Are Leather Seats in Trucks Going Away? Automakers Getting Cheap?

testerdahl

testerdahl

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A new truck trend lately has seen leather seats replaced with leather-like leaving just the high-end trucks with true leather. What gives? Leather Seats in Trucks For years, trucks seats came in really two setups with two choices. You either had a bench seat or bucket seats and you either had cloth or leather. The bench seat with cloth was the work truck. While the bucket seat with leather was the fancier truck. Leather was seen as the premium or luxury truck. Essentially, you had two choices and two trim levels of trucks. Simple. Easy. Somewhere along the way, trucks […] (read full article...)
 
Well, for Ram, it used to be that only the Limited/Longhorn got all leather seats. Laramie and below got leather seating surfaces only. That's what I have. Not sure what it is now. They bury it in the fine print somewhere.

I'd still rather have quality cloth. Or at least cloth on the seating surfaces and the sides can be anything that durable. My leather wore and cracked on the wings from sliding in and out because I never got running boards.
 
I prefer cloth seats. If I could have gotten the options I wanted on my 23 RAM sport (Canada) and still get cloth seats I would have. I use seat covers during cottage season due to all of the outdoor work I do from spring through late fall (chainsawing etc). Then I take them off in the winter. Just too many foreign substances getting brought into the cab (by me) in the summer. I used seat covers on my last 2 trucks as well over my cloth seats. The result is the seats look great at trade in time…lol. I don’t have cooled seats.
 
Hmm, I love my leather seats. There are alot of different seat materials out there now, it's not just cloth and leather. The "cloth" of the 90's and 00's was garbage and failed constantly. Most manufacturers started moving towards different materials years ago and we just keep calling them cloth. Not all cloth is the same. Some of them are great and hold up extremely well to wear, stains etc.

I'll take leather all day though. The new vehicles heat up, and cool down, much quicker than back in the day. I don't want to run any sort of seat cover, I did that for years on cloth seats and they all look like garbage after a while. Leather is durable and easy to clean.
 
Rotten.dalton said:
I like leather and I was very disappointed that my 23 Tundra Limited had softex(synthetic) seats. Yes, that seemed like a cheap out to me.
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A viewer yesterday was telling me he is positive the 2026 Tundra Limited will go back to real leather. I'll believe it when I see it. He says the dealer agrees with him. I just can't see that big of a change without a full refresh, but I guess stranger things have happened.
 
testerdahl said:
A viewer yesterday was telling me he is positive the 2026 Tundra Limited will go back to real leather. I'll believe it when I see it. He says the dealer agrees with him. I just can't see that big of a change without a full refresh, but I guess stranger things have happened.
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It’s part of the update for the 2026 tundra.

Straight from the press release: IMG_8087.png

pressroom.toyota.com

2026 Toyota Tundra: A Bold New Chapter in Full-Size Pickup Excellence - Toyota USA Newsroom

PLANO, Texas (July 22, 2025) – The 2026 Toyota Tundra is set to level up its game with an array of exciting updates and enhancements designed to elevate style and the driving experience. With a perfect blend of rugged capability, luxurious comfort, and advanced technology, the Tundra continues...
pressroom.toyota.com pressroom.toyota.com
 
TheDo114 said:
It’s part of the update for the 2026 tundra.

Straight from the press release: View attachment 1052

pressroom.toyota.com

2026 Toyota Tundra: A Bold New Chapter in Full-Size Pickup Excellence - Toyota USA Newsroom

PLANO, Texas (July 22, 2025) – The 2026 Toyota Tundra is set to level up its game with an array of exciting updates and enhancements designed to elevate style and the driving experience. With a perfect blend of rugged capability, luxurious comfort, and advanced technology, the Tundra continues...
pressroom.toyota.com pressroom.toyota.com
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Dang it. Using facts to prove me wrong. LOL
 
For those that prefer leather, how often are you conditioning it and what product do you use?

I'm not a leather fan but if I had it, I'd condition it with pure mink oil just to be sure.

Mink oil works great on boots but does darken the leather.
 
I've never conditioned a leather seat. Boots or jackets sure. You have to be really careful with ventilated seats as the tiny holes get plugged really easily with built up conditioner or treatment. I just keep them clean with hot warm rags and a very occasional mild soapy wipe but they hardly ever need that.

Vacuum, wipe down. Keep it simple.
 
Saddle Tramp said:
For those that prefer leather, how often are you conditioning it and what product do you use?

I'm not a leather fan but if I had it, I'd condition it with pure mink oil just to be sure.

Mink oil works great on boots but does darken the leather.
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Unless you have a top-off the line model, most of the leather has a plastic clear coat on it so basically any vinyl or interior cleaner is fine. The steering wheel wraps are usually good leather though. Somebody gave me a kit of Lexol branded stuff and it worked great on the wheel. I just won't use the cream on the perforated seats though, for the reason stated above.
 
TheDo114 said:
What I found interesting is the use of the word transitioning. Does that mean it will be slowly done?
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I wouldn’t read too much into that. PR writes the press release and they use flowery words at times. Engineers and suppliers are very much like “we are doing XYZ. Period.” PR is like “for the first time ever, class exclusive, listening to our customers, exciting new changes, etc…”
 
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