Oh, I've only sat in a 2001 Viper GTS (might have been an ACR, but I don't think it was.) And it was really comfortable, the seat practically wrapped around me and it was so compact in there that I couldn't even see my feet in the slightest. I also sat in a 2004 Srt-10 and it didn't seem as nice. It was a little more like a regular car, sort of like a Corvette with the windshield much closer to your head. The older GTS was more like sitting on really comfy pillows, slightly truck feeling in a way, but so cool.

 

Scott Settlemire from GM sent me this email regarding my earlier post about GM's cheap leather. Krazzycowgirl, I noticed you had something about this guy in your sig. Who is he? Obviously he reads our posts here, but I've never heard of him. Does he post here too? You don't have to anwser any of these questions if it puts him into a compromising situation though.

Email:

Read your post about the leather seats in the Corvette at the Portland
show.

First, GM does not use the cheapest leather....in fact we use "Nuance
Leather" which is some of the most costly leather available for seating
surfaces.

There are a few things that will destroy leather......

1....denim........look at what the average auto show attendee
wears......denim.....further, the rivets are hell on leather.

2....high 'impact'.....watch someone enter a
Corvette/Camaro/Firebird.....they 'drop' into the car because it's low to
the ground. In addition to the 'drop' they then slide across the bolster
-- which is like taking sandpaper to the leather.

there IS a solution.........that solution is to replace the leather bolster
with high wear vinyl.......a solution that I do not think is acceptable.
Or...use Water Buffalo hide...not as durable as vinyl, but leather
nonetheless...the problem is that it feels and looks like vinyl....... or
remove the bolster....none of these is acceptable. Further, did you notice
the number of people in and out of the Corvette? An autoshow is worth
about 8 to 12 years of heavy use...........

Perhaps we should write a letter to God and tell him he didn't make cow
hide tough enough!!!! (only kidding....)

We realize, believe me, that the leather wears....one look at warranty cost
...and trust me, we KNOW...............we've spent thousands of hours on
this issue.

All leather wears....plain and simple, regardless of manufacturer.......




I still stand behind what I said, that GM uses cheap leather.

 

looked like good enough reasons to me
everything has to end sometime (just like the beauty of the leather)

 

We've had our '95 Z28 since it was new and our leather barely looks any worse than the leather in our 2002 SS. I don't think it is cheap at all.

Cheap leather isn't neccessarily a bad thing either though. I got to sit in a Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 and it had the hardest leather I've ever felt. It wasn't comfortable at all. It was like sitting on a wooden bench.

 

Go feel a Jaguar hide or look at the leather in a 15 year old Mercedes with 150,000 miles(most of them have hardly any wear at all), or feel the stuff in a Lexus, or even the stuff in a Honda Accord, Camry, or Maxima is much nicer than the leather in a $50,000 Escalade. Even Chrysler uses nicer stuff IMO.

I'm glad your leather has held up well.

 

Well, my friend has a Mini Cooper S and it has pretty nice leather. It is much too thick feeling for my taste though. I'm not necessarily defending GM, but I don't think it is awful. Awful leather is the kind that smells when in the sun, cracks and peels, and is hard and sort of crunchy. My Grandma's old early 90s Lincoln town car was like that back when I used to ride in it in about '94 to '95. We actually traded that thing in for our '95 Camaro Z28 when we bought it.

 

Go to www.autotrader.com and check out vehicles 3-4 years old.. Look at the seat pictures and see for yourself if GM's cheap leather holds up as well as their competition.. Pictures of drivers seats say it all.

 

Who is Scott Settlemire you ask lol. Ya really should ask him lol (HI Scott!!!!!!! )

He is the Former Asst. Brand manager for Camaro/Corvette & firebird (he only spent the last couple years with the firebirds I do beleive). He now works as director of Shows & special events for CHEVY, Meaning that he sets up the Chevy side of the Auto shows & also during the summer comes out to local car shows (all around the US). I try to spend a couple days each year with him when he comes out in to this Great Northwest for our big car show & the Seattle Auto show. He is really kewl & enjoys meeting us Car lovers.

He goes under a couple diff names in these boards (unless he added a couple more did you Scott??) normally Red Planet (there is a story behind that one) & Fbodfather.

We are all hoping that Ford doesnt take him away from GM & force him to work on the mustang (joking Scott lol)(oh man I am going to get myself in to trouble now aint I Scott???)

Sorry Had to give him a bad time after this summer of him calling me his babysitter lol

 

My 87 Iroc is my daily driver & has stock leather seats & no rips no tears in it. Now my husbands 95 Z (which is now 10 yrs old) is starting to show some wear but thats because of where his butt sits at. Gm Leather is not CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

my 95 has leather and is just starting to show signs of wear (very very slightly) on the bolster
everything else looks picture perfect like the day it came off the showroom floor
i'm happy with it

 

The leather in my 1999 looks okay(not so okay when you consider it has only 65K miles). The top of the rear seat is a little dried out, not that big of a deal. The passenger side seat has the color rubbed off of the seam on the bolster. The leather on the bottom cushion, the perferated part has dried and stretched to where it is flat, instead of having pleats in it.

The driver's side bolster's color is really coming off and it looks a little thin in one spot. The bottom cushion is quite worn and the foam is crushed down. I've rode in a friend's 1994 Z28 and I thought the leather was a lot nicer than the junk in my car. However, the leather in my car does smell nice