[nater_himself]

What are these seats truly made of?? Doesn't really look/feel like leather to me...

 

[Coop]

Leather Seats

What are these seats truly made of?? Doesn't really look/feel like leather to me...

They are Real Leather .... to pass Ford seat tests for durability, they have a lot of coating on them so that they won't wear out long-term!!!!!!

 

[iamz]

That's the problem with any automotive leather seats. They are so highly processed with synthetic coatings to make them durable, you pretty much end up with vinyl like seats.

 

[Audrey]

That's the problem with any automotive leather seats. They are so highly processed with synthetic coatings to make them durable, you pretty much end up with vinyl like seats.

In the 80s I remember sticking to my mom's Buick seats and how hot they'd get. I am fine to have cloth.

 

[Corvair]

When you can't tell the differance form the vinyl and leather, what's the point. I got the grey cloth with blue highlights, looks cool.

 

[Hoonu]

You get leather to contribute to Ford's profitability?

 

[bmellin]

You get leather to contribute to Ford's profitability?

Nicely put

 

[Delbert]

I like the cloth, not sure how the cashmire piping on the black leather will look in the long haul....

 

[Paradocks]

I got leather mainly because it makes it easier for me to swivel my fat butt in the seat when getting out of the car.

 

[Delbert]

Now that is funny!

 

[Hoonu]

I like the cloth, not sure how the cashmire piping on the black leather will look in the long haul....

Me either. I suspect it's far enough out of the way to stay clean. It looks "off white," not beige. Our salesman said the Blaze Yellow had yellow piping.

Uh huh.

 

[iamz]

I got leather mainly because it makes it easier for me to swivel my fat butt in the seat when getting out of the car.

I have the opposite problem. I'm such a light-weight, I need the friction from the cloth to keep my ass in place.

 

[GapBoyPCS]

You have to be careful how manufacturers advertise leather seats. A lot of times, they are "leather seating surfaces" (i.e. where you really sit and rub against the material is leather, but the seatbacks and other parts may be vinyl).

I'm a bit hesitant on leather seats, in general. As much as they make it easier for cleanup in some cases and look good, you really need to take care of them (i.e. using a good leather cleaner and conditioner on them) to reduce the chance they look horrible after a few years.

Plus, the design on the cloth inserts of the regular cloth seats aren't bad, so they snazzy up the interior a bit instead of making it seem bland (the piping helps, but not really IMO).

 

[mress]

Also, is the rear seat material leather?

I had an early 90's mustang convertable with leather. I discovered that the rear seat was vinyl covered. I paid $everal buck$ for less than five yards of hide! I now try to determine how much covering is actually leather before I order it. I also think that this is one of the key elements in determining just how "upscale" any given vehicle really truly is. The Fiesta hits the bulleye on fit and finnish, the extensive NVH work, the double full perimeter door seals and accoustic windscreen are "over and above" what anyone would find on the competition. I think this car is as close to perfect as I could have hoped for. I just hope that Ford does not start growing this car as it progresses through time. That is a thing called "Segment creep". It's not a term I coined. It refers to the way each generation of car design gets larger and heavier. I would like to see them execise some discipline here in that regard.

 

[3drhatch]

You have to be careful how manufacturers advertise leather seats. A lot of times, they are "leather seating surfaces" (i.e. where you really sit and rub against the material is leather, but the seatbacks and other parts may be vinyl).

I can't find the details, but the term "leather seating surfaces" and other variations exist because Nissan was sued by a 300ZX owner who discovered that his "leather seats" were not 100% leather.

 

[jenblossom32]

the manual says they are coated leather. I think they are plastic over the leather. You can use water and cloth to clean them. there's a website called 303 products that talks about today's leather automotive seats and protecting them. They sell a product called 3030 aerospace protectant that looks pretty good for seat care and they have samples..3 for $7. when i need to think about protecting the seats and interior trim, I might try them.

 

[Guido-Fiesta]

I chose what was on the model I test drove which was cloth, knowing in the long run Id upgrade to leather trim and seats...anyone know if this conversion is possible or how much leather components would be bought from the dealer rather than off the lot with it pre-installed? I hope that is possible...lol I was a BMW guy so leather is one of the high-points for me...I really enjoy the cloth though, it looks sharp and the seats are very comfortable, after weeks they still feel crisp, any cons on leather interior?

 

[GapBoyPCS]

I chose what was on the model I test drove which was cloth, knowing in the long run Id upgrade to leather trim and seats...anyone know if this conversion is possible or how much leather components would be bought from the dealer rather than off the lot with it pre-installed? I hope that is possible...lol I was a BMW guy so leather is one of the high-points for me...I really enjoy the cloth though, it looks sharp and the seats are very comfortable, after weeks they still feel crisp, any cons on leather interior?

Do you mean just reupholstering in leather or swapping out entire seats? I'm sure you can just swap the seats. I'm not sure about keeping your seats and then reupholstering them without breaking the bank.

You may want to look at a company called Katzkin that produces leather seat covers. A lot of enthusiasts have put them on their cars. They can be expensive, but you have a wider range of colours and options. Ford has used them as OE Accessories at least in their 2008 and later Focus models.

 

[Coop]

After Market Leather Seats

Go to the following URL for neat Fiesta seats:

Katzkin Leather for the Ford Fiesta from ShopSAR.com

 

[Killcam]

I personally, would prefer cloth buckets over the leather just because they don't get quite as hot. And in Arizona, that is pretty critical. Also, the cloth just feels like it is better quality material than leather, but maybe that is just because the leather has so many things protecting it.

Plus, don't you wanna swap your seats for racing buckets anyway?