It's leather. Look at the stiching on the inside of the wheel. Rubber isn't stiched like that. I can understand the sun damage, though. Mine doesn't have that, but I do have wear spots where my hands are all the time. Again, rubber doesn't wear like that. Trust me, it's real leather. Now, if you want to get the wheel recovered, I'm sure it can be done with added padding. But you'd probably have to take it to a professional shop that does that type of work. They can take off the leather and whatever linning is right down to the metal wheel, repad it, and wrap it with new leather. Only thing is, knowing Hondas, it probably won't look right. One thing to keep in mind (as I'm sure you found with your Accord), Hondas are so tightly assembled that to add anything or change anything is a real chore and in the end it usually doesn't look right if it isn't OEM.