as the topic and poll say, in terms of look/feel or personal taste, what do you prefer?

I really like the seats in my car which are both leather and alcantara.

The centres are alcantara and the bolsters are leather.

I find the alcantara very bum grippy, and my trousers don't ride up

and strangle a knacker on that material either.

Anything but leather! I had heated leather in my RX-8 (they were awesome seats though, leather aside) but decided I didn't want them again.

When I got this car it came with leather seats, which I've since removed and changed for some alcantara ones instead. Either alcantara or fabric will do me though. Much more grip, cooler in the summer and not as cold in the winter. Ages better too usually. No real reason why you'd want leather IMO.

I think the nicest seats I've ever sat in though were in an MG ZT (Rover 75) which were alcantara with leather side bolsters. The leather didn't add anything, but they were soooo comfy!

Current ones are fabric, but out of choice it would be proper Connolly Leather, not the rubbish that most car makers use.

As the only car which i have had with leather seats is a hire car i would not buy a car with leather seats as i find them uncomfy. I like to stick to plain old fabric.

Fabric. Leather is useless for driving hard in.

Depends wat the car is for.

General driving and family steed, I like leather. That's real leather, not the rhino hide Skoda fit.

Which is why my Yeti is in having the leather (seat facings and vinyl everywhere else) replaced with some decent stuff.

For a sports/fun/track car I prefer alcantara or cloth so I don't slide about.

Preferably with non-grippy side bolsters so you can get in and out.

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Mt

Sent from my Galaxy S3, not a Crapple!

Well I've voted fabric (textile) but must point out that that is based on the car I've ordered (Yeti) & the fact that even the so-called 'leather' seat facings are, in fact, the merest shaving of leather in a PVC laminate.

Give me proper (ideally perforated & ventilated) leather any day (+ a framed certificate confirming how many dead horses cows went into making my seats )

Until my lottery numbers come up, I will continue to own value for money cars & fabric will rule

Alcantara for me - my current ones are alcantara centres and leather (albeit artificial) sides and backs.

Leather tends to be very cold in the winter and too hot in the summer - the alcantara works well in all conditions.

For me, leather is also too cold in winter (even with heated seats, they take much longer for the heat to get through), too hot in summer.

I stuck with textiles/velour on the last 3 cars for this reason. I have no experience with alcantara though.

What about cleaning alcantara? Does it clean well? How does it wear out with age (6yrs+ car use)?

Edited 12 March, 201313 yr by dieselV6

Fabric all the way, I had a car with full leather once before, it was propper perferated leather but I hated them, they were cold, slippy and just generally not very nice. I like a nice soft fabric that you sink into. Our cars at work have brilliant seats they are new shoguns.

Other - 1/2 Leather 1/2 Alcantara

Leather every time for practicality and looks, which is why my Fabia vRS and Octavia II 4X4 have had full leather retrims by Seat Surgeons in York. Skoda's OEM leather looks thin and cheap in comparison.

I just put up with whatever the car comes with as standard. Have had them all, alcantara, leather and fabric. Seat comfort is down to the design of the seat. IME the material contributes bugger all to my general comfort although i will admit to suffering sweaty back syndrome hence why i use a ventilated cushion type thing so maybe leather may be slightly poorer in terms of cooling in summer but its no deal breaker.

I would never waste money speccing a different seat material but i would spend money adding things like lumbar support or similar as these things contribute far more to overall comfort.

Being a bad back sufferer i have tried a lot of different seats and sometimes its a very specific feature of a seat that seams to help and often not the obvious features you would expect. Everyones backs are different so 1 seat will not suit all but material covering i would argue is nothing more than taste or a perceived level of additional luxury and nothing more.

Ideal for me would be centres in alcantara, bolsters in leather. I have alcantara and fabric bolsters at the moment which are very nice. I do agree with other comments that you move about a bit too much with full leather, when pressing on.

The option in the outgoing Mk2 Octy vRS with the alcantara and red stitching would be perfect, so I'll have to track one down when I come to change

Do like them heated too, is very nice to have in the winter (like now!)

I love the leather in mine, it grips quite nicely too looks much nicer than fabric seats

Heated cloth for me. The coldness of leather reminds me too much of the vinyl seats in my first cars, and the smell of leather evokes memories of car sickness when I was young.

Cloth for me, I'd hate to think an animal been killed for my seating

I love the look of leather BUT, comfort is the be all and end all for me so, fabric gets my vote, I have the sweaty back syndrome and it has to be excessively warm for it to happen with fabric, because it breathes so much better.

Wonder how long it'll be before Skoda gets a seat cooling option as well, perhaps on the Superb at some point?

Wonder how long it'll be before Skoda gets a seat cooling option as well, perhaps on the Superb at some point?

Have to say if a cooled driver seat was an option i would have picked it. On long runs it makes me really uncomfortable when my back gets hot.

Leather and alcantara combo.

Vinyl (brown preferably).