I'm surprised there isn't much here about seat upholstery. What are the pros and cons of the SofTex upholstering? I'm wondering because of the number who appear to have had leather installed. I read the entry about SofTex in the Prius V forum, so I know what it is, but I am wondering more about those who have their PiP already. What they decided, and what went into their decisions. Just trying to decide myself - and I need to decide soon.
I had leather from the factory in my 2010 Prius V and softex in my 2012 PiP Advanced and I prefer the softex. It is softer and has more grip. I prefer either softex or leather over fabric since it is easier to clean and makes the car feel much more upscale when inside.
I have leather - well I think part of it's leather - in my 09 Prius, and I've never been all that impressed with the feel. But maybe that's because the seats are only partially clad in leather. We bought my daughter's car at the same time, with fabric, and it's not at all easy to keep looking clean.
I had leather put into a PIP basic and have been pleased so far. I wasn't too thrilled with the feel of the SofTex when I sw it t the car show.
I don't like the look of cloth over time. It looks kind of beat and worn. It's hard to keep it looking fresh. If it gets dirty it's tough to clean too, I feel. I also figured since I got the base over the advanced, I could splurge a bit on the leather. I have never felt or sat on Softex. But if it was an option on the base, I probably would've just got that since I generally prefer OEM over aftermarket. However, I am quite happy with my dealer installed leather.
I had a 2010 Prius V and the seat was the only thing that I didn't care for. When I went to the L.A. Auto show I sat in both the basic and advanced model and the advanced had a much more comfortable seat. It could also have been the fact that the V had 17 inch rims with low profile tires.
Totally agree with you. I also had factory leather on 2010 IV w/ Solar and the leather was so so but on my 2012 PiP Advanced, it's softer, feels thicker and more durable than the factory leather.
There aren't a lot of decisions. With the Plug-in Prius, SofTex is part of an $8,000 package. You get it or you don't. If you don't want fabric and you buy only the Basic model, aftermarket leather is the only option.
If you're getting softex, you still have to decide if you want aftermarket leather. Some have opted for leather. That's what I'm asking about.
I have the Softex in my PIP Advanced. I am pleased with it. We have cloth in our 2011 Blizzard Pearl sunroof model. The cloth gives the impression of an economy car, good or bad, as you may perceive it. The Softex is much richer looking and is comfortable, although we haven't hit warm weather yet. My preference would be leather in a natural color, but that wouldn't work with the limited choices offered in the PIP advanced model this year.. A sales person told me that Toyota used Softex because they believe that most Prius drivers would would object to having leather. How does that resonate with you?
Toyota choose Softex because ALL there cow stock was radioactive from Fukushima. One guy lost over 2 billion in cattle to radioactivity. Japan halts Fukushima cattle shipments on radiation worries | The Raw Story Radiation Bankrupts Japanese Cattle Ranch With $5.6 Billion in Liabilities - Bloomberg
Where did you see that some have replaced SofTex with leather? All the posts that I recall were replacing cloth with leather, not Softex with leather.
That article also says Fukushima accounts for only 3% of their beef. What's more, mildly radioactive meat which should not be consumed probably does not mean the leather is radioactive. If the switch to Softex had to do with Fukushima, it would have been to prevent consumer fears, not because of availability or actual dangers. The actual reason is more likely cost, quality, and sustainability.
I got the base model 2012 Prius Three with no option for Softex. I had the dealer roll in X amount to cover the after-market cost of replacing the cloth seats with heated Softex seats. They had to order the Softex material and it should be in stock within the week and I'll be taking the car in to get Softex heated seats put in this week or next week. I am sure if you had to make a decision quick then it may be too late by now but I'll let you know what differences I see when I go from the cloth to Softex (obviously easier to clean will be one of them). We took the dogs on one road trip and the cloth is covered in dog hair now. :mmph: Guess that should be a lot different once the Softex is added.
I have leather in my '11 and love it. I've only seen the SofTex and have never felt it. Visually, I think the leather looks better but after reading several posts it sounds like the 'feel' of SofTex is just as good if not better than the leather. Is it too early to hear how well the SofTex lasts as compared to traditional leather seats?
I believe I read the switch from leather to softex was cost and weight. We have leather in out 2011 Prius IV and the softex in our Plug-in AT. Honestly I couldn't tell the difference on my rear, but (no pun intended) if I physically touch it with my hands it's evident the softex is a "thinner" material, and substantially at that. I really have no complaints about it, in fact I can already see one potential pro to it. In our 2011 after only just 16k miles the drivers seat bottom outer edge is starting to show wrinkle marks in the leather from sliding in and out of the seat (My wife and I both like the steering wheel all the way down). The Softex looks to me more resistant to wear creases/wrinkles. How it holds up long term against leather is pretty much anyones guess right now. I could completely see the reasoning behind upgrading a base Plug-in to leather, but IMO upgrading the Softex to leather sounds to me like a waste of cash.
We added aftermarket full leather to our base model. If leather (softex) had been available with the base model I would have purchased it. That being said, I am very happy with the after market, dealer installed leather.
That's interesting. I asked about that before I bought my PiP basic, and Dianne @ Carson Toyota said adding Softex wasn't an option. So naturally, I went with the aftermarket leather. I like the leather. It turned out great. It looks & feels like top quality stuff and I liked that I could choose the color. I went all black and I think my interior looks nicer than with the gray Softex.
After all the leather talk, I was sure I was going to be sorry about the SofTex material, but so far, it has been very comfortable. It's not picking up dirt, grease, or any of the things that I might expect of a synthetic material. It's really soft, much more so than the leather interior of my Gen II. Durability remains an open question, however. But so far, the breathability, the texture, and the appearance is pretty nice. I wish there had been some color options, however. The gray is almost black. Silver or even a beige would've looked great in the blue PiP. The bottom line, LOL, is the comfort level. And at 30 minutes plus per trip that is the bottom line. So far the seat comfort has been just great. Not too slippery, not too rough. Seems like the material is what leather could be if it were worked long enough. Almost like some of my old baseball gloves. I've been pleasantly surprised. After spending the extra bling for what feels like a few minor technology upgrades - I was glad that I didn't need to invest another $1000 in leather seats.
