I'd like to know from owners how they like their interiors. I'm specifically looking for opinions on feel, support, adjustability and not the look or color. Does the cloth, which lacks 8-way power have enough adjustability? Does anyone notice that the vinyl areas of the leather seats get hot? Thanks.

 

make no mistake about it, the cloth seats are hot too... you won't get the same leather stickiness but they get rather warm as well. i've never sat in a leather 8way seat yet...that i was able to adjust anyhow, but i don't remember seeing anything i could change in my cloth seats other than forward back and how far i lean back... they are, however, very very very comfortable.

i've gone as tight a turn as the tires would let me and have not budged out of the seat, even with silk boxers on...

the longest i've been driving in the car is 3 hours now and that was painless, it was a lot of canyon driving as well and no sore back or anything...this coming from someone who can't really stand for more than 45 minutes straight due to an old snowboarding injury.

fyi, i'm terribly biased against leather, but these are quite possible the nicest cloth seats i've ever had

 

Love the cloth! I've found the cloth to be very comfortable and also easy to clean. A simple lint roller will take care of most dirt and debris. It is great not having to pull out a vacuum. The two-toned color is a nice touch as well. I've had no problems adjusting the seats and have found them to be quite comfortable. My seats in my Miata were comfortable but my legs began to hurt on trips of longer duration. This is not the case with the 8. I've made several trips from Dallas to Houston and the seats were comfortable the entire trip.

 

I've got the cloth and I tried the leather for my test drive. I have never been fond of leather to begin with for car seats, and here in sunny swampland, AKA, Miami, my fiance's leather seats are killer duringhot days. IE, most. Cloth has always been a lot cooler to me. I also like the way cloth breaths better, so I dont feel clammy in the seats. The adjustments arent a big thing for me as I usually find a comfy position in any car I try, so I have my seat all the way down, almost al the way back and slightly inclined. Love it and it's a quick change to go autocrossing :D

Longest drive yet was 5 hours and felt fine the whole time.

 

I sruggled with this during my purchase. After a lot of thought, I went with the cloth.

It's roughly $1300 more for leather (and power and heated seats). I live in SoCal so heated seats, who cares. As far as power, I couldn't get a comfortable fit in either. I ended up fabricating my own mounting brackets to fix this.

I would have paid for the leather, but it's not a really soft "nappa" leather, it's just, OK.

Basically I didn't see the value.

The options are Grand Touring Package (w/ leather) and Touring Package (wo/ leather).

 

I'm going to get the straight up sport package when I get my 8 in a few months. I like leather, but it comes with too many other items in the GT pkg -- especially the moonroof, which I REALLY do not want.

I figure I can always have the seating surfaces re-upholstered later on for about $900 (F&R) with very high-quality leather (several vendors offer these services). That is, if I want a change from the cloth... but I'm certain I'll be happy with the cloth seats...:D

 

IMHO

Leather is the way to go it gives the rx8 an upmarket feel , its way better for resale value .

If you feel the leather is too hot during summer ,hey you can always get a set of car seat covers and have the best of both worlds .

Michael

 

Resale possibly better with leather....do you need it....not really. I have cloth seats and they are great. When I was doing my test drives, I got into 2 cars, 1 cloth, 1 leather. They both had been closed up and sitting in the sun. The cloth interior was SIGNIFICANTLY cooler. I took a trip from Orlando to north of Atlanta (500 miles each way) and over the 7-8 hr drive it was very comfortable. Driving through the north GA mountains....they hold on to you like your butt was plastered to the seats with superglue! Super adjustable (forward/back, incline/recline, up/down) with manual controls.

 

I love the cloth seats. They kind of move with you through the turns. It's quite comfy. My only complain is that it does not have lumbar support adjustment. Even so, I still prefer the cloth over leather. When I tested the leather, I slit around quite a bit.

 

I'll echo what almost everyone already said: I love my cloth Sport Package. I like the gray cloth insert areas; almost like the Alcantara fake suede, which costs even more than leather in some other models of car. Grippy, soft and cool. Not too dark. I also like the cloth side material, which is ribbed (for my pleasure) and has a very nice look and feel. The seat controls are intuitive and work very well, and I'm sure the whole thing weighs a lot less than a power leather seat.

 

I'm very happy with our cloth seats. The fabric looks similar to macro-suede, and should wear well. Living in S.E. Queensland with a similar climate to Florida, heat and humidity are factors which steered us away from leather. Putting seat covers on leather seats is a bit like putting clear plastic on the sofa. The grip from the cloth is such that I find I have to wiggle my butt into it to get the proper fit. I also find that sitting a bit more upright gives me a great fit with lots of support.

 

I wasn't crazy about "red" exteriors or leather interiors until I drove the 8. Now I like both So that's what I got.

I live in a cooler climate though, so it might make more sense. The heated seats are awesome. Also, I've taken some turns at wicked speeds and there's absolutely no sliding around on the leather.

The 8 way adjustment is really nice on trips (especially the lumbar).

 

the cloth seat is six way adjustable (up/down, forward/back, recline up or down)
i sat in a car with the cloth and it was very pleasant feeling and comfortable
________
Lamborghini Gallardo History

 

As long as everyone is happy with their choice, thats great .

Labrat cool avatar .

 

Posted for Dad - (Twin 8s) ... His account is still hosed...
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We have two RX-8s. Both are 6MT. We went with the basic car and cloth. We live in FL and leather has always been "painful" in the FL heat. We have had our cars for about five weeks and the only thing I would change on the seats is to add a memory mechanism to return the seats to their previous position after letting someone in or out of the back.

Lateral support is great.... seats are not any hotter than any other cloth seat and much cooler than leather.

One last thing, ajustable lumbar support would be nice.
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No lumbar in the cloth was killing my back on long trips. The passenger seat has no thigh support and this was noticed by both my g/f and her father. Both sat in the passenger seat for long trips and were sore for days afterwards. Not sure if the leather helps that though.