Vegan Leather Longevity

[Fmc]

Every car with leather I have owned, always has cracks on the left-hand side of the driver’s seat. Do we think vegan leather will hold up better, worse, or the same?

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[TollKeeper]

Without a doubt VINYL will hold up worse than leather. Yes the vinyl they make today doesnt compare to vinyl of old.. But its still Vinyl..

But the honest answer is, only time will tell.

My old 1981 Cadi had leather, and when the motor finally gave up at 487k miles, it still looked new.
My current 2004 GMC Envoy with 370k miles, the drivers side does have some wear, but its still complete, and in tact. The heated seat even still works.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

I think it will depend on conditions. Even leather doesn't last that well. I had a couple cars years ago and the leather was worn pretty good after only 40-50k miles. The Rivian seats do appear to be thicker but the filler material seem to get malformed pretty easy.

 

[jjswan33]

Without a doubt VINYL will hold up worse than leather. Yes the vinyl they make today doesnt compare to vinyl of old.. But its still Vinyl..

That is a bit of a blanket statement that can't really be fact. It is true most vinyl made prior to a few years ago was built as a cheaper alternative to leather for the most part for this type of product the old adage 'you get what you pay for applies'.

When we talk about a product like in the Rivian, it was clearly not done as a budget cutting measure. I have zero doubt given enough money, research and development, a product could be made that is more durable than leather.

Is Rivian Vegan leather more durable than real leather, only time will tell as you said. For my part 17 months and 46k miles my seats still look new, even the back where the dog spends his time.

 

[Gee Bee]

In the future I will drop the truck off to exclusive options in Berkeley California for a refresh.

I have a turbo s Porsche going in for door panels and seat recover .

Leather from Austria is the key , if you control the material used it will last .

GB

 

[R1Thor]

In addition to other responses, I think it also depends on how you use/treat it.

If you're an extra heavy American that wears thick belts with tools dangling from them and are dragging those and extra weight over the edge when you plop into/out of the seat, I think you're going to have much greater chances of wear over a fit guy wearing athleisure pants on the daily.

Also, are you using kneel mode? In other words: can you simply up and out of and into the seat, or do you slide on/off? You can get better position with roomy exit/entry as well.

I'm personally planning to add rock slider side-steps to my truck, and I think that'll also help a great deal.

But (I think we're all thinking it) the only real risk of wear is in these areas that are impacted/brushed constantly. I think the centers of the seats where we plan our butts and backs for however long will likely be just fine.

Adding pets, tools, and cargo to the upholstered areas will affect things as well.

ALL of that said, talk to your local detailer/shop. There are wonders that can be done to fix/patch/re-vitalize interiors and upholstery these days, so even if you do USE your truck and it starts to LOOK used someday, you can always spend a few hundred to bring it back to looking pretty great again

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

That is a bit of a blanket statement that can't really be fact. It is true most vinyl made prior to a few years ago was built as a cheaper alternative to leather for the most part for this type of product the old adage 'you get what you pay for applies'.

When we talk about a product like in the Rivian, it was clearly not done as a budget cutting measure. I have zero doubt given enough money, research and development, a product could be made that is more durable than leather.

Is Rivian Vegan leather more durable than real leather, only time will tell as you said. For my part 17 months and 46k miles my seats still look new, even the back where the dog spends his time.

I'm a #LargeAmerican and my seats are holding up very well so far. I am hell on side bolsters but mine aren't showing any wear, especially compared to the Audis that I've had with leather seats. I've put almost 30k miles on mine in about 14 months, so it's gotten good usage.

I think they did a really good job with the thickness of the material to make it durable. The Munro guys said they thought it was leather based on how it behaved under testing and were very surprised that it was indeed synthetic.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Its hard to say but the key is stacking the deck in your favor. I have my detailer do a good interior clean once a year with sealant. That should hopefully help.

 

[iansriv]

I have taken to wearing white trousers only to protect my OC interior.

 

[moosetags]

We really like the vegan leather in Opal (our R1T). It is a thick grade of material and the stitching looks to be very substantial. Our asilverado has leather seating surfaces. They are nice also but pretty quickly develop a sheen.

Brian

 

[Fmc]

Is anyone using 303 protectant on their seats?

 

[Whataboykie!]

Without a doubt VINYL will hold up worse than leather. Yes the vinyl they make today doesnt compare to vinyl of old.. But its still Vinyl..

But the honest answer is, only time will tell.

My old 1981 Cadi had leather, and when the motor finally gave up at 487k miles, it still looked new.
My current 2004 GMC Envoy with 370k miles, the drivers side does have some wear, but its still complete, and in tact. The heated seat even still works.

Is it because you only weigh 158lbs?

 

[SoCal Rob]

I have taken to wearing white trousers only to protect my OC interior.

 

[TollKeeper]

Is it because you only weigh 158lbs?

Almost double that.. 276

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