I just ordered my new Prius 2010 on saturday I live in Norway and i think we have a different "system" on the name of the cars. Mine is Executive with LED, NAVI, IPA, 17" wheels etc. I choose something called "Microfiber" seats instead of Leather. Toyota says "its better than Alcantara". Did i make a good choice or chould i change them out for Leather? My car arrives 16. september:cheer2:
I like the microfiber. We don't have heated seats, and leather gets cold in the winter. I also find leather more slippery. On the other hand, a lot of people like leather, so you will get opinions on both sides. Tom
Assuming it's the same as Gen 2, the microfiber wears well and is easier to clean than std cloth. I can't compare it to leather though as it's been 7.5 years since I've had it in my car.
Well my wife and I looked at buying a microfiber couch for our living room. We found microfiber to be very good at resisting stains, water and fluids tend to bead up and roll off of microfiber. So you can wipe up spills etc... We ended up buying a cloth couch because microfiber has more static to it and I didn't like getting little shocks from it. But microfiber will hold up really well and won't crack like leather can. Also microfiber requires no maintainance, leather needs to be taken care of.
Dogs hairs - test how easily it lets go of them I find leather much easier to wipe clean of muddy paw prints too Which is worse huskies or pet moose
I have no idea why Toyota choose to put leather in a Prius to begin with. It make zero ecological sense and in fact contradicts everything else "green" about the car. That said, I am buying the 2010 III package because I refuse to go higher with the leather seats being mandatory.
Leather has it's own ecological issues, however as one poster mentioned, it is indeed renewable, whereas the petroleum used to make the synthetic fibers in the cloth is not. Some of the plastics (including the driver's seat foam) are made from plant based bioplastics, but I don't believe that includes the seat cloth itself. That being said, I'm sure there's a valid argument stating that cows create far more greenhouse gas over their lifetime than processing plastic (including recycling).
As I said above, leather is a renewable resource so is "green". Wool or cotton would be too. Microfibre probably comes from oil as does a lot of the plastic in the car, so relies on recycling to be green too late HTMLspinnr got there first and said more!
My personal experience is that the microfiber was pretty good and easy to clean etc. If you have dogs, the leather is even easier to clean, and is a lot less prone to retaining that doggie smell. Of course, shampooing can get rid of that problem. :washing:
Not all customers of hybrid cars based their choice of a hybrid on environmental issues. Some people buy them because they like high-tech gadgets. Some because they drive extensively and want high fuel efficiency. Some because of their political beliefs regarding buying oil from countries hostile to the USA, HOV lane access to shorten commute time, etc. For such customers, having leather seats in a hybrid car does not seem a contradiction. In theory, if one wishes to purchase a hybrid car with minimal environmental impact, it would make sense to buy the stripped version -- none of the luxury features like upgraded stereos, nav systems, IPA, solar roofs, smart key entry, air conditioning, power windows/locks, exterior paint (stopping after the primer coat would prevent rust and be fully functional, without releasing VOCs into the environment), etc., are true necessities but are rather "nice to haves" - luxuries, and their manufacture and operation results in the use of natural resources, production of chemicals, use of energy, etc., which could be interpreted as a contradiction to the whole idea of a green hybrid car, too.
Can't say that I understand the "Green" mindset yet. If you eat meat, wear leather shoes or belts or use any other product that comes from cows then it seems only logical that we not waste the hides. I realize alot of people don't and that's OK. Can't say I understand it, but hey, that's OK.
The Prius leather seats we've been discussing elsewhere have either just the centre panels leather or maybe the small pieces to the sides of the centre panels too The rear of the seats are vinyl and usually the sides and top ends They compare poorly with other manufacturers leather options which are leather all around.
If microfiber had been an option in my 2009 Prius, I may have chosen it over leather for the savings. I just couldn't abide the cloth seats in the Gen II, which were too light in color to hide coffee stains . In my experience, microfiber is easy to clean (liquids bead up and wipe right off), long-wearing and comfortable. It requires very little maintenance, which is what I was after. I think you will be happy with your choice.
The green mindset of which you speak is simply acknowledging that animal consumption via factory farming is the #1 cause of global warming and that is why there is a growing population who choose to avoid ALL animal products entirely. On an ethical level, the suffering the animals endure for our over-consumption and unnecessary indulgences in meat, fish, and fowl is another reason. The intelligence in all animals is underestimated and as we say in the animal rights movement, if you won't eat your dog or cat, how can you justify eating a pig or cow? Watch the film "Meat is Murder" and you get a glimpse into the world of what's on your dinner plate. Thus, putting leather seats in a vehicle that wants to be "green" (see the latest 2010 ads) is hypocritical. There are plenty of other uses of the hides as the average leather car seat could probably make 10+ shoes.
I thought the idea was to remove all oil based compounds? leather/cotton /wool seats recylcable alumin(i)um chassis hemp body shell tyres made from natural rubber natural plant oils
Leather is not "renewable" to the cow who paid the ultimate sacrifice and to the next cow who unwillingly took its place.
It's renewable in the same sense that humans and plants are renewable though Not like oil or other minerals that once it's used up, it's used up.
I'm not trying to throw stones, here, but I'm wondering a bit about your response. If it isn't "green" to put leather seats in the Prius, is it "green" to use the same leather to make 10 pairs of shoes? If what you mean is that leather seats are evidence of overconsumption and mis-use of resources, and that shoes make a more sensible and economic use of leather, then I understand the statement. Otherwise, I think the logic is a bit iffy.
