# LEATHERETTE VS REAL LEATHER what are your thoughts? Why they don't offer leather on every trim?



## atlasatlas (Apr 17, 2019)

It is so insane that VW does not offer leather as an option on EVERY trim level. Atlas is a car that many people buy for comfort because this is not a speed monster nor a luxury car to show off. However many people have the same dilemma,, they don't want
to go all the way to the Premium to be able to get a car with leather seats, what if I don't want all the junk that I have to buy if I want just a healthier seating option?

I don't like the leatherette and I am trying to convince myself that I am okay with it but I am not. I don't like the look, the seat design and the smell. Horrible smell that gives me a headache each time I try to get used to it during the test drive. It is not something that goes away anytime soon as I had a car with leatherette once and two years into ownership was just as yacky as in the beginning. Never the issue with leather seats.

so what is the deal with the leatherette? if you have atlas did you learn to love it. I really truly do not care about the practicality of it nor durability or any other made up reason because it is neither durable or pretty. It is fake, it feels fake and it breaks on stress points unlike leather. But that smell, did it go away in your car eventually?

How did you convinced yourself to get it? 

I don't want to b uy a car and put leather aftermarket because it never looks as good as factory installed and also it is very expensive to do it anyway and I would end up at the same price point as with Prime or loose reseal value of junk features.


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

If you want leather, buy the version offered with leather. Not rocket science.


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## s12dxer (Dec 10, 2018)

This probably won't help you, but you should probably know that even on the SEL premium, the 3rd row is leatherette, and thus you still have some of that "smell" associated.


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## Phil37 (Jul 5, 2015)

I agree that VW should offer REAL leather with every trim. I love real leather but hate the leatherette so it’s cloth and base model for me. Ideally, I’d take the base S with real leather as an option. I’d probably pay up to $2000 for leather.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

The fake leather is great. Easy to clean. A little rubbery feeling. I like it on my SEL. It's all about cost savings. Remember...BMW/Merc use this material on some trims...


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## Hedgehodge (Nov 7, 2008)

KarstGeo said:


> The fake leather is great. Easy to clean. A little rubbery feeling. I like it on my SEL. It's all about cost savings. Remember...BMW/Merc use this material on some trims...


i do miss the smell of REAL leather , esp after you use QUALITY leather cleaner on it, horse saddle smell! My 2011 still has them, I need a sticker for those PETA freaks that says, "Real Cows Were Used in the Making of My Vehicle" <3 I would have ate them too and prayed before everything.....leave nothing wasted!

I do wish mine had leather for the pricetag though, every other company has leather as an stock after the 2nd level trim :\


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## D3Audi (Feb 18, 2016)

I think leatherette is better for durability. I actually prefer it over leather. Also - no animals were killed so you can sit. If that matters to you. 

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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Hedgehodge said:


> .....every other company has leather as an stock after the 2nd level trim :\


Can you provide support information that proves your statement correct?


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## Mrprice (Jul 30, 2013)

I imagine leather will eventually make its way to SEL trim as well. The Tiguan had leather reserved for SEL Premium originally but was added to SEL trims for 2019. No reason they won’t do the same for the Atlas.


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

The smell of leather in the car is what I like. Yes the first 2 rows are leather and the third is leatheret which I think is better as that part could take more of a beating from kids and can be cleaned without having to worry much. It does feel a both tougher material than the leather. As to the smell of the leatheret I can smell anything from it and I also have sat in a brand new SEL and can say the smell is just usual new car smell and nothing offensive at all. 


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## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

I have the SEL with V-Tex leatherette and enjoy its durability and cleanability without having to worry about pores. A diluted APC cleaner of your choice is all it needs and some sprays of a synthetic wax if you like to protect at another level. 

If you are worried about leatherette smell than just go to home depot and buy 25-30 bags of nice smelling cypress mulch, load the Atlas up and that will help.


