Leather/PU Leather

[Mustang50]

Lots of discussion of leather seats but am I missing something?
My Ecoboost has 'leather' seats which look OK and are practical but clearly came from a polyurethane cow (as Jeremy Clarkson put it).
Has the distinction between real leather and PU leather been lost or is the UK market given a different product to the US?
My 1967 Mustang came with plastic seats which were fine but were never described as 'leather'.

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[goldengooner]

Lots of discussion of leather seats but am I missing something?
My Ecoboost has 'leather' seats which look OK and are practical but clearly came from a polyurethane cow (as Jeremy Clarkson put it).
Has the distinction between real leather and PU leather been lost or is the UK market given a different product to the US?
My 1967 Mustang came with plastic seats which were fine but were never described as 'leather'.

Don't know, on the CS its leather and suede, and does look feel and smell like leather. the S197 had thick leather seats

 

[jasonstang]

It's all vinyl unless you have the premier package.

 

[Southview]

It's all vinyl unless you have the premier package.

And even then it is Pleather.:lol: Still not real. Feels like boat seat vinyl.

 

[Chef jpd]

It is "fully finished" leather.
It has a urethane coated surface for durability.
See here:
http://www.fibrenew.com/blog/what-is-fully-finished-leather-cars-andsofas/
And quoting another article:

Unless a Premium Leather option was purchased Isocyanate based ethyl carbamate (urethane) finished leather upholstery is used by 95% as OEM in modern automobiles. It comprises a multi stratum acrylic and polyurethane resin binder system covering over the leather hide; the top strata are the surface pigmentation (colour) and an abrasion resistant urethane is used to improve flexibility, fastness and adhesion to the leather. It absorbs water vapour but it doesn`t readily absorb liquid, so rain will not harm it and a damp cloth can be used to keep it clean.

 

[NoVaGT]

Yeah, vinyl.

I dislike Ford's pleather so much, I wasn't interested in a Premium GT. I do miss the better sound system though.

 

[jasonstang]

Yeah, vinyl.

I dislike Ford's pleather so much, I wasn't interested in a Premium GT. I do miss the better sound system though.

You are not missing much unless you get the 401A package that comes with the shaker pro.
The standard shaker system is dismal.

 

[Mr Snappy]

Don't feel bad guys, I buy Mercedes and they all come standard with "MB-Tex" which is straight-up plastic. It's very rare to have leather in most Mercedes because they are insanely priced options (Think $2500 extra).

It was amazing to me that the GMC Acadia I owned had leather standard on the trim level and my $60K MB E-350 had plastic!

The little C-300 I traded for my GT-Vert had the same plastic.

 

[TexasRebel]

The biggest difference between vinyl and leather seats is in the cold or even extreme hot.

in the cold vinyl will be hard as a rock until your body warms it.
in extreme heat vinyl will almost melt.

leather, even urethane coated leather, stays pretty consistent.

 

[Cobra Jet]

The only "leather" surface in ANY modern Ford vehicle seat is:

1) The upper seat back surface (where your back leans against).
2) The lower seat cushion surface (where your legs/ass sits upon).

The rest of the seat is comprised of authentic man-made vinyl that has a faux grain to match the grain of the leather.

 

[HappySquirrel]

...but clearly came from a polyurethane cow (as Jeremy Clarkson put it).

Haha, I've never heard that Clarkson-ism before. "Polyurethane Cow" sounds like it should be a song on the Magical Mystery Tour.

 

[Quackfoo]

Not many companies use real leather anymore, even in the higher end vehicles. It's freaks out the tree huggers.

 

[Gigantor]

American consume more beef than the world, there should be plenty of leather
to go around. . .just saying

 

[Coconut]

The premium seats are not all vinyl, they are a leather and vinyl mix. Legally, seats must have some leather content to be advertised as "leather trimmed". The center portions of the bottom and backrest portion are leather. Everywhere else is vinyl (bolsters, sides, back, headrest). Nearly all leather upholstery is top coated (urethane), it just so happens Ford leather is very heavily processed, just like the steering wheel. The leather on the Premier trim is of better quality and I believe the front surfaces (bolsters and headrest) are leather as well.

 

[kwpony]

My take is if Ford says it's leather then there is leather there. It may not be in the content that we want or expect for reasons already suggested. When I think of leather I always remember my first Rawlings baseball glove. I'll never forget that smell for as long as I live. :love:

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