My mom loves her Cadillac she always has. To her the American dream is having a Cadillac in the driveway. Any who she is wanting to get a new car and is upset that she cant get a “green†Cadillac; she says they (Cadillac) have always been cutting edge (so to speak) but now they seam stuck in the past. She is thinking of getting a prius but is worried about the leather and its quality. I can’t advise her as I have the cloth interior. So for those of you who have the leather how has it held up over the years? She will not have a car with a cloth interior and wonders how I don’t like leather.
I've been In my 06 for 18 months now and the leather is wearing like iron. Don't expect soft cushy leather (which I had tearing seam problems with in my Acura and Lexus); Prius seems to be looking for durability. No comfort or Florida sunlight problems to report either. If you get aftermarket (the Toyota brand), don't forget to have the dealer cover the center and side armrests and the small triangle areas between the rear seatback and the door. Enjoy!
We have a 07 Touring Edition and we love the leather. Also get your mom to drive a prius and I think she will be amazed with the ride quality
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IAO @ Mar 20 2007, 12:50 AM) [snapback]408768[/snapback]</div> The search tool is a wonderful thing (it's been discussed ad nausium in many an other thread). That being said, the prius has only been around for a short time, so who can say how the leather'll do down the road! Even so, our '04 ... one of the original leather getters ... is doing real fine. So there you go ... 3 years of goodness. But 3yrs is all the history there is. As for Caddies and GM? Don't get me started (read consumer reports ... ops! I slipped). I had the cloth, and the leather is way easier to keep clean, and WAY outweighs the 'feels to cold/hot turning on winter/summer' issues.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sonny @ Mar 20 2007, 10:57 AM) [snapback]408910[/snapback]</div> Yeah she likes the car I got her to go look at a Toyota prius when she said she wanted a new car and she wanted something more efficient and environmentally friendly. Her biggest concern is the leather she was not impressed with it and worries that it will “just fall apart over the yearsâ€. She did like the car and was just thrilled when it went into stealth mode. She had fun driving around the lot with the windows down listening to the sound of silence. She then was like I don’t know if I can drive this car though it seams complicated. I tol her she can just drive it like her current car and when and if she wants to try to get better gas mileage and all the other stuff she can but without trying she is still going to get in the 40s for mpg. She currently gets 24mpg in a Cadillac with a big 4 point something v8. then I told her to just leave the nav screen up so she is not preoccupied with the consumption/power screen she thought that was a good idea. She ignores the navigation screen but gets all caught up in the consumption screen. So the only issue is the leather. I guess I will wait to see if anyone else posts here about it. Anyone out there with an 04 with leather (was it offered then?) just want to know how it holds up over time she is really worried about that for some reason; and I thought I was going to have a hard time getting her to accept all the tech and the fact that it is a foreign car. She surprised me when she was telling me she no longer minds as Toyota has manufacturing plant in America. I had no idea she kept up with that stuff and she is getting into the tech stuff, it took her long enough. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hill @ Mar 20 2007, 11:32 AM) [snapback]408922[/snapback]</div> Thanx for the reply. My mom dosnt keep cars very long anymore. When my dad was alive they would keep cars for 10- 15 years. My mom now keeps them for maybe 6 years.
Well, tell your mom if the leather "falls apart" she can get it replaced with top quality leather for between $1000 and $2000 (Katzkin - search on the net). I don't think it's much of an issue. I have leather in the anti-Prius (see below), probably the same quality as the Prius leather. It's doing fine after seven years and 90,000 km. Once a year clean and apply conditioner (I use the Zaino products).
We have leather with 16,000 miles on it (and 2 dogs).... I have no doubt that it is durable - and will definitely not fall apart for 6 or more years (basically the life of the car). However, it is a lower quality - given the market segment that this car is in. When I say it is lower quality, I mean that it is not as thick or as plush as Cadillac or Mercedes for example. The car is a very nice car - but it provides a very different driving experience than a cadillac - and that is what your mom has to be foremosted interested in.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John in LB @ Mar 20 2007, 10:52 AM) [snapback]408937[/snapback]</div> You're not giving your Prius enough credit, i'm sure that car could last 10 - 15 years....or do most people end up selling in 6 years?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mywhitenoise @ Mar 20 2007, 08:17 AM) [snapback]408950[/snapback]</div> I knew my comment might be interpreted this way. I did say 6 or more years. Basically, I feel comfortable in assuring the guy that it will last at least as long as his mother wants to keep it. I can't really say beyond that... but I do believe that the leather will last the life of the car (whatever that is - 10 or 15 years). I don't have any concerns about the leather.
The leather in the 06's is of decent quality but far from the same leather used in Lexuses. While it seems durable it's not as soft as true luxury cars. I have know experience with leather in Cadillacs so I don't know what they use. I suspect this is the same leather used in other Toyota cars and that Lexus uses a better quality leather.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but when I went in to check out the Prii I thought the material was actually Alcantara (didn't get the leather, bought used). Because it doesn't really have the feel of 'normal' leather, and has a lot of perforation that let's it 'breathe'. I don't know, am I right? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcantara_%28material%29
Well I don’t know why I bother with my mom. Thank you all for the info. She just called me to tell me she order a fully loaded Camry hybrid option E (the 50th anniversary addition.) Her decision was this, it looks like a “normal car†and has power seats with the heated seat option. Thank you all.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IAO @ Mar 20 2007, 02:29 PM) [snapback]409105[/snapback]</div> Nice. I love those Camry Hybrids. If your mom has that kind of money, she made a great choice.
I should have through about that... A limited edition hybrid gives most of the "luxury feel" a Cadillac does and the gas mileage is great (compared to a V8 Cadillac and it has a name for reliability. The Camry hybrid is one sweet car. If I wasn't soo concerned about my image I would drive one (no joke).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mywhitenoise @ Mar 20 2007, 03:42 PM) [snapback]409120[/snapback]</div> Lol yeah I like the camry to but I had to get a base model prius to afford a hibrid. The funny thing about my mom is this. We grew up middle class and my parents both had traditional upbringings with the view that the man runs the family and takes care of everything like money and stuff. Well after my dad passed away 5 years ago my mom took a somewhat small insurance check invested it and has in just five short years turned it into a small fortune. I think it was being forced to do for herself that did it but who knows what she could have done over 30 years if she had the choice.
Howdy IAQ Traded my 2004 Prius {fabric seats} for a 2007 Touring, Pkg 6 {factory leather} in Nov 2006. Factory leather is great and included leather-wrapped steering wheel and either leather or matching surfaces on arm rests, console tops etc. We preferred 'factory' instead of 'port installed' which would have the "Liquicell Comfort" pads {thin extra padding} under the leather - felt lumpy to my wife and the steering wheel would have been textured plastic stardard. Don't yet know about 'wear' since the '07 Prius is only 4 months old but feels and looks great. One perceived advantage over the fabric seats we had in the '04 Prius is it's noticeably easier to 'swing your butt into place' when entering and exiting since the leather doesn't tend to stick to your clothes like fht fabric did - and the 'smell' is nice. There's also the option for locally installed leather as mentioned which can be very nice and offers options not available on factory or port leather.