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## AudiVW guy (Feb 7, 2006)

one of the reasons i bought the execuline was the quality of imitation leather is better in the higher trim.. but i was furious that in a $60K on the road SUV they can't offer leather. 
for crying out loud my Jeep Cherokee has better leather and nicer interior


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## iceninejim (Mar 23, 2015)

I don't know if Volkswagen has different versions of qualities of their leatherette depending on the model or year, but I have had it in three different cars. 2015 Jetta TDI, 2016 Jetta GLI, and now my 2018 alltrack. I have never noticed a scent personally and can be pretty finicky about smells. My wife has a 2018 GTI with leather. I actually think it smells kind of weird. I have liked the leather smell in other cars and do in general but her GTI just smells off! For me, I definitely associate leather with higher-quality and more luxury so to speak, but honestly, having leatherette, I don't have any desire for leather. They are both hot as hell in the summer and cold in the winter!

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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

iceninejim said:


> I don't know if Volkswagen has different versions of qualities of their leatherette depending on the model or year, but I have had it in three different cars. 2015 Jetta TDI, 2016 Jetta GLI, and now my 2018 alltrack. I have never noticed a scent personally and can be pretty finicky about smells. My wife has a 2018 GTI with leather. I actually think it smells kind of weird. I have liked the leather smell in other cars and do in general but her GTI just smells off! For me, I definitely associate leather with higher-quality and more luxury so to speak, but honestly, having leatherette, I don't have any desire for leather. They are both hot as hell in the summer and cold in the winter!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


And this is why I appreciate the ventilated seats in my Atlas it is black on black. 

Now as to leather I have found that German Made cars seem to have the thicker type of leather which contributes to the usual thought of German cars having stiffer seats In my 2010 Murano LE it had the soft leather and so does the my 2017 CX9. On the Murano the leather started creasing badly after 3 years and I am already finding the CX9 beginning to do that. Family owned BMWs and Mercedes with leather interiors have the same stiffness and this why many don’t opt for the leather and instead opt for the standard leatheret as you can barely tell the difference which is the same case with VW. 

So in conclusion they both are great seats and in my opinion have the nice new car smell and will take more beating than expected. 


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## iceninejim (Mar 23, 2015)

Hfqkhal said:


> And this is why I appreciate the ventilated seats in my Atlas it is black on black.
> 
> Now as to leather I have found that German Made cars seem to have the thicker type of leather which contributes to the usual thought of German cars having stiffer seats In my 2010 Murano LE it had the soft leather and so does the my 2017 CX9. On the Murano the leather started creasing badly after 3 years and I am already finding the CX9 beginning to do that. Family owned BMWs and Mercedes with leather interiors have the same stiffness and this why many don’t opt for the leather and instead opt for the standard leatheret as you can barely tell the difference which is the same case with VW.
> 
> ...


Ever since sitting in a circa 2000 Audi 9-5 2.3t decades ago at a mall(!), I have dreamed of leather aerated seats, but alas, it does not seem my lot in life with the cars I have so far owned.

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## shawshank redemption (Jan 29, 2009)

Mrprice said:


> I imagine leather will eventually make its way to SEL trim as well. The Tiguan had leather reserved for SEL Premium originally but was added to SEL trims for 2019. No reason they won’t do the same for the Atlas.



The 19 Tiguan SEL does not have real leather. Only SEL Premium


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

shawshank redemption said:


> The 19 Tiguan SEL does not have real leather. Only SEL Premium


So far every car I have owned since 1985 every car I bought had to have leather seating. Now when I bought the Atlas, well I really didn’t exactly know about the ventilated seat as I didn’t dig that deep into the list and what mattered to me was the leather, round view camera and at minimum AWD. The vented seats was a blessing in disguise and I don’t think that my next car would be without it. In fact it might have to be actually cooled seats as opposed to ventilated seats but that would be in a different very plush SUV category. 


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## Phil37 (Jul 5, 2015)

D3Audi said:


> I think leatherette is better for durability. I actually prefer it over leather. Also - no animals were killed so you can sit. If that matters to you.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


Excellent point! Will definitely consider the leatherette.


