TailorFit®: How Nissan designed premium seating that looks and feels like leather

Synthetic leather used to be stiff, shiny and unmistakably artificial. That era is over. In the all-new 2026 Nissan Sentra SL, TailorFit® seating provides the premium look and feel of traditional leather with enhanced wrinkle resistance. Beyond Sentra SL, TailorFit is available in six Nissan and INFINITI models in North America, offering drivers a range of options to experience the benefits of leather with a material designed to stand the test of time. What is TailorFit? TailorFit is a synthetic, polyurethane-based seating material that provides a similar tactile feel to conventional leather. Natural leather is known for its smooth, soft feel and comfort in a variety of climates. TailorFit builds on those strengths. It features a unique surface coating that delivers a premium, inviting touch. "In an internal clinic, Nissan employees tested seats covered in leather, PVC, polyurethane and TailorFit. Although employees did not know which seats had TailorFit, the majority reported that they preferred the haptics of the TailorFit seats," said Fernando Sarabia, senior manager of Seat Engineering at Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA). One of the reasons TailorFit feels so soft: The distance between the grains on the surface is similar to the distance between the grooves in fingerprints. "This provides a smoother feel. It used to be easy for me to tell the difference between synthetic and genuine leather. Now, it's very difficult," said Sarabia, who has worked in automotive seating for 22 years. TailorFit is designed to resist wrinkling and creasing better than genuine leather, helping maintain its refined appearance over time. "Previous generations of polyurethane materials were soft, but weren't very durable. TailorFit solves that problem," Sarabia said. To help ensure lasting quality, Nissan works with its suppliers to put seating materials through rigorous testing. A variety of tests aim to replicate real-world wear and tear, like someone getting into and out of the vehicle thousands of times. What is the difference between TailorFit, leatherette and Prima-Tex ® ? Nissan offers a variety of seating materials that vary based on model and trim. Leatherette is a synthetic material that offers much of the soft, rich feel of leather at an even more accessible price than TailorFit, which is considered a category of leatherette. For Nissan vehicles equipped with leatherette without the TailorFit designation, the material can be manufactured using PVC, polyurethane or a mix of both. TailorFit, however, is a proprietary material that only uses polyurethane. Prima-Tex® is a synthetic material with similar properties to TailorFit. Also polyurethane-based, Prima-Tex is offered in SUV models like Rogue (Dark Armor) and Murano (SV and SL). "While made of a slightly different material from TailorFit, Prima-Tex provides outstanding comfort and durability for customers seeking a leather-like material," Sarabia said. What is the difference between TailorFit and genuine leather? Genuine, traditional leather is created using animal hides. It is incredibly durable but can wrinkle with wear. TailorFit was developed to provide a similar feel to high-end leather with enhanced resistance to creasing and wrinkling. One advantage of TailorFit's construction is that it delivers a premium feel while also being efficient to produce. That efficiency means even models like the 2026 Sentra SL can offer striking gray-and-blue TailorFit seating at a compelling MSRP of $27,990, bringing an upscale experience to more drivers. "This is partly due to the materials' shape. Animal hides are naturally irregular, making it difficult to use the entire hide efficiently. TailorFit, however, is produced in uniform sheets that are far easier to cut and use effectively," Sarabia explained. Since leather weighs nearly twice as much as TailorFit, there is also a weight savings of roughly 5 lbs. per vehicle, depending on the model. "Over hundreds of thousands of vehicles, that makes a big difference," Sarabia said. While TailorFit offers exceptional haptics and longevity, some customers still value the unique feel and excellent durability of leather appointments, which is why they are still available on select premium vehicles. Indeed, genuine leather still provides a remarkably supple feel and long-lasting durability, but advances in material science have transformed synthetic leather into something truly premium. With TailorFit, Nissan and INFINITI owners can enjoy a soft, comfortable material that's built to last. Which Nissan and INFINITI vehicles are available with TailorFit? The following Nissan vehicles are offered with TailorFit-appointed seating: - Armada (SL) - LEAF (SV+, Platinum+) - Pathfinder (SL) - Sentra (SL) The following INFINITI vehicles are offered with TailorFit-appointed seating: - QX60 (PURE, LUXE, SPORT) - QX80 (PURE)