A4 Leatherette option
12-28-2000, 08:36 PM
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A4 Leatherette option
We are in the market for our 1st Audi. Due to cost reasons we are looking for a 2001 A4 1.8T with sport pgk, auto, lux. pkg, The only interior options are cloth or leatherette. Anyone have info. on the long term comfort and durability of the leatherette. Is it just a "fancy schmancy" term for vinyl??
12-28-2000, 08:45 PM
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No quattro in the list? oh well ;)
The leatherette is very nice. I owned a '99 2.8 with the leather, and the leatherette is not a far cry from it at all. Obviously not similar, but easily mistaken for it. All the posts I've seen over the years here have VERY rarely been about leatherette failures/problems. Its very comfortable; in fact more so than the leather I had.
And controversy aside, the leatherette Audi uses is not your everyday "vinyl" There was a post about it's chemical composition a LONG time ago, but is NOT the polyvinyl choride that easily turns brittle over time. It seems to have a rubber base component that's more durable.
Those with the Sport seats can tell you more about the cloth characteristics, as the sport seat option ONLY comes in cloth
And controversy aside, the leatherette Audi uses is not your everyday "vinyl" There was a post about it's chemical composition a LONG time ago, but is NOT the polyvinyl choride that easily turns brittle over time. It seems to have a rubber base component that's more durable.
Those with the Sport seats can tell you more about the cloth characteristics, as the sport seat option ONLY comes in cloth
12-28-2000, 08:49 PM
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Yes it is a F S term for vinyl. It is "supposed" to be as good as leather in the long run.
Mine is doing just fine with over 30k seat time. I just wipe the seats down every couple of weeks with a vinyl cleaner/conditioner. I have not stained or scratched them, yet. But if you get the leatherette, you cannot get the sport seats(if that is a consideration). I got the leatherette because the Ecru was a better contrast to the royal blue then the gray? cloth would have been. I wanted the sport seats, but I chose to go for a better color scheme in the end. HTH
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12-29-2000, 02:25 AM
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Re: A4 Leatherette option
Yup, leatherette is vinyl. But the one on the A4 looks like leather. I have it on my '98 A4 and most people who've seen it mistake it for leather. Less care required but they are hot in the summer.
12-29-2000, 06:05 AM
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I have a '96 with leatherette, and it still looks & feels like brand new...
most people think it's leather. It doesn't scratch and crack like leather and I like it very much - especially since I have a dog that likes to go for rides.
One word of advice, if you're not getting quattro, don't bother getting an A4. A front-wheel drive is only half the car that a quattro is.
One word of advice, if you're not getting quattro, don't bother getting an A4. A front-wheel drive is only half the car that a quattro is.