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## pedrodiesel (Mar 10, 2009)

*Letharrere is better*

My daily 2002 bmw 530i came with Letharrere.
Car has 235k miles seats are perfect.
My son s 1999 Mercedes E class with Real leather seats are showing wear and tear.
Our newer 328i 2013 came with Letharrere.
We chose it over leather for longevity.
Enjoy the Atlas.


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## oscillat0r (Jun 29, 2007)

I have the opposite gripe from OP. I want to buy a top spec with leatherette to get all the features. Even better would be if there were premium leatherette seats with better padding and ventilation. The fact that some leatherette seats and color combos look cheap Is more a question of choice and effort on Vws part.

I’m glad to see other mnfr besides the Germans are starting to offer leatherette as well - tried a new f pace and leatherette is standard on first trim levels.

Next step is to find a good alternative to the leather steering wheel


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## FrancoVan (Jul 7, 2008)

I can't speak to VW's version, but I love the leatherette in the BMW's and Mercedes that I've owned. The leatherette will still look brand new 10 years down the road, whereas leather visibly wears and needs conditioner applications. I've never noticed a smell with mine, but VW's may be different. Pro for leather is that it has a slightly softer feel to it, but its a negligible difference in my opinion. You have clothes in between you and seat after all. Everyone has their own conscience, but I personally agree with the point that you might just have a little better karma not sitting on an animals skin.


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## Anuska299 (Feb 10, 2017)

I've had a 4 cars with leather seats and while none were perforated they regardless of color 2 beige and 2 black were hotter than my current and former VW black leatherette which is perforated. As to smell there really isn't any difference considering all the other synthetics on the dash and doors.


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## lschw1 (Apr 21, 2003)

No convincing needed here. I don't like leather and since 1983 always went with cloth. Leather is too hot in the South. If it isn't black it gets stained. Over time it stretches and looks used. Just browse the craigslist ads. Even worse, after many years it dries out and cracks. We got the black leatherette on my wife's 2009 Jetta Sportwagen. It doesn't get hot like leather and was fine in Alabama. It doesn't get cold like leather so was fine in the Colorado mountains. When we did the diesel buyback after 8 years and 140k miles the seats were still like new. We had no qualms about getting leatherette on our newer Alltrack and Sportwagen.


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## tuulos (5 mo ago)

I have 3 cars right now, a 2020 BMW X1 with BMW’s synthetic leather, 1998 BMW 323 Cabriolet with real leather, and a 2018 VW golf sportwagen 4 motion Comfortline with leatherette. I like the leatherette, it is definitely nicer than cloth. But there is something about real leather. I’ve had an Acura RDX and Nissan Murrano with real leather too and both feel nicer. 
But honestly the 98 bmw 323 is the nicest because it’s leather dash and door panels, even over 20 years old is still soft.
But I can understand why newer cars are going to fake leather for cost and it’s easier to produce and use. The BMW leatherette is better than the VW, it actually took me a week to figure out if it was real or fake, the VW I knew right away. But I still like it.


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

If you are keeping the car more than 5 years or so, fake leather is the way to go. Real leather fades, cracks, stretches, etc. Yes, if you flip cars after a few years, leather all the way. I hate cloth. It absorbs smells and spills.


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## lschw1 (Apr 21, 2003)

speed51133! said:


> If you are keeping the car more than 5 years or so, fake leather is the way to go. Real leather fades, cracks, stretches, etc. Yes, if you flip cars after a few years, leather all the way. I hate cloth. It absorbs smells and spills.


I used to have an 88 GTI 16v and I had a girlfriend that would spill her Diet Coke every time she was in my car, which infuriated me. So after that I imposed a rule that no one can eat or drink in my vehicles (exception: my wife is allowed to drink water through a straw from a sealed metal cup). In 1992 I bought a new burgundy Corrado SLC with the grey pinstripe cloth interior. Because of my no eating/drinking rule the interior is still like new. Cloth is the best most comfortable fabric of all - if you are not a slob.


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