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Re:Automakers: Don't Ask Customers What They Want by Stratoscope on Monday December 11, 2017 @01:43PM (#15899215)
The worst one for me is leather seats.

"Oh, you want safety and comfort features X, Y, and Z? We've got them, exclusively available in our EX model. And you even get leather seats!"

But I don't want leather seats, and I will never buy a car with them. I wear shorts in the summer and I hate it when my legs stick to the seat.

If I can get a car with X, Y, Z and cloth seats, I'm in. But that can be hard to find.

Re:Automakers: Don't Ask Customers What They Want by Unkechaug on Monday December 11, 2017 @01:56PM (#15899315)
Thought I'm the only one with this problem. Leather and leatherette are disadvantages to me - wish I could go with a premium cloth option and not have to sacrifice a more powerful engine, CarPlay, etc.
Re:Automakers: Don't Ask Customers What They Want by kpil on Monday December 11, 2017 @07:44PM (#15902172)
I once had a Peugeot with "sport leather seats", or something - it was a rather nice coarse woven cloth in some synthetic material in the centre, and nice leather everywhere else. Awesome.

In my current car, I really wanted the adaptive cruise control, but opted out because of the mandatory leather seats in that trim.

Re:Automakers: Don't Ask Customers What They Want by hoorayimhelping on Monday December 11, 2017 @08:30PM (#15902373)
Re:Automakers: Don't Ask Customers What They Want by vetinari on Tuesday December 12, 2017 @06:02AM (#15904598)
It's not Alcantara, it is combination of cloth and leather, with leather on the sides and cloth in the center.

My current car has it, it is great. It was also option named sport seats.

Re:Automakers: Don't Ask Customers What They Want by alistairSH on Monday December 11, 2017 @10:14PM (#15902734)
FWIW, look at VW and Subaru. Both often offer their mid-tier packages with cloth, but most amenities. My Golf Sportwagen 4Motion S is cloth, no sunroof, but with heated seats and basic driver assistance/collision avoidance.
Re:Automakers: Don't Ask Customers What They Want by gknoy on Monday December 11, 2017 @02:36PM (#15899632)
As a shorts-wearer with a car with leather seats, I have sympathy. You can always fold a towel on the seat in the summer. ;)
Re:Automakers: Don't Ask Customers What They Want by yurishimo on Monday December 11, 2017 @11:11PM (#15902940)
Maybe it’s just because I live in Texas so it’s always hot, but I don’t mind the leather seats. One advantage I think they have over cloth is the fact that they do hold their temperature better. Pair that will cooled seats and you have a nice match. Sure, it’s hot for a minute, but more comfortable in the long run.

That said, you should have the choice of what you want.