In my later car, with "leather seating surfaces", the seating surfaces are leather. The rest isn't. To make the look consistent, it appears that the seating surfaces are almost plastic coated. The surface graining is too perfect for a mass-produced leather seat, and using normal leather conditioners on it is almost a waste of time as none soaks in.

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Perspective: One of my spare time fun things is a love of "interesting" European cars from the past. Old leather is a real challenge, but most can be carefully restored if it isn't cracked or torn. In the good old days when your driver sat in the open front compartment and you were safely ensconced behind that privacy glass, the driver's compartment was furnished in leather. The passengers enjoyed luxurious cloth-covered seating.

I think it's somewhat like hardwood floors in your home. Only poor people had bare wood floors way back when. Carpet and thick rugs were how the affluent folks lived. How values and perceptions have changed over the decades.


Oh, back to the question: The vinyl panels will usually stay soft as the leather stiffens with age. There are some leather treatments like Leatherique Rejuvinator Oil that get slathered on the outer surface and left for days to soak in. The stuff will penetrate at the seams and stitching even though the outer surfaces are painted. Some of the restoration guys swear by a German Nivea skin cream; it works extremely well but can be very tough on any cotton stitching in my experience. Leather treatments may be just south of motor oil and car wax as subject of many opinions, so do your own research before spending on any miracle products.

 

In my later car, with "leather seating surfaces", the seating surfaces are leather. The rest isn't. To make the look consistent, it appears that the seating surfaces are almost plastic coated. The surface graining is too perfect for a mass-produced leather seat, and using normal leather conditioners on it is almost a waste of time as none soaks in.

This.

I have had the driver's seat partially disassembled to look at the armrest mechanism. Most of the "leather" isn't. It's vinyl with a cloth backing. And as someone who had a Tandy leather molding kit in his youth, I can assure you the only real leather ( the parts your back and backside touch ) is heavily coated leather. If you want fine aniline dyed leather, look elsewhere. So don't bother with leather conditioners. Just vacuum the Cheerios and Cheetos out of the seams, and wipe it down with a damp cloth, and you will be fine. For really gross messes, baby wipes are good. Get the ones from Target that say "Armorall" on them if it makes you feel good, but the ones for the baby's bottom will pamper your car seats just as well IMO. And they're great for other messes or boo-boos as well. ( Even road rash, for the bicyclists out there ). But if you have ventilated seats, try to get major messes cleaned up before they penetrate through the pores. Not just for the sake of the "leather", but for your nose. :16:

 

+ 1 to dr bobs comments. Honda like most auto manufacturers uses real leather anywhere your skin might touch. The rest is high grade vinyl.

 

Assuming Honda hasn't changed recently, it's a vinyl coated leather. This is for durability above all since "real" leather is not quite as tough and is more fickle to being conditioned. If you read most 3 row SUV's specs, they usually say the 3rd row is just vinyl.

And yes, I would expect different grades of leather/vinyl coated leather/vinyl throughout the cabin based on application, usage, etc.

If I remember correctly, Acura's did use regular leather and Honda used the vinyl coated leather.

 

The "Leather" in my new 2017 Pilot feels like it's vinyl coated, including the steering wheel. And I knew that the non-seating surfaces would be vinyl.

The Leather in my 2013 Accord EXL feels much better (softer, slipperier, smoother), but I bought the Accord at 3 years old, so I don't know what it felt like when new.

I have been wondering if the leather is vinyl coated, and/or will the leather wear-in and become softer.

 

The seating surfaces of my 2011 have worn and become more supple with time. Same goes for the steering wheel. Use a good leather cleaner (Luxol) and protectant to keep them looking good and lasting long. Arm rests, center console, sides of seats are all vinyl. When my center console cover started to delaminate, I replaced it with leather. Much more comfy and looks better too.

 

Wanderer, when I had my Accord and was researching the vinyl coated leather, I remember seeing that vinyl cleaners/conditioners (like Aerospace 303) were what was recommended. Leather conditioners apparently do nothing to the vinyl coating and are a total waste of money.

Some reading on the subject, many more threads can be found on detailing sites:

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/51746-coated-leather-really.html

 

I think the essential point is that what is considered "leather" in auto interiors has changed over time and always varied with market segment. The leather seats and steering wheel cover in our 1st-generation MDXs are more "genuine" than anything in our 3rd-gen Pilot or 3rd-gen MDX. The good stuff will stretch and degrade over time if it's not treated properly. I just don't think there is any good stuff in current Pilot, for better or worse. From what I remember of my 2nd-gen Pilots I don't think it was much different.

Thanks for the link. From what I know of leather, this excerpt from a post seems apropos:

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There are currently four types of automotive leather:

ANILINE (Unfinished): Found in very expensive cars (300k plus), very soft to touch and basicaly flawless. It will absorb water. Stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Expensive.

Alcantara: Found in expensive sports cars (100k plus), looks like suede. Will require very specific care and products.

Semi-Aniline/finished: the second most comom type on cars. Has a protective coat that offers a nice supple fell and protects at the same time, but it also causes the seat to get hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Won't absorb water (drop some water onto the seat to test it). Very few products will condition it properly. Will require some scrubing to remove all the gunk and body oils.

Pigmented: The cheapest one. Found in american cars, this leather has a (very) strong coat to hide the natural defects (it's cheap, remember?), therefore it won't absorb water/conditioner at all. Clean it by giving a little scrubing. Don't bother with conditioners, because it won't work.