Back in the old days, materials on car seats were either cloth, which is a textile material, or leather for more expensive car brands that required a lot of effort from manufacturers.
But for some time now, as the demands have diversified, a new material that covers the car’s seats appeared, namely Alcantara which is a material similar to suede-like leather.
In this article, we will talk about the two types of car upholstery Alcantara, and leather
Contents
Leather upholstery
The types of leather used in car seats are natural leather and organic leather. There is also another material used widely, the eco-friendly leather upholstery is being used on many car seats even if they are luxurious or not.
Because eco-friendly leather is more affordable, car manufacturers adopted this type of leather for their premium cars, but more respectable brands use natural leather only.
Eco-friendly leather can also provide various colors that natural leather is not able to provide. But is also less reliable than natural leather being made from chemicals.
There is also a combination of those two, some cars have natural leather in the front seats and back, and eco-friendly leather on the sides, dor faces, or dashboard.
The advantages of leather car seats
The most important advantage – it just looks great. It can be of different colors, especially if the seats have eco-friendly leather, different textures, and so on.
Now, the more expensive cars have perforated leather, nowadays customization of leather car seats is diverse. Also, it has a nice feel on touch.
Another advantage is that leather has an average price, which is between cloth and Alcantara. Also to the advantages, we will add that leather upholstery is very easy to clean.
Also, leather is impermeable, being very good if various liquid substances that are difficult to clean for the cloth fall on the leather seat, they can be wiped off instantly.
The disadvantages of leather seats
A disadvantage of leather seats would be that they are not as durable as cloth ones and you need to pay more attention to maintaining the leather on them with different substances.
The sun is somewhat an enemy of leather, because, over time, it will no longer be able to cope with the sun’s rays and will crack if the leather is not properly maintained.
Another disadvantage of leather is the fact that it heats up very much when the car is left in the sun at high temperatures and you will not be able to sit on the hot seat immediately. On the other hand, leather cools a lot at low temperatures in winter.
But solutions have also been created for the two leather problems related to temperature by equipping cars with features like heated seats, respectively with cooling in seats.
You also have the option to replace the worn leather with a new one. There are specialized car workshops that do this kind of operation.
Alcantara car seats
Alcantara is also a textile upholstery, yes, you read that right. Alcantara is a registered trademark, which few people know about this material. It was invented by an Italian named Alcantara.
Many also confuse the material on the Alcantara with the suede leather because it looks very much like it. But the Alcantara is made of textile material, a textile material with a full surface of bristles, specially designed for cars.
The advantages of Alcantara upholstery
The main advantage of Alcantara upholstery is that it simply looks awesome! Since the 1970s when it started to be put on car seats, until now, all the interiors look just great.
You have a variety of options for Alcantara regarding the color, but when you opt to have your car cabin with Alcantara, the look and feel change drastically.
Another advantage is that the material is very resistant in time to wear, it is extremely easy to clean and it is resistant to many liquids. Some put this material on steering wheels as well for their great look and feel.
The disadvantages of Alcantara upholstery
The big disadvantage would be the price. It costs more than leather, it is mainly put on expensive cars. Another disadvantage is that, over time, Alcantara upholstery will wear out. Of course, Alcantara can be restored, either by replacing the damaged area or by replacing it on the entire seat.
Another disadvantage is that it cannot be repaired, or it is complicated to repair. For example, comparing cloth and Alcantara, if there is a cut in the cloth textile material, it can be sewn and masked so that it cannot be seen, but in Alcantara this is impossible, that’s why the best solution is to replace it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, each material has advantages and disadvantages. If we think about it practically, leather seats are more practical.
It looks and feels great, but it also has a big disadvantage if there is no option for heating and cooling in the seats especially in winter or summer because the skin cools and heats up very quickly and you will feel this.
Not everyone buys their car or chooses the equipment depending on the practical aspect. Sometimes we make choices just because we like something, although it might do us more harm than good.
There is also a combination of leather and Alcantara. The Alcantara is placed in the middle of the seat, and the leather is placed on the sides of the seat.
From my point of view, this is the best possible combination that combines the advantages of both materials.
This combination was made primarily to solve the eternal heating and cooling problem of the leather. But other features appeared later that solved that problem. After that, the combination of leather and Alcantara just looks great.
What material would you choose for your car?