ejperryman

I am extremely confused. Buying my first MB, a C300, and I cannot find a car within 5 states with a leather interior. This is because, according to all the sales people, 99% of MB buyers buy cars with MB Tex.

Why would anyone buy a luxury car, spend 40-60k on a car (the price on my C300 is 54k) and much more, and NOT get leather? I mean, I would understand if it's an allergy issue, or maybe you are a card-carrying member of PETA. But don't most people who buy luxury cars want leather interiors?

Maybe I am missing a big secret here? Does MB leather actually suck and that's why no one wants it? Is MB anti-leather???

I have done the research and yes apparently MB Tex is very good quality plastic. BUT IT'S STILL PLASTIC. And it smells like plastic. No thank you. I will take the natural animal skin, no matter how much it wears.

I am not complaining that leather is not standard in a MB (although in my opinion it SHUD be). I am saying why is it so hard for dealers to believe that I require leather in my luxury car???? And why is it so hard to find????

I am very confused.

JayGoGilla

I think it's just your dealership. All dealerships around me have C300/400's with the red leather in the showroom.

Glyn M Ruck

This MBTex/Artico craze is a US thing. In SA everybody goes with leather apart from Taxis & some of the farming community. Benz leather is excellent. I've only ever had leather upholstered Benz cars. Fed once a year to 18 months it easily outlasts MBTex. MBTex is considered low rent in SA.

e92miami

My last 2 cars are this faux leather (old BMW and now MB) and really there is a difference I prefer the fake stuff because it's more durable and no need for all the treatments and cleaners. No difference in feel for my *** and looks, wait the fake stuff looks better because it doesn't wrinkle. But if you want to throw your money away for no reason then go nuts...

chicagofan00

I've got the MB-Tex in my C400 and while I've had real leather in every single vehicle before it, I honestly don't ever notice it's the MB-Tex unless I'm reminded by one of these threads. It still looks good enough and I hope will be more durable down the road as my daughter gets a bit older and begins to walk and get her grubby little hands, feet, and food everywhere. Sure it would have been nice to have the leather but I dont miss it either.

6G Schnell

Must be dealership-related issue
I wanted and got the real leather

joshg1001

Part of it probably has to do with the fact that people just want to get into a mercedes and dont care what options they have. Of course, that is a very broad and general statement, but I think it holds true for 90% of the buyers out there.

I have always had leather in my luxury cars but MB tex is pretty well done. They incorporate good stitching now, perforations, etc, the practically the same design as leather. And of course you know the durability. MB tex probably is more environmentally friendly. Passengers in my car think its leather

ManiacGT

I can't answer your question but you get top marks for the most ridiculous number of questions marks in a post!

MASSC450

Dealerships ordering MB Tex for their vehicles instead of leather are trying to lower the base price of their vehicles to better compete with other brands of luxury car dealerships in their area.

It's a money thing, plain & simple.

I ordered leather for my C300 because I too feel a $50,000 plus luxury car should have a leather interior.

miketc

For me it was paying for the interior package to get leather; I wanted to keep the cost to an acceptable level and interior package was the one I could live without. I have had good experience with MB-Tex in the past and feels leather is not as durable. I usually like to keep my car as long as possible while doing very little maintenance.

Glyn M Ruck

Maybe that is the main US driver for MBTex.

This is the common MBTex problem ~ delamination.

StanNH

I'm one of the few here who has actually owned two 2015 C300 vehicles. My first C300, which had awful MB-Tex bleeding, was replaced with a C300 Sport which I ordered with leather.

I think if the MB-Tex fiasco hadn't happened, I would have been happy with that material. It felt and looked fine, until the weather got cold.

Now, with the leather seats and Interior package, I have to admit that leather is a bit nicer than vinyl. The smell is certainly better, and I like the look of the pleated seat covers. The leather package also includes memories for the front passenger's seat, a working power headrest there, ventilated front seats, illuminated door sills, and ambient lighting .. so it's not just leather. I think, for the $2,000+ that it costs, it's a reasonable package with some nice features.

Now that the problem is behind us, MB-Tex is not a bad choice. The Interior Package with leather though, does add quite a bit to the car.

chicagofan00

The fact that I had to get the Interior package was also one of the reasons why I didn't go with leather. The only thing out of that package I wanted was the leather seats and I just didn't see the reason to spend the extra $2k for it and all the other items that I didn't see the need for.

Between all the cars I have owned I think my favorite seat and material so far has been on my Audi S4 that had leather seats with Alcantara inserts. Wish more car manufacturers would offer that combo.

BlackjackM

I had MBTex on my first two Mercedes and now have the leather. I never had an issue with the faux stuff and if I could've had cooled cranberry seats in MBTex I would've been fine with it. It's a cost thing to most people and MBTex is so good that people (and dealers when ordering) typically spend the money on other options, or save it.

Boudicca

I have the MB tex seats and if I had a dollar for every person that has got in the car and said "Mmmmm love the leather!" I could have bought leather seats lol.

I have to say I was a bit unsure about the MB tex however I am very happy with it, it cleans up easily (aerospace 303) and looks great. I chose to spend the money on some other features instead, HUD, pano, ILS and in Australia the whole package system is different so the car has the other features such as ambient lighting, lighted door sills etc.

Glyn M Ruck

You have an SA built car so you have German manufactured MBTex. No one can argue that it is very convincing especially now that they do the leather double stitching on it.

From a durability perspective, however, MBTex is not what it used to be. Old MBTex in day's of yore was tough as hell & designed for the European Taxi industry. In fact before the MBTex name was used Benz referred to it as "Taxi Leder".

As for the Alcantara lovers AMG offers it. Alcantara is a synthetic suede type material. It's fine when it's new but gets shoddy with use & there is no way to revive it. You can't use a brass bristle brush on it like genuine suede.

floridadriver

If you're buying the car as a taxi or tote kids around the mbtex is a great fake leather! MBUSA is nuts how they spec out their cars that go to dealers that are unsold, basically forcing you to custom build behind a few common options. Dealer would have to be proactive to order a variety, MBUSA otherwise send them what 'should sell'. Ironically. Same build of cars sitting on lots near me in various shades of gray. Leather and airmatic are near impossible to find, and two huge values on this car.

Also in FL they all have the panoramic roof stock. Crazy here with the heat.

ejperryman

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful replies. I get it now. I was just starting to worry that MB leather had a problem or was inferior.
Picking up my leather filled C300 Sport soon.

hummerhealey

I Will get a custom real leather interiour myself. But i read verry good things about MB tex on German fora. After a few years the real leather looks aged for instance, while the MB tex still looks new. Everything speaks for MB tex. But like i said my non- rational part stil wants the real thing. And if you look at it rationally one would not spent more thsn $12000 on a car.....

bwoodbmw

In the US you need leather for ventilated seats... once you get used to ventilated seats they become one of those "luxuries" that you don't want to live without.... plus the ambient lighting which IMHO takes the interior to another level. For me no debate, interior package is a no brainer.

chicagofan00

Never cared for them...and I have to deal with the summers of Arizona.