It s a synthetic surface usually made of vinyl or a type of plastic that is meant to simulate the look and feel of leather.
Vinyl vs leather car seats.
They have the benefit of being cheaper and easier to clean than leather but with the same visual appeal.
While a quality hide of leather runs about 300 it only provides around three yards of usable material.
If you re on a tight budget and you don t want cloth seats in your car then a vinyl seating option can be a smart choice.
Where vinyl has a look that s more fake and doesn t try to be a natural material faux leathers try to mimic the look of the real thing.
Over time leather becomes softer.
Slipping into the leather seats of an older car is like putting on a set of well fitting soft gloves.
This makes the job of identifying your material a bit more difficult.
It ll cost you less.
Here s a look at the difference between the two and the pros and cons associated with each.
Leather seating is an investment and in many ways is a better car upholstery material than vinyl.
This matters cause a leather conditioner will not help the vinyl sides.
Second vinyl tends to get sticky and it can get very hot when exposed to sun as compared to leather.
Leather of course is the real deal.
Most quality faux leathers cost less than a third of that.
While leather and leatherette may look the same at the dealership they aren t.
Leather upholstery increases the value of both new and old cars.
It comes from a cow.
Leather is much more durable than vinyl and with proper care will last much longer.
Its most popular use however is as a substitute for leather.
Leather is simply more expensive than vinyl since it s a material that s natural rather than man made like vinyl essentially plastic.
Do you prefer the feel of leather or vinyl.
The difference here has a lot to do with appearances.
Leather will breath much easier will not get sticky on a hot day like vinyl will and it breaks in nicely and gets even more comfortable over time.
Vinyl simply isn t going to have that effect.
In some instances the material may be presented as leather but in reality is a vinyl material.
Here are some reasons to consider vinyl seats.
Vinyl on the other hand feels colder stiffer and artificial.
When it comes to car upholstery new vehicles today offer a variety of choices including cloth vinyl microsuede leather and leatherette.
Vinyl costs a fraction of the price of genuine leather.
Though vinyl can be made to look almost identical to leather there is a substantial difference in quality between the two.
People tend to favor the feel of leather and the majority of vinyl material cannot mimic that leather feel or smell.