MKVI GTI Cloth trim v Leather

[pologti18t]

Cloth seats are very easy to clean - steam cleaning

[Corey_R]

lol, steam cleaning has never helped get stains out of cloth seats... if your scotchgard (or whatever) protective coating on the cloth seats has worn out and you get a sweat or food stain on them, that's basically it! Plus, most people can't even do the steam cleaning themselves, they've gotta get a pro to do it, and it money etc.

[team_v]

lol, steam cleaning has never helped get stains out of cloth seats... if your scotchgard (or whatever) protective coating on the cloth seats has worn out and you get a sweat or food stain on them, that's basically it! Plus, most people can't even do the steam cleaning themselves, they've gotta get a pro to do it, and it money etc.

See here:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=...26/dNMAmhGrxR8

[LiFers]

Just add another repetition to this thread from someone who has leather and does lots of driving:

Leather:
+ Looks, feels and smells great
+ As easy to clean as it is to steam clean cloth, but you need to leather condition more often than you would normally steam clean.
- Wears more and easier than cloth
- Slippery
- Harder to use as a working car as you need to protect the seats anytime anything but a bum is going to make contact with them.
--- Very sweaty. As no air can reach your back, it can be uncomfortable on warm to hot days

Cloth:
+ Breathes so you don't get a sweaty back. This doesn't mean the sweat goes into the chair, it means that air can reach your skin, so your skin doesn't form an oven with a plastic like coating and it doesn't sweat in the first place.
+ Lasts longer and wears better, but you will need to steam clean at some point in time

If all your car ever does is look good in the garage, and do weekend trips, or the 20 minutes to work and back, you might like the luxury of leather.

Having a leather embossed car in which I often spend all day at work, I'd personally save the money and get cloth. You miss out on the looks and the feel of luxury, but it's a better comprimise for the realities of every day life.

P.S. Electric seats? Put two drivers seats in the wrong position, electric and manual. I'll take the manual and race the electric into a comfortable driving position any day. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-rrrrr-rrrr-rrrr-rrrrr 'Are we there yet?'

[twotribez]

I say get the cloth seats. The way they made the front seats causes the leather to crease and look terrible after a few years. I am talking about the side bolsters on the right side of the bum. Had a look at many second hand golfs with leather and it really looks worn in that area because of the way it was constructed.

[G-rig]

I love the leather smell, can't really beat that. Those that say it's no good prob don't have it.

I'm still a fan of combo suede and leather like some of the Audi's have, best of both.

I say get the cloth seats. The way they made the front seats causes the leather to crease and look terrible after a few years. I am talking about the side bolsters on the right side of the bum. Had a look at many second hand golfs with leather and it really looks worn in that area because of the way it was constructed.

You just have to take a bit of care getting in and out not to squash them.. But agree i wouldn't buy the Recaros in leather for that reason, they get quite creased.

[midlifecrisis]

What about MKVI Golf (not GTI) Comfort (not Sports) versus Leather.

I have heard that the Sports Pack for the Golf Wagon wont have Sports Seats, so am wondering if the comfort seats will be good enough or whether I should consider leather (with lumbar)?

[Idle]

What about MKVI Golf (not GTI) Comfort (not Sports) versus Leather.

I have heard that the Sports Pack for the Golf Wagon wont have Sports Seats, so am wondering if the comfort seats will be good enough or whether I should consider leather (with lumbar)?

Down the years I've had to endure just about every kind of upholstery there is — leather, leatherette, good, bad, indifferent and downright awful plastic, cloth, velour, sheepskin, cast iron, pressed steel (even wood — ancient Leyland solid-tyred C-cab truck) and seats in styles from bench to hip-hugging buckets that I couldn't even fold into now.

The cloth in my current Mk VI TDI C-line seems as good as any, the fabric looks OK, feels as though it will wear well enough and the front seats are a good compromise between staying put on corners and squeezing in and out the doors, which isn't always easy when you're old.

They're OK for long trips — we don't suffer muscular stress after several hours non-stop, which I can't say for some we've had in the past (and we were much younger then.)

When choosing options, leather would be a long way down my checklist — particularly given the cost involved and the maintenance required.

As for lumbar adjustment, I've had several cars fitted with the manual variety as standard (including the TDI) and it never seems to quite fit me — usually I fiddle with it a few times, then forget it.

[midlifecrisis]

When choosing options, leather would be a long way down my checklist — particularly given the cost involved and the maintenance required.

As for lumbar adjustment, I've had several cars fitted with the manual variety as standard (including the TDI) and it never seems to quite fit me — usually I fiddle with it a few times, then forget it.

Thanks Idle.

Thats good to know about the comfort seats. My other reason for getting leather is kids...baby now but I plan to keep this car. I dont want to be precious with leather if I get it (will regularly clean), and I am reading that leather is the way to go. But I am also worried that my back will constantly sweat in Sydney unless I have the aircon on during 6 months of the year. Its also damn expensive.

[chilliman]

I had the debate about cloth v leather, went for leather and happy with my choice.

In the UK i used gliptone liquid leather to condition the seats on my Mk2 TT, going to pick up some more when I am back there in March ... great stuff!