MY 2018 Alcantara seats

[millhouse]

FWIW, I have the split Alcantara/leather seats in my 2016 Nissan Maxima SR...and I really like them. The heating and cooling works better (in my opinion) than the heating and cooling did on my previous 2015 Mustang Ecoboost Premium. The Alcantara does have to be cleaned often, but it isn't that difficult to keep it looking nice; and after two years, it has worn very well and is still very comfortable and hugs the body comfortably in spirited driving. If Ford permitted substituting the Alcantara for leather in the premium packages, I would select it over leather...and so might a few other people. BUT...YMMV! :clap2:

Don't get me wrong, microfiber is comfortable...but give it time and it will mat down with dirt and start to fall apart. It's a brilliant marketing item for manufacturers. They charge you more for alcantara over leather when it's cheaper to manufacturer.

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[opengl]

Yes they are heated and cooled. I have them in my 2018. They also keep you planted in the seat around corners without being uncomfortable like Recaros.

Agreed. The Carbon Sport package is really nice, and the Alcantara seats are definitely grippier than the regular leathers.

 

[Chameleon]

Skip the Alcantra. Was bad enough for my GT350 wheel. Wouldn't want that for seats.

 

[w3rkn]

Had an microfiber "alcantara" sofa once...ended up throwing it away after 2 years. Garbage for any high wear areas....I wouldn't wan't it on any daily driver.

No, Alcantara is NOT microfiber. (It's it own type of microfiber)

Real Alcantara is durable and cleans easily with semi-wet cloth and brush. Get it damp/wet and brush it & then wipe clean. Super easy to care for super durable and super tactility/grippy. (Perfect for steering wheels too.)

 

[millhouse]

No, Alcantara is NOT microfiber.

Real Alcantara is durable and cleans easily with semi-wet cloth and brush. Get it damp/wet and brush it & then wipe clean. Super easy to care for super durable and super tactility/grippy. (Perfect for steering wheels too.)

Your response shows how good the marketing is. Alcantara absolutly IS microfiber. All the properties you described is exactly the same as any microfiber sofa. Except, it’s durability is extremely overrated. Just ask any gt350 driver...it mats up from oil from your skin and dirt from your cloths. You’re pretty much forced to wear gloves.

https://jalopnik.com/what-the-hell-is-alacantara-anyway-1604799947/amp

 

[Spork3245]

Skip the Alcantra. Was bad enough for my GT350 wheel. Wouldn't want that for seats.

Why, what happened? Just a pain to keep it looking nice?

 

[w3rkn]

No it is not.

Microfiber is just that.... And as such, tons of cheap cloth upholstery and towels use microfiber. While alcantara is it's own type of material (that happens to be a microfiber.)

Alcantara's durability in automotive environment is why they use it. Don't confuse microfiber cloth with alcantara.

 

[PTM5.0]

Your response shows how good the marketing is. Alcantara absolutly IS microfiber. All the properties you described is exactly the same as any microfiber sofa. Except, it’s durability is extremely overrated. Just ask any gt350 driver...it mats up from oil from your skin and dirt from your cloths. You’re pretty much forced to wear gloves.

https://jalopnik.com/what-the-hell-is-alacantara-anyway-1604799947/amp

That's funny because quite a few of my friends have Ultrasuede (Alcantara) interiors in their $500k-$1+ million dollar Outerlimits/Cigarette/Skater/MTI boats and it's held up great to the sun, weather, sunscreen, salt water, etc.

For anyone wondering how it holds up, here's what it looks like after 4 seasons of regular use in a boat....

https://www.performanceboatcenter.com/Pre-Owned-Inventory-2014-Outerlimits-High-Performance-52SL-Osage-Beach-Missouri-4638624

 

[millhouse]

No it is not.

Microfiber is just that.... And as such, tons of cheap cloth upholstery and towels use microfiber. While alcantara is it's own type of material (that happens to be a microfiber.)

Alcantara's durability in automotive environment is why they use it. Don't confuse microfiber cloth with alcantara.

Boy did you buy into the hype hook line and sinker.

It's ABSOLUTELY is a microfiber fabric, similar to "Ultrasuede" except with their own spin and it must be made in Italy. These are the same type of fabrics you see on Sofas and anywhere else a synthetic suede is desired. It's been around since the 70's.

Another good read about Alcantara....

https://jalopnik.com/suede-is-a-garbage-material-for-car-interiors-1733409981

 

[millhouse]

A good video....

[ame]

 

[Triton54]

Here is my wheel from my G35X 07, Dallas custom did this to my specs. (two tone, basetem stitching, +1/8" thicker, w/ top dead center stripe) this was done 5 years ago, and although my Infiniti is not my daily, I drive it a lot. I am very conscious of clean hands, and have gloves for tire changes, gas pumps, etc also have a cover for any service work when others get in the car.

 

[TomcatDriver]

Boy did you buy into the hype hook line and sinker.

It's ABSOLUTELY is a microfiber fabric, similar to "Ultrasuede" except with their own spin and it must be made in Italy. These are the same type of fabrics you see on Sofas and anywhere else a synthetic suede is desired. It's been around since the 70's.

Another good read about Alcantara....

https://jalopnik.com/suede-is-a-garbage-material-for-car-interiors-1733409981

Alcantara is Ultrasuede only manufactured in Italy. It was invented in 1970 by Dr. Miyoshi Okamoto working for Toray industries in Japan. The Alcantara SpA company is owned by Toray and Mitsui.

I'm not going to bad-mouth it because I don't have much personal experience. It looks good new. However, I have a problem with it being marketed as a "premium" product. In reality it is more expensive than most cloth and cheaper than leather and should be priced accordingly.

 

[Infidex]

I had an F-150 FX4 a few years back with appearance package which came with Alcantara option. I didn't own the truck long enough to have a lot of wear but they attracted dust and dirt a lot more than leather seats, things just stuck to it more. I'd take leather over these in any new car if I had option.

 

[w3rkn]

You vacuum your carpeting in your house.... ergo alcantara needs some care too (brushed often).

When areas got all matted, or soily I would just grab a really wet microfiber towel & heavily moistened the Alcantara, then brush it. You can even use soup for accidents or heavy soil/grim.

Wipe clean with another damp MF towel, then lightly brush/fluff and let dry. Good as new.

 

[Fordever]

My 2016 has Alcantara seats. I wanted them and haven’t looked back. They are really comfortable. I feel more planted than I do on my leather seats in my F150. I have NO issues with these seats al all. No matting and heat/cool works much better than with my F150 leather seats. As for dust and dirt, I have a vert and a quick wipe down with a damp cloth does wonders. My seats dont look worn like my leather truck ones do.

Unless a person has severe ass sweat, I can’t see it being an issue. I don’t think comparing a steering wheel to the seats is totally fair. Most of the time you are touching your wheel with bare hands and transferring oils/dirt to the material more readily than on a seat when most time you have on pants or shorts or whatever you like to cover your ass with.

Like anything, a little care goes a long way.

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