A luxury which was once reserved for the executive market and sports cars.
The insistence from you the consumer for better feel and quality the manufacturers now fit the leather coated steering wheel much more than before.
The feel of leather is definitely more pleasing than the average plastic rimmed steering wheel. That of course unless you are a vegan.
Newer cars that are not fitted with leather coated wheels cannot easily be changed for any aftermarket preference due to the air bag systems attached to the steering wheels themselves.
Not an essential item when buying a car but certainly a good feel factor if you do get one.
The only down side is when they wear they can look tatty and be very expensive to replace.