supafamous

Looking at an A-Spec in Canada but beyond the heated steering wheel, folding mirrors and red leather seats I'm not sure it's worth the $4K more than the Tech package. Curious as to folks who's checked out the leatherette on the Tech trim and how nice it is - the ones I've tried on Mercedes and BMW were certainly good enough to fool most folks. Is the Acura one pretty good or meh?

RDX10

Don't forget the A-Spec also has cooled seats, 16 speaker ELS sound, and looks MUCH better (IMO). Not sure how the leatherette is, the Canadian buyers have been pretty quiet lmao.

flames9

Once you have ventilated seats..no going back!!!

Yotrek

20" wheel and tires, worth more tha 4K..

Midnight Mystery

Isn't the A-Spec suspension sport tuned, or am I wrong?

RDX10

This is sooooo true. Same with heated steering wheel and push button start!



Yes, but from what I understand the 20" wheels are more of why the A-Spec is stiff vs the actual suspension. Iirc shocks are the same as the normal models.

nuke

anoop

I'm in the US and assuming Canadian models have the same leatherette, I would say it is decent, but it does feel plasticky. It is the only reason I chose to go with Tech (in the US Tech is where leather is introduced). MB and Lexus leatherette is in a different class compared with, e.g., BMW leatherette which also feels plasticky.

If you like the look of the A-Spec, it is worth it. Is there not some other trim with leather where you might get more bang for the buck? In the US, I would go Advance over A-Spec, as A-Spec with the red gauges and black exterior trim bits is a bit much for my tastes.

zroger73

Automotive-grade leather is heavily coated with color and protective layers for uniformity, resistance to wear, and ease of cleaning. You'll never see or feel the actual leather underneath. The Alcantara in the A-Spec trim is a man-made product consisting of polyester and polyurethane.

Leatherette is also known as vinyl, pleather, Naugahyde, MB-Tex (Mercedes-Benz), and V-Tex (Volkswagen).

Most people couldn't tell the difference between "real leather" and "leatherette". Still, many owners like the smell and satisfaction of knowing we have leather in our vehicles.

Even in vehicles with "real" leather, only certain surfaces ("seating surfaces" - the tops of the seat bottoms and fronts of the seat backs) have real leather. The piping, side trim, armrests, headrests, etc. are all vinyl that is color- and texture-match to the leather.

I've seen vinyl seats that were better looking, more durable, and more comfortable than real leather seats.

The part numbers for the shocks and springs are the same for base, Tech, and A-Spec trims.

RDX10

In Canada you have to go A-Spec, Elite, or Platinum Elite to get leather. But Platinum Elite has milano leather!

IMO BMW leather feels plasticky, can't imagine the leatherette. MB and Lexus have REALLY good leatherette, they've perfected it.

DHood

Love my Milano Leather, it is so nice.

anoop

Is there a non-Milano option? I thought all leather in the RDX is Milano leather.

zroger73

The RDX comes with only "leatherette" and "Milano leather".

"Milano" leather is just a marketing name for "split-grain" leather which isn't as durable as top-grain leather, but it's easier to color- and texture-match.

Remember the "rich Corinthian leather" advertised for Chrysler by Ricardo Montalban in the 1970's? That was a just marketing term used by Chrysler and meant nothing special.

Like most vehicles, the RDX's leather is protected with a colored vinyl coating. Semi-aniline leather feels better than protected leather, but is found only in the most expensive automobiles. You can get SA leather as an option on the Acura NSX (Milano leather is standard). The "best" leather is full-aniline leather - it scratches, cuts, and stains easily and is rarely used in automobiles, but it's super supple.

Because most automotive leather has a solid coating (including our RDX's), there's no advantage in using "leather cleaner/protectant". Instead, you're better off using a product designed for vinyl/plastic.

kebel87

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I’m on the fence between the tech and elite package and I’d appreciate having more opinions on the leatherette of the Canadian tech package. A-spec is off the list for me since I’m not fan of the 20’ tires.

More specifically, I’d like to know if the leatherette breath enough for long rides. I’d hate to feel warm and wet like we feel on a cheap sofa or on a lot of restaurant banquettes.

Thanks!

blexann

This is the reason I'm considering the Elite over the Tech. Paying this kind of money and only getting Leatherette is unacceptable. I'd consider the A-spec as well but not interested in 20" wheels and I hate the black body cladding that runs across the bottom of the doors. I actually think the chrome makes it look more luxurious. There is a thread that discusses the seats - do a search.

kebel87

Well I did search, and searched again after your post but still couldn’t locate thread when searching leatherette. Would appreciate a link to it if you can spare a minute. Thanks!

blexann

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...d-area-975794/

kebel87

I read every posts twice and there’s no opinion leatherette and its ability to breath. Wrong thread maybe?

blexann

That's all I could find.

nuke

You really need to try the tech seats ..back in the day leather was rare and vinyl buckets the norm. I am also not really wanting 20inch wheels but in Canada the ASPec has heated steering wheel, power folding mirrors, ventilated seats, better audio, Alcantara insert on seat and dash although I am not necessarily a fan of these as well for cleaning issues, led fog lamps and much nicer imo exterior appearance. I would still go with 19 inch snow tires on an ASpec.

kebel87

If I buy instead of lease, I wouldn’t worry investing in smaller winter wheels. However, if I lease, I’ll keep stocks for winter and tires for 20’’ ain’t cheap.

I went for a test drive but I’ll they had was elite so I couldn’t try tech leatherette. Did you try them yourself?

nuke

I drove an ASpec. They did not have a tech in the showroom ( Acura 2000 in Brampton) so I have not seen the leatherette. Gotta say although not a fan of the 20 inch wheels, there is really not that much difference in sidewall height between the 19’s and 20’s.

robnalex

I'm confused. When you all refer to "tech" do you mean the Technology Package, because here in the U.S. the Technology Package has Sport Seats with Perforated Milano Premium Leather-Trimmed Interior with Contrast Stitching?

supafamous

Yep but in Canada the Tech trim is a simpler trim than the US Tech trim. Canada is: Base, Tech, Elite/A-Spec, Platinum Elite. Platinum Elite is the same as the Advance, the A-Spec trim is a touch nicer in Canada (folding mirrors!). In Canada you can only get SH-AWD trims so Acura can afford to offer 5 trim levels though the base is super rare.

kebel87

Exactly. And apparently everyone went with the ASpec and no one knows how the leatherette seats feels and breath.

MTD

Not sure what you mean by how the feel and breath, but the seats in my A-Spec are very very comfortable and the material still looks like new after 42,000kms. As for being able to breath, my A-Spec as ventilated seats that feel great in the summer.

19 vs 20 is negligible between cost and ride. I use 18s in the winter.

kebel87

I’m sorry I could’ve been more clear.

In the Canadian base and Tech package, seats are leatherette instead of real leather. As far as I know, leatherette tends to breath less (feels warmer and makes you sweat more)... My main concern is keeping my butt dry in long drives lol

In the US, only base is leatherette.

nuke

Canadian versions in the TECH trim use “leatherette” which is likely closer to vinyl and I am sure the seats feel fine. Toyota uses ‘softex leather’ on higher trims of the RAV4. This is synthetic leather and feels and looks like leather. I have driven with those seats and they feel fine. Probably similar to what we get in the TECH. If you are worried about sweating, you should try out the ventilated seats on the ASpec

blexann

Wait for a nice hot sunny day and take the base or tech for a long test drive. Wear shorts and see if breathabliity is an issue. Other than that pony up a few more bucks and get the elite or a-spec. I'm seriously considering the elite or a-spec just to get into leather.

DHood

The Milano Leather is awesome.