Simple Upgrade: Refit Your Pickup With Leather Seats

There are only a few modifications you can make to your pickup truck that will completely change its personality; for example, a new suspension, maybe a new supercharger and exhaust, or possibly restyling the entire interior will inject the vehicle with that "like-new" feel.

Of course, of those three possibilities, the first two are going to take some significant time and money (not to mention know-how) to get it right, with safety implications a possible concern. The third option — while still providing vivid results — is much less time intensive and likely to cost a lot less.

Nobody needs to be told that the average transaction prices of new half-ton pickup trucks are going up. Just witness the effort every truckmaker is exerting to produce more top-of-the-line trim levels. According to Cars.com sales data, average transaction prices have gone up (in some cases several thousand dollars) for each of the half-ton pickups in the last year. Just ask a few people who've recently bought a fully loaded half-ton and you'll find out there's nothing unusual about a $50,000 price tag. And in some cases, the only way to get a leather interior is to opt for one of the top trim packages.

It's no accident that in order to get nicer interiors you have to pay for many other features — admittedly some that are very cool — bundled into the higher trim levels that make the truckmakers a great deal of money.

So why not take a different path to get the truck interior you want at a more reasonable price?

That's where a company like Katzkin Automotive Leather comes in. It makes leather interiors to replace just about every bench and bucket seat cover that exists. The average cost to replace a pair of front and rear seats in a full-size pickup is about $1,500. We should note that if you opt for some of Katzkin's top-level products, you can pay as much as $2,500 to replace a full four-door interior (third-row seats in full-size SUVs, no matter the replacement option, will add to the total cost).

What this means is that if you want to buy a more reasonably priced new Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-150 or Ram 1500 with cloth seats and fewer of the features you don't want, you can still get leather seats without paying another $7,500 for a higher trim package.

Katzkin has the process so well thought out that you can order a completely new interior several ways — order exactly what you want on its website, taking delivery in about 24 hours and having a certified restyling expert install the seats in your truck; order your upgraded seats straight from a qualified dealer; or, if you have a Ram, you can order the seats for your old or new pickup straight from the Mopar catalog. Additionally, if you have an older truck you're looking to freshen up, Katzkin has thousands of factory templates for just about every seat and trim level for any make or model available.

We like the fact that the Katzkin website provides tons of ordering choices, allowing you to order exact replacements. The site also offers multiple upgrade suggestions, including a premium line of seats that allow you to custom design the colors and styles as well as include extra padding and bolstering; you can even get your seats heated and cooled.

Each replacement kit comes with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty and is made at Katzkin's Southern California factory; when custom ordered, the covers are usually cut, stitched together and shipped out the door within 12 hours.

Whether you're getting ready to order a brand-new truck and want to save a little cash, or have an old pickup that's ready for some interior love, upgrading the seats could be the easiest and most cost-effective way to change the personality of your pickup truck. There are plenty of choices out there, so do your research.

For more information about Katzkin seat covers, click here.

Cars.com photos by Mark Williams