Leather?
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 171
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From: Iowa
I have cloth in my XLT premium but are going to put in Katzkin seat soon. I have two Young kids and leather seems easier to clean. I will say though I just came out of 16 F150 platinum and the heated seats in my current 250 will burn ya in comparison.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,555
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Cloth doesn't have temperature issues. So, once your butt hits the seat, cloth will be more comfortable in the heat and cold. Also, regarding heat; with an unventilated leather seat, once hot, will be uncomfortable for a good while.
Yes, cloth can be a bit more work to keep clean, but a little care ahead (like don't use your truck as the dining room table) can make that a non issue.
The real negative with cloth is there is no upscale interior option when using cloth seats. By that I mean there is no such thing as a KR with a cloth upgrade option.
The funny thing is leather seating was the peasant option and cloth was for the boss. Early cars used leather because they had poor to no weather protection and leather could withstand the elements. Early chauffer-driven cars had fine cloth seats in a closed cabin for the passengers while the driver sat out in the elements on a crappy leather seat. I don't know when leather became the luxury option, but it seems it was in the early '50s or thereabouts. Few things were as comfortable as a fine mohair seat. Funny how materials have flipped-flopped.
Yes, cloth can be a bit more work to keep clean, but a little care ahead (like don't use your truck as the dining room table) can make that a non issue.
The real negative with cloth is there is no upscale interior option when using cloth seats. By that I mean there is no such thing as a KR with a cloth upgrade option.
The funny thing is leather seating was the peasant option and cloth was for the boss. Early cars used leather because they had poor to no weather protection and leather could withstand the elements. Early chauffer-driven cars had fine cloth seats in a closed cabin for the passengers while the driver sat out in the elements on a crappy leather seat. I don't know when leather became the luxury option, but it seems it was in the early '50s or thereabouts. Few things were as comfortable as a fine mohair seat. Funny how materials have flipped-flopped.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,142
Likes: 307
The real question should be Kids or no kids? We have three little ones, so leather is the only choice for our vehicles and in black.
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
I gave up on cloth years ago because of our Labrador Retrievers. Wonderful companions but they shed buckets of hair every day and each hair sticks to cloth like a fishing hook! 45 minutes to vacuum cloth versus 10 minutes with leather.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 902
Likes: 51
From: Clark, WY
Funny, in years gone by if you had kids it meant you could not afford leather.......... my, my, how the world changes.
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Fords has come a long way with their leather, just picked up my F450 Lariat value pkg on saturday, love the black leather, soft, yet seems heavy duty.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2017
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I went with vinyl and STX package. The newer vinyls are underrated. Soft and breath better than the older stuff.
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Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 703
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Agreed. Stack on a dog and leather is an easy choice for long term, ease of cleaning, etc...
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