Leather vs Fabric interior

[firstblud]

Just curious to see for those of you who have seen both interiors for the civicX. What are the pros/cons of each?

IMO, the fabric looks more refined and solid. It doesn't look cheap at all, which I was really surprised by coming from a much older civic.

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[IndyHonda]

I was leaning toward an EXT and was fine with going back to cloth interior from my leather in my current car. BUT I didn't like the feel of the cloth on the center/armrest of the new Civic as it felt very cheap/thin to me. Felt like it may not hold up very well to normal wear and tear. And the cloth on the door panel of the one I was sitting in already had some kind of streaks on it. I assume from something rubbing against it. It may have been a fluke thing to see this, but first impression killed it for me. I'm now going with EXL for sure as that is what I have now in my Accord.

 

[amalgamate]

I was leaning toward an EXT and was fine with going back to cloth interior from my leather in my current car. BUT I didn't like the feel of the cloth on the center/armrest of the new Civic as it felt very cheap/thin to me. Felt like it may not hold up very well to normal wear and tear. And the cloth on the door panel of the one I was sitting in already had some kind of streaks on it. I assume from something rubbing against it. It may have been a fluke thing to see this, but first impression killed it for me. I'm now going with EXL for sure as that is what I have now in my Accord.

I thought the same regarding the cloth on the center/armrest. The cloth on the rest of the car seemed fine but that killed it for me as well. Just seemed cheap. I would have rather they made it plastic to be honest.

 

[CdnColin]

Agee totally with the two above responses. I'm a leather buyer, period. Leather just ages so much better. I brought an LX home to do the golf bag test. Immediately missed the push button start and lane watch. Centre console just wasn't up to the leather feel.

By the way, two full golf bags fit in the trunk without dropping the rear seats down.

 

[firstblud]

I guess one of my major fears with leather, especially when googling about Honda's quality of leather in their Accords in the past, is that it starts to show it's age after 5 years (wrinkles, tears, stretching). Any concerns with that (to everyone)? I've never owned leather, but I plan to keep this car for at least 6 years (most likely over 10 lol).

 

[civvie]

I guess one of my major fears with leather, especially when googling about Honda's quality of leather in their Accords in the past, is that it starts to show it's age after 5 years (wrinkles, tears, stretching). Any concerns with that (to everyone)? I've never owned leather, but I plan to keep this car for at least 6 years (most likely over 10 lol).

A lot depends on owner habits too. If you always brush your jeans' rivets up against bolsters on entry/exit you'll of course get marks over time. If you're careful and also make sure to clean and condition the leather, it should last you years and still look good. There shouldn't be any reason that the leather tears without any trauma to it.

 

[takemorepills]

I guess one of my major fears with leather, especially when googling about Honda's quality of leather in their Accords in the past, is that it starts to show it's age after 5 years (wrinkles, tears, stretching). Any concerns with that (to everyone)? I've never owned leather, but I plan to keep this car for at least 6 years (most likely over 10 lol).

A lot of the fans of leather, seem to trade in cars quite frequently.

If you want a trendy, easier to clean interior...leather's your choice.

If you want a long lasting material, usually the cloth is the better choice.

However, who knows if the cloth in 2015 is as good as the cloth of 20-30 years ago? I think we can all be certain that the leather has never been the best for more than 10 years, 10 years about the breaking point for American and Asian vehicles.

I have a 29 year old Prelude with near mint cloth interior. Ever seen a 29 year old Honda with leather?? I have. It's pretty nasty!!!

Also, regarding the armrest, you could always go cloth then swap in a leather armrest.

 

[Golf6]

Leather looks and feels better, but cloth grips better for more aggressive driving. I'd get leather for the base Civic and cloth for Si and Type R. Come to think of if the Si and Type R may come with cloth sports seats mandatory.

 

[Slickone]

I know the leather in cars has toxic phthalates in it, but lately some manufactures have been cutting down (or eliminating?) on the amount.
Until the car loses it's new car smell (which are phthalates), be sure you roll your windows down with you get in your new car for a few minutes. It's in many of the other interior parts as well.

What happens if you clean the "leather" with some kind of disinfectant, like alcohol or something like Lysol all purpose cleaner?

 

[CdnColin]

Had a '67 and '72 Corvette that each were over 20 years old when I sold them. The interior leather was aged in a very nice way. No wear or cracks. Also had a '58 but it was a fake type of leatherette. In 30 years its seats were like new but had to replace the dash when it was sold. My '09 Pilot showed no sign of wear after 7 years, but we are easy on our vehicles.

Other vehicles I've had with leather were turned in after 4 years so I can't comment.

 

[SuperTongue]

I'm not a big fan of leather, although I do admit it looks better. I just dislike the feeling of it for some reason.

I do agree the cloth on my center armrest feels a little cheap (even compared to the cloth in my 2013) but I prefer the overall feel in the seats / rest of the car compared to the leather.

Just my own personal preference!

 

[takemorepills]

Had a '67 and '72 Corvette that each were over 20 years old when I sold them. The interior leather was aged in a very nice way. No wear or cracks. Also had a '58 but it was a fake type of leatherette. In 30 years its seats were like new but had to replace the dash when it was sold. My '09 Pilot showed no sign of wear after 7 years, but we are easy on our vehicles.

Other vehicles I've had with leather were turned in after 4 years so I can't comment.

Japanese car leather is totally different.

Best leather I have ever seen (or maybe it is synthetic?) is on the early to mid 80's Merceds. I see them from time to time around town, and the leather always looks good.

 

[CdnColin]

The Civic is made in N.A. Are the seats made in N.A.? I had 2 Mazda Tributes, also N.A. made, with leather interior. Both showed no wear after 4 years. Had a Merkur XR4Ti, German made, that showed no wear after 5 years.

Not sure where leather is sourced from. Maybe they all get it from India or China. We do know that a Rolls has good old British cow skins but the lottery hasn't come in yet.

 

[takemorepills]

The Civic is made in N.A. Are the seats made in N.A.? I had 2 Mazda Tributes, also N.A. made, with leather interior. Both showed no wear after 4 years. Had a Merkur XR4Ti, German made, that showed no wear after 5 years.

Not sure where leather is sourced from. Maybe they all get it from India or China. We do know that a Rolls has good old British cow skins but the lottery hasn't come in yet.

Say what?? My uncle also had a Merkur XR4Ti, and it had to have it's leather replaced under recall. Anyways, all Honda sourced leather is the same. No good for more than 10 years.

 

[CdnColin]

Say what?? My uncle also had a Merkur XR4Ti, and it had to have it's leather replaced under recall. Anyways, all Honda sourced leather is the same. No good for more than 10 years.

I had 4 turbos replaced and the rotors replaced several times but no leather recall. Have no idea how Honda sources their leather. They produce vehicles all around the world so I would imagine they get their seats made all around the world.

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