Cloth Seats vs. Leather Seats

[Subhuman]

I know there have been some previous post on this topic but they did not answer all of the questions I had so here we are.

Anyway, I am slowing whittling down the option I feel are a most have, nice to have and I really don't care about. Leather seats full under the option that I really don't care about. However it is still on my list for a few reason. Some collective insight would be great.

Cons:
- From images I have seen it appears that the leather seats on the Model S stretch over time and leave wrinkles or indentions. Is this pretty common or has Tesla addressed this issue (Any pictures would be great)
- Maintenance and care. I have had leather seats in the past and have always had to contort myself to get into the vehicle to avoid rubbing on the side bolster or scratching from buttons on my jeans etc.
- I personally prefer the looks of the cloth seats
- Possible con: Is it ridiculous to buy a $100,000 car and not have leather seats (Possible resale impact)
- I have kids
- Hot seats from the sun

Pros:
- I have kids (Easy cleanup)
- Makes sense in a $100,000 car

Another issue I have seen is the with the back of the seats. If I recall correctly someone had posted that the back of the front seats are basically foam wrapped in a hard plastic shell. His kids actually chipped the back on the seats by kicking them. I think I had seen a photo showing this damage somewhere. While I joke that I will break my kids legs if they kick the back of the seat, I know it will be difficult to keep them from kicking the back of the seats at all times. The car seats positions them just right to be able to reach the back of the seat or are is this not an issue with the model S because there enough legroom. Any info or pictures would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gizmotoy]

I have had leather seats in the past and have always had to contort myself to get into the vehicle to avoid rubbing on the side bolster or scratching from buttons on my jeans etc.

Well you won't have to worry about that here because there is no side bolstering. I'm only partially kidding. There is a tiny amount, but not enough that you'll ever worry about rubbing it on entry. You'll be more concerned about wearing a hole in the leather on the B pillar than anything relating to the seat.

 

[DingDingDao]

I have the cloth seats and a 1.5 year old. Absolutely no regrets--the cloth is fantastic. Also, cleanup doesn't seem to be an issue thus far, although I don't give my kid any liquids other than water when we're in the car, so I can't speak to milk/OJ/apple juice/whiskey/beer.

 

[JohnQ]

I have leather but want to address the back of the seat. My girls scuff the back of the seats all day long. I clean them twice a week. No issues with any wear. Now, the back corner of the armrest console is a different story. One of my daughters like to rest her foot there and it's seeing a little wear. Not the end of the world, though--it's a car, it gets driven, stuff happens.

 

[Ulmo]

Yesterday, I had a realization, which I finally understood this morning:

I didn't put any effort into quantification, because I didn't think it was my place as a volunteer, nor a good measure of total numbers. I heard a similar rumor about 450 today from another volunteer, but when I heard it, I thought I misheard it. I was spending most my time trying to be helpful, and the balance of my time talking to other volunteers, so I had a good time. The number of Tesla cars there was astounding, to say the least; the area was awash in them. I don't know for what purpose each car had except for the three showroom models and the few I saw get delivered, plus I know a few people drove their own Model 3's there to be volunteers, I was really happy with how nice the cars are in person; I can't wait to own a Tesla again. (3, Y, or X, next time. Definitely long range and dual motor.)

I personally think home delivery is a great idea if it works out; it fixes all the problems of how you get home, how you get to the delivery center, being stuck at the delivery center while the Tesla employees do paperwork (instead you can do something useful at home), etc. I think the biggest problem with home delivery is that people might get stuck at home with their new car and not know how to drive it, but the solution to that is requiring delivery people to offer a test drive around the block, or the new owners can simply drive their old car while they call customer service to resolve the issues.

Ok, I'll throw some silly tiny-sample-size out there: I ended up seeing a lot more Model X's and Model S's delivered today than I had expected. I talked to another volunteer about this, and they said that for the rest of the week that he had volunteered that the delivery center had been delivering a lot of Model 3's. Also, of the three Model 3's I heard about being delivered (one I witnessed myself), two were performance models and one was a Dual Motor, so not even a single RWD of the ones I heard about being delivered. Maybe the people that pick up on Saturday have jobs during the week that they simply can't be away from for a car delivery experience.

One of the major things I liked about the Model 3, Model S, and Model X that I sat in yesterday was their "leather" (not sure whether real or substitute) seats. They were really really nice. The cloth seat I had in my Model S back in 2016-2017 was not that nice. It made a huge difference to me in retrospect, something I did not realize until this morning.

Getting a cheap new Model S back in 2016 was one of the worst mistakes of my life. I should have kept my money invested and gotten a fully optioned X or 3 a year later, and used another used Mercedes in the interim. My failings got the better of me and I splurged too soon for too little.

 

[MarkKW]

We like the “cloth” seats... they are super comfortable and not hot or sticky in south Florida