I'm looking at the F-150 FX4 with Captains Chairs. I'm wondering what peoples opinions are on cloths seats vs. leather seats. I do a lot of hunting and camping and all that dirty stuff and would be worried about ruining the leather. How durable are leather seats? Is it worth the extra $500?

 

Leather is the way to go, cloth gets worse with age it holds dirt and smells and looks and feels cheap. Leather only gets better with age like a fine leather couch. Resale is better with leather also. I wont own a truck or car without leather. Don't want to sound uppity but cloth is second class. Go First class get leather.

 

the leather would probably more durable and its a lot easier to clean.

 

I will not buy another vehicle with cloth. Leather is easy to clean. Leather is the best unless you are a hefford.

 

IMO leather is preferable.

1. you will recoop much of the $500 at resale,

2. leather doesn't stain,

3. leather will stay good-looking through many miles of rugged use.

I put 205,000 miles, and over 10 years on my 1994 Chev PU. The leather was just beginning to show wear.

 

Unfortunately, I have cloth. It's already in need of shampoo due to my landscaping business. I will probably spend $150 for seat covers plus whatever it costs to clean the cloth, so I would say that buying leather will save you money in the long run.

 

I have leather and I agree that it's the way to go. I wanted to add that the heated/memory seat option is great and something you might want to consider as well.

 

I agree with the other posts here, leather is the way to go. I inherited my father's car a couple years ago (95 Riviera). First vehicle I've had with leather and have become accustomed to leather and the heated seats. My next truck will have leather.

The only thing with leather is that you need to order an FX4 or Lariat to get it.

 

I don't know about in the U.s, but in Canada, you can only get heated leather in the Lariat. FX4 has leather, but not heated. That's why I bought a Lariat.

 

Get the leather and for when you head out camping buy the camo nylon seat covers from cabellas. For about $80 you get a complete front and back set. I carry mine in my door storage and if I will be getting dirty it only takes about 20 seconds to throw it on over the seat.

 

I went with the fx4, and wouldn't mind heat in the Canadian Winter.
My dealer recommended a place in town which they send people such as me to.
$550 to install heat with side seat buttons.

May look into it in the fall

 

I have to go against the grain here. I've owned a car with leather (my 97 Camaro Z28) and my new F-150 XLT has cloth and I prefer the cloth for a few reasons but these reasons depend on where you live and what you prefer. I live in south texas so leather sucks here. It gets way too hot and will wear quickly (even if you have a winshield sunvisor during the day). Leather also gets hard under these conditions after a while (which will make it wear more). To clean and keep it soft requires more maintenance and leather tears easier (not stains easier) than the cloth in the new f-150s. Not only does the heat hurt the leather, but it makes the car's interior feel as if it's going to take all day to cool down (the leather stays hot for a long time). Also wear is more evident on leather (wrinkling and light cracking) than will be on cloth. The only downsides I can think of for cloth are that it doesn't preserve and supplement the "new vehicle" smell as much as leather, and it will stain depending on what you spill on it. I don't beleive that the leather is more durable though.....at least not against this cloth (which is pretty tough). Also I think leather may hurt the "image" of what a truck is supposed to be....already the interior is spiffy and as luxurious as some cars and then you add leather and it completely takes all ruggedness from the interior (if that's what you want then it's a good thing). These are considerations to take and weigh against your preferences. Make a decision after you've done this.

 

Depends on what your primary concern is... I'm with MrF150 since I live in Houston Texas and it gets hotter and "humider" than all hell. In the summer time, the leather just sticks to you and you pretty much "become one" with your machine - in a bad way. When shopping around for my truck, I wanted to get a Lariat with CLOTH interior but soon learned that it couldn't be done even if I special ordered it. So eventually I gave in and I purchased a Lariat. It's only April and I'm worried about summer being around the corner, especially since the AC doesn't seem to cool enough (there are other threads about that issue). I'm probably going to be cursing my truck every day that I'm sweating and sticking to the seat on my way somewhere in the summertime.

Ford offers HEATED leather seats which I will never have a need for, but up north I imagine that would be great. I wish there was the option for COOLED leather seats. If that were the case, leather would be the best choice, hands down - better durability, resale and looks. If you don't live in an oven of a city, leather is the way to go. Even if you do live in the south, leather still should be considered, you can always throw a towel or something over a hot leather seat to keep it from melting to you.

 

There are some nice aftermarket cloth cover options. How about a "cheetah" pattern?

 

I'm a leather-lover. For all the reasons stated above and then some. I just find it a lot more comfortable to be able to slide around on the seat a little from time-to-time when driving longer distances. Very hard to do on cloth.

I am also a hunter and I did put some cheap camo cloth covers on my seats for the duration of the season last fall. They worked great. When I stripped them off the day after the season ended, the seats were as pristine as the day I covered them.