English Leather Seats Changed for US Market

could just be the photos but are they black or grey? they look grey while the euro spec looks black.

apart from the stitching, is there anything really different about these seats as opposed to the 1300 dollar panther black leather seats? Is the extra 400 dollars for stitching and piping or is the leather any different?

could just be the photos but are they black or grey? they look grey while the euro spec looks black.

Yes it’s just the photos. There should be no color difference.

Any word on whether or not these will make it to the convertible?

They will not.

While it’s unfortunate that some of the character was lost in the process, it is still nice to see MINI working to find a way to make these seats available while working with U.S. regulations.

That said, it’s a shame they didn’t do the same thing for the Recaro seats to allow them to be offered in the U.S.

For my money……..way too 1960′s looking. They look like something the upholstery shops in Tijuana used to offer to low riders. Nothing wrong with that, and I’m sure the english seat are fabulous, just looks too old fashion, for my taste.

Along with John, will these ever happen for the Cabrio? And as a retrofit? I doubt it but you never know…

Sorry i didn’t mean to “jack” this thread — I just had to commment about the new wheels.

That small change makes a huge difference in the way they look. Don’t care for the US version at all…the seat bottom doesn’t seem to go with the top very well.

they still look awesome to me. I really like the classic look of things and it is one of the things that got me into the mini in the first place.

i do agree though, more classic looking parts should be offered, it would really make the car unique in this day and age.

[speculation]

I would imagine that they have one style of sensor to determine occupant weight, and that sensor works most accurately when you have even pressure across the sensor. Thus, the smooth/flat bottom of the cushion would be better for the sensor than the rippled bottom of the Euro spec seats, which may cause inaccurate readings when used in conjunction with the sensor due to the less uniform pressure distribution.

[/speculation]

Paul – do a search for solar red in the search bar at the top right. You’ll find out more than you ever wanted to know about the color!

Nice! Very nice!

ive looked at the picture again and the leather on these seats really appear to be grey. if you look at the lever below, that plastic is black… that leather is not. hmmmmm….

oh. look who beat me to the post.

mike: having seen the very same seats, i assure you the seats are quite washed out. nowhere near the rich dark sumptuous color i had seen here and on mini2.com. softer, finer leather, but not worth $1600 imho. crap color choice.

The English Leather seats are a standalone option in the US that, on the face of it, seam to be taken straight out of the special edition ‘Park Lane’ Cooper

“seam”–haha–you’re a clever one, Gabe!

If you compare the leather samples for the panther black leather and the “English” leather the panther black is much darker than the “English” leather. Most MINI dealers should have the new seat materials displayed.

If you compare the leather samples for the panther black leather and the “English” leather the panther black is much darker than the “English” leather.

I was at a dealership today and looked at the swatches … the English and Gravity Leathers had a different grain but were almost identical in color.

The grey cloth on the Checkmate upholstery is lighter than that on the Space cloth.

Is there anywhere the English Panther Leather seats may be purchased to replace my ’06 MCS JCW sport seats? From an English supplier or U.S. supplier (I’m, in the U.S.).