Please Help: Leather vs Cloth Seats
I am going to purchase a 2013 Accord Coupe soon and I am having the leather vs cloth dilemma. My major concerns are durability and comfort. Durability: I have seen several 10 year old vehicles (Hondas included) with worn and cracked leather, but I have personally never seen cloth seats with the same issues within 10 years. Comfort: Only LX or EX-L Coupes come with the 10 point adjustable seat. I have a bad back, so I think the highly adjustable seat would be a benefit. Although, I have been in cars with leather seats that cause you to slip forward slightly over time. So, you are always readjusting you posture or sitting position. Cloth seats cause you to just stick in place due to the fiber. Meanwhile, I have seen many people rave about how comfortable leather seats are. I do not want to make a mistake. Please share your experience with me and thanks in advance.
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The bottom line is that I slightly prefer cloth, and yet my 2008 Accord sedan is leather, and my new 2013 Accord sedan is going to be leather. Why? Because the other options I want are only on the higher levels of Accord, and as you know once you go to a certain level you are forced to get leather.
But the leather seats are quite comfortable. In my 2008 Accord EXL there is power adjustable lumbar support that works well, two level heating for cold mornings, and generally the seats are comfortable and supportive.
The cloth seats on my 2002 Accord LX were also comfortable, and I liked them a lot.
I agree with you that in the long run cloth seems to be more durable. But the leather on the 2013 Accord has been upgraded to almost the Acura level to improve comfort and durability. The key to making leather last, I think, is to apply a leather moisturizer and cleaner about once a year. Garaging your car can help too, of course.
Good luck with your decision! Let us know how it goes....Some thorough test drives are priceless in terms of figuring our your personal comfort with your back of leather vs. cloth.
Other then making entering/exiting the car easier since you slide on the leather, I don't see much of a plus with them. I would disagree with anyone if they claim the leather seats in their Accord "breathe". Mine don't.
If it wasn't for the requirement of buying my Accord with leather seats so I could get the navigation option, I would have gone with a model with cloth seats. The heated option is nice, but since I park my car for the winter to keep it out of the salt, I rarely get to use that option.
Mrbill
And you can carry people in the back seat easily...
I wasn’t a fan of 2008-2012 Accord, but the 2013 Accord Sedan is a much better vehicle! I had a 2013 Accord Sport 4-door CVT for a weekend-long extended test drive a few months ago. I also drove an EX 4-door CVT after the Sport and I really liked both of them. There is a very good chance that a 2013 Accord Sedan (Sport or EX trim level) will be my next car!
The Sport comes with the same Black Fabric used on the EX Coupe. The EX Sedan has a unique Fabric that looks and feels more upscale and high quality than the cloth on lower trim levels, even though the entry-level LX cloth is nicer than most already. The EX Sedan cloth comes in Black, Ivory and Gray, depending on exterior color; all Sport models have Black regardless of exterior color.
In typical Honda fashion, there are some features included on the Sport that aren’t on the EX and vice versa! The Sport is my favorite with sporty 18” alloy wheels, rear spoiler and leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter. My only complaint is that it has the same 4-speaker 160-watt Audio System found in LX models.
The EX has a Power Moonroof, Push Button Start, and Honda LaneWatch, all of which I can do without. It does get an upgrade to 6-speakers over the LX/Sport, but it still has the same fairly basic 160-watt system.
It really ticks me off that you can get a 7-speaker Premium Audio System with Subwoofer & XM Radio if you get the EX-L!!!
BTW, I currently have a 2006 Mazda3 that I bought new in 12/2005. I had to travel 430 miles round-trip to Knoxville, TN (from Atlanta) to get a 5-door in the color I wanted with a 5-speed manual and WITHOUT leather seats! I was very excited about the recently introduced 2014 Mazda6 and expected that it would be my next car. It comes in three trim levels- Sport, Touring and Grand Touring and the mid-level Touring is expected to be the high volume model. It is also the model with all the features I want except for the seats- the Sport has cloth, the Grand Touring has perforated leather but the Touring has “leatherette”!?!? It has fake leather (pleather?) but it isn’t even heated, which sucks even more ..
I have asked this ebayer if they have it for the '13 Accord, and will let you know what they say.
As for the body side molding, my last Honda to have it was my 2003 Honda EXL Sedan )not an option at the time, the car came with it). I agree with you that on the later model sedans and coupes, they do not match the body lines and don't plan on getting them. The only mods I did were to tint the windows (along with a sun strip), in addition to tinting the fog lights.
I did get the extended warranty, 8 years/120K/0 deduct. In view of Honda's reliability, it is probably a waste of money. But all factory installed electronics are covered, and it simply gives me piece of mind.
I emailed bernardiparts.com to see if they have the OEM leather steering wheel cover. I will let you know what they say.
Concerning the extended warranty, I can go either way. One day I do not think it is a good idea, then the next day I believe it is a good idea considering it is the first year of the redesign and all of the new electronics. I have a quote that is good through the end of the month, so I might get the extended warranty. I guess it depends on how I feel that day. :confuse:
I bet the tinted fog lights look nice!
According to Bernardi, Honda has not made a leather steering wheel cover for the 2013 Accords. Who knows if they will later this year...
I am still up in the air on the extended warranty. We will see how I feel tomorrow.