in automotive seats are actually synthetic, usually an Ultrasuede or Alcantara or equivalent.

The following is all IMHO:

Vinyl/leatherette is the easiest to clean and most resistant to staining, but least durable over the long term. Temperature cycling and sun exposure eventually causes cracking of the surface coating and/or delamination of the surface from the fabric. Using a vinyl protectant (UV block + wax) can delay that. IMO, this is the least comfortable surface to sit on: feeling cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and it's not very breathable.

Real leather is also relatively easy to clean, but light colored leather is prone to staining. Real leather seems to hold up better than leatherette, but you can still get some hardening and cracking of the surface if you don't use a leather conditioner periodically. Premium grades of leather can be very comfortable because they stretch and break-in to your body shape and have some breathability, but leather does feel cold in the winter and hot in the summer (though not as bad as vinyl).

Imitation suede or microfiber is the most comfortable seating surface to me. It doesn't freeze your backside when you get in the car on a cold day or cook you on a hot day, and it's breathable. In my experience, it holds up very well over time. It does grip your clothing more than leather or vinyl, which is a good thing for hard cornering, but maybe not as good on a long trip. It's also a little harder to clean.
Click to expand...


So which one comes on the 2017+ Touring models?
 
You have to get the GT to get some real cow leather pieces on seats.

Touring is all synthetic. Synthetic suede, and synthetic vinyl leatherette.
 
mazdadude said:
Touring is all synthetic. Synthetic suede, and synthetic vinyl leatherette.
Click to expand...

Yes, synthetic suede inserts in the middle of the seat bottom cushion and seat back, surrounded by leatherette. A lot of manufacturers do that, but Mazda's synthetic suede inserts seem a little smaller than most.
 
I use AeroSpace 303 on the seats. That product works really well. No silicone or solvents in it, water based UV resistant product that is highly rated.
 
GM leather was pretty bad when I owned a GM.

I wonder if the 2018.5 or latter CX5 will get Napa Leather? That's nice leather.
 
what do you recommend cleaning the leatherette with and is it worth using a leather conditioner on the seats?
 
Those paper tissue wipes that Meguires do take a bit of beating. They clean and have a bit of baby bum cream for leather too. Cheap as chips (that’s French fries to you).
 
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