So I've been looking at the insane deals the dealerships have on fully loaded Maximas now, kicking myself that I didn't wait a year to get mine. When I got my SV + Tech, adding premium or sport would have put me over my financial limits and the dealers wouldn't budge.

Whats the difference between the standard SV leather seats and the Premium or Sport "upgraded" leather? I'm not talking about heated or a/c seats or the fact that the rears resemble bucket seats, but the actual leather and/or padding. Is it different?

 

Yes they are, love mine.

 

from what I can tell, the leather is "softer".

 

On the nissan website when you want to build a Maxima, the visible difference between the leather seats are that the Premium seats have more preforation on their surfaces. From my experience, the premium seats are more "plush" and are softer on the hands.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I guess i initially asked this question because I have some wrinkles forming on the bottom side bolster that i feel may be premature. It is only on the driver's side and i am not a fat-a**. My z had what I thought to be the same leather (perforated, not terribly plush, but very nice) and I never saw this wear. Is there a product i.e leather conditioner that I could use to prevent wrinkles in the leather like i'm seeing?

 

i use armor oil leather conditioner seems to work the best for me compared to turtle wax ice all in one cleaner. i use at least once a month to keep my leather looking its best

 

are the non premium leather seats like vinyl? they look kinda shiny and stiff

 

They are leather, NOT vinyl. They seem like the exact kind that I had in my '07 350Z. Its nice leather, just not the soft supple leather that you probably have in the sport/premium. Mine are not shiny either, maybe the ones you saw had some sort of treatment/protectant on them?

They are pretty stiff, which is why i'd like to condition them with something. Any suggestions on how to soften them up?

 

My butt didn't notice a difference between the regular and premium leather seats on my test drives.

I have the regular leather seats - they are definitely not shiny. If they are a bit stiff, I would attribute it more to the type/construction of foam in the cushion vs. the leather.

The leather is certainly more supple than that in my '02 Liberty; by comparison it is much more stiff and has a shine.

 

http://www.mx6.com/forums/2g-faq-mai...ver-crack.html

 

Wow, thanks alot man, that's basically exactly what I was looking for.

 

great news...can't wait to get out for the test drive!

 

Glad to be of help...

 

I have a 2010 Maxima SV with the cold and tech packages so I have the non-premium leather interior and here is my take on it; while this leather is comfortable to sit in, the leather is definitely of a poor quality then the premium package leather

I can't use anytime of leather cleaner or conditioner on the seats to clean them without it leaving a residue on the seat that doesn't go away; the reason it doesn't go away is that the leather, while it has some perforations in the middle of the seat cushions where you sit, the outer portions do not breathe and so they do not absorb any cleaner or conditioner

The only way I have been able to clean the seats is by using a warm wet towel with just a pinch of soap in it to wipe the seats off; in all the years of having GMs, Infiniti's, Acura's, and Toyota's, I have never had a car with leather seats that did this with cleaners/conditioners

I have sat in and examined closely the premium leather interior and it definitely is softer, breathes better and is more Lexus, Infiniti, Acura quality leather than the non-premium one; in hind sight I wish I had gotten the premium package but can't change that now

As long as the wet cloth cleans the leather off I guess I can't complain but I'm just annoy at the poor quality of the leather that is can't absorb the same leather cleaner/conditioner I've been using for years on all my car's leather interior!!!!

 

Ok in the max the sport and premium pkg comes with premium leather which is called tuscany. katzkin offers this same pkg for nissan vehicles without leather. But the seats are not entirely leather. The outsides of the seat and the back of the seat are vinyl. They do this to resist wear and tear from getting in and out of the vehicle. They way to tell is press with your finger on the center of the seat. See how it crinkles up. That is leather. Now press on the out side of the seat. See how it presses straight in with no crinkles. That is Vinyl. Hope this Helps.

 

so what your trying to tell me is that the regular LEATHER in the SV models without the premium package, the inside cushions where the perforations are, are leather but the outside bolster on the butt and back are vinyl? I hope you aren't correct because that doesn't seem right to have the same seat have different areas with different materials; that means that the inside leather will wear and crack quicker, while the outside vinyl stays more straight; does the premium leather have vinyl on the outside or is the whole seat leather? do you know how crappy that will look after just a few years of wear on the seats? why can't Nissan stop shot-jobbing stuff and just make the entire seat all leather like Infiniti and every one else does, your charging the same as the luxury divisions so start acting and building the cars like one!

 

Smarty, actually most manu's the sides and backs aren't leather for the reasons stated before. Potential cracking, stretching, scuffing, etc. If you maintain your leather seating areas, it will last a long time. If you don't, it WILL look like crap.


Oh and Vinyl is alot more KID PROOF....

 

thats what I'm saying, I hope I don't have problems maintaining the leather area because the leather cleaner/conditioner I've been using on my cars for over 10 years now does not get absorbed by the max's leather and leaves a slick residue that I had a terrible job getting off

The leather I've had in my Infiniti and Acura cars has never done this with the same cleaner/conditioner so I can only assume the maxima's leather and vinyl is cheaper than those vehicles; plus, there is not vinyl in my Infiniti and Acura seats, only leather, because the side bolsters have begun to crack a little bit but I'm able to keep up with it with my cleaner/conditioner

I really wish now I had gotten the premium package with the upgraded leather

 

I only looked at the difference in the seats for a short time and settled on the ones I have. Fortunately I don't have the same issue as you do. Even my wife likes the leather and she "doesn't" generally. I'm actually quite glad that the back of the drivers side and passenger side have the hard plastic plate and vinyl, tho the vinyl looks very close to the same texture and everything. My teen and the wife's granddaughter can be quite rough. I had a Honda Accord 4dr with "leather" seats and she nearly had destroyed them after 120K miles.

 

I find it hard to believe that there is vinyl on my seats. It looks like leather, smells like leather, cleans like leather, wears like leather, and absorbs leather conditioner like leather. Must be some crazy a** vinyl super-material. In that case, I don't really care what it is....

Smarty, try Zymol products. They are pricey but worth it. The standard leather cleaner described above cleans the seats quite well, and the Treat Conditioner is phenominal. My leather is supple and doesn't show signs of wear anymore. It is an absolutly fantastic product and worth the $30. The leather has no problem absorbing the cream. And there are no streaks or anything when all is said and done.

 

No im telling you even in the sv with sport and premium it still has vinyl on the back and sides. The leather parts are just higher quality. The vinyl is on the sides because you slide in and out of the car daily the leather would wear extremely fast. Notice on an aged car with leather the cracked spots are always on the left corner.

 

oh don't get me wrong, the seats in my SV are wonderful, especially in the front, they are one of the most comfortable seats I have ever had in regards to just the right amount of firm and softness and provide good lateral support!!

 

This will explain a lot:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you..._leather_seats

From the article:

"If you own a car with leather seats, you will need to buy some kind of leather conditioner and cleaner. A lot of the leathers used on domestic vehicles are treated with a thin plastic which is used to protect them. You can treat these leathers with the same products you would use on vinyl upholstery. European cars often feature uncoated leather upholstery. You should use a specialized leather product on these leathers. To find out the kind of leather you have, put a drop of water on an inconspicuous part of the upholstery. Uncoated leather will absorb the water, while coated leather will not. Before you use any leather cleaner or conditioner, test it for color fastness or marking on an inconspicuous spot. Use a leather cleaner first by rubbing a generous amount into the upholstery."

It took me a long time to figure this out. The leather seats in 95% of cars are COATED leather. I suspect, but do not know, that the "premium" leather may be aniline. I DO know that the non-premium leather is coated. You need a water based conditioner for your seats.