Dr_xavz

Hi Guys,
Im from the UK and already have a c220 Amg Line Premium Plus Palladium Silver. No extras.

Im about to order a second one, but my own spec. Im just wondering if getting the Red Leather (£700) is actually worth it? I have the standard leather trim, and on my driver seat i found a real small mark like its pealing? Ive only done about 2000 miles so im a bit concerned how it will last over my 24 month contract. Also the piano black really scratches bad, and ive been trying extremely hard to not touch and only use my actually finger than nail when touching it, but it looks awful after i clean it or in the sun. So i think im going to try and get the black ash wood.

Also if anyone has any of the following extra specs please let me know if they are worth it?

2015 Spec order:

C class AMG Line Premium Plus
hyacinth red
19' Alloys (which will delay my order apparently)
Black Ash Wood
Airmatic
(maybe all round camera £335)
(maybe Real leather £700)

Thanks

W124-FTW

I would definitely get the Black Ash - 'piano' gloss black is a nightmare.
360 camera also worth it IMHO. Might delay your order though. Wasn't worth the wait for me

Airmatic is probably not a bad idea with 19" rims and AMG Line. Unless you want to feel 'every bump' in the road. Otherwise you might end up with a slipped disc if the roads near you are anything like my neck of the woods

ManiacGT

Things like this... a bit like mpg, are quite subjective. I specced my car with almost everything except the nanny (lane keeping etc) stuff as I simply don't trust that kind of tech yet.

But.. to answer your query;

C class AMG Line Premium Plus .. I have this and yes it makes the car stand out, the pano roof is exceptional, the COMAND display nicer than stock, keyless is nice, though I forget about it a lot.

hyacinth red .. I went for brilliant blue. The hyacinth red I've only seen on the E class in the showroom and I think it looks 'old gent' but nice enough.

19' Alloys (which will delay my order apparently) .. It didn't delay mine. I love the look of these.

Black Ash Wood .. Absolutely as the gloss finishes scratch easily.

Airmatic .. Having driven one without in the test car, this is easily the best option I chose. Its a lovely ride.

(maybe all round camera £335) .. I don't have this, I wanted it, but it would have delayed the car by 3 months. I needed the car, so lost this option.

(maybe Real leather £700) .. Absolutely. You can say all you want about the fake stuff, but I'd know its fake and you can't beat the fresh leather smell.

If you want to see any of this, mine is the recently posted blue S205 in the pictures thread/topic.

W124-FTW

It's not nanny - it doesn't tell you what to do.
It's safety (prevents you from rear ending someone) or driver assistance (makes motorway journeys or stop/start traffic less tiring in the case of Distronic plus and lane keep assist).

I got the driver assistance pack and very pleased with it. Things like blind spot assist are more useful than I expected.

ManiacGT

So tempted to say 'it is nanny' so we can get back and forth into a pointless comparison.

I don't like things that interfere with driving, I call them nannying, as some of them do indeed tell you what to do as well as take control from you. The issue I have is that this tech CAN GET THINGS WRONG... and therefore I'm quite happy to do the work myself. Just look at the chap that crashed into the back of another car, even with this tech. He thought he'd be protected and it didn't work.

I'm quite happy with my choice, as it would seem are you.

W124-FTW

Indeed I am. We'll leave it at that

ManiacGT

pavloPL

I can recommend Airmatic, 360 cameras, Black Ash Wood, Real Leather ( I have a Crystal Grey is looking and feeling very nice but needs cleaning every week as all dirt, dying is easy visible, I would recommend red one), Premium Plus package is a really good value for money. I have driver assistance package and especially distronic plus is a worth option.

ManiacGT

On the grey leather topic, I noted it dirtied quickly in the first week, blue stain from my jeans. So I cleaned them thoroughly and have applied GYEON LeatherCoat. This has stopped further dirtying of the leather. I'll keep applying this product as it seems to help the leather resist staining immensely.

StanNH

Any of the fellows Stateside who suffered through the MB-Tex fiasco would probably tell you to go with leather.

I'm in the process of trading in my 7 month old C300 ... with replaced MB-Tex seat covers and headrests ... for a new C300. My new car was ordered with real leather.

Boudicca

bensales

I've got a red one with black ash. Wish I'd got grey leather, did get Premium Plus, think the satnav is lousy, but the stereo is ace. Pano roof is nice, especially given the black headlining in the AMG trim. Didn't get the 19in wheels as I felt they were noisier on the test drive than the 18in ones, and I prefer the 5 spoke design. Not driven a car with airmatic, but find the suspension is fine. Think I would have got adaptive cruise control and adaptive lights if I'd had the extra cash.

ManiacGT

I have to say, I wasn't fussed on the adaptive lights.. but the salesman said they were fab so I specced it.


They are indeed fab.

bensales

Yes, in hindsight, Distronic+ and adaptive lights would have been far more use to me than the 'Plus' pack.

Traffic is still bust...

ManiacGT

Traffic is fine for me, as long as there's mobile signal. When signal was lost recently it didn't move to RDS tho which I thought it should. I didn't go with distronic, it might be useful if I did more long journeys. I saved the £1500 on that and plugged that money into air suspension etc which is simply amazing.

Dr_xavz

Wow,
thanks for all the replies. Im kind of glad i spec'd it the way i have as you all have literally told me the same. The leather i really want to do. The options on these c classes are actually cheap when u compare to other vehicles even outside of mercedes.

BENSALES. Love the car! Especially the colour. Would it be a bit much to have the red with the red leather lol!!!

falterego

I opted for the leather/interior package mostly for the ventilated seats. I went with the crystal gray leather since it seemed like it would conduct the least heat, but red was a very tempting option.

I haven't noticed any bluing of my seats, granted I've only had it a month, but I do wear jeans every day. Now I'm a bit worried, but I suppose I'll have to check them monthly and deal with it if it develops.

bensales

Someone near me has Jaguar XF in Italian Racing Red (which is near enough the same as Hyacinth) and a red leather interior. Looks a bit "tart's boudoir" to be truthful. I think the red leather looks best with monochrome exterior colours. The grey looks good with the red and blue exteriors. Black goes with anything, and beige should only be bought it you're over 75 and lost the will to live.

Dr_xavz

Yeah i ordered a friend a palladium silver with red leather i cant wait to see what hers looks like! I guess with everyones help im ready to order my second c220!! thanks guys!

parkwood

My one and only car with real leather was a w211 eclass estate 2007 model. What a disappointment.........not leather as i had experienced in high quality household furniture but the cheap split stuff and no aroma to my nose......but having reached that pinnacle i was reluctant to give it up when i changed to a glk but the asking price here in france of 2000 euros it was a non starter. so i currently have an artico or plastic fabric mix and am delighted, no hot or cold seats dependent on the time of the year and the artico in my view really does look and feel just like the rubbish leather.
But having seen the mess our american cousins have experienced with artico i can appreciate why usa buyers may prefer the cheap leather option....if not too expensive. For my part unless i can get nappa i will give leather a miss.
I have specced mine with the driving package 360 camera and hud. Agree the driving aids are that aids and you still need to drive as if you do not have them. But i have gone from a daily 150 mile commute on the m25 to living in rural france and my previously honed skills have gone very flabby over the 6+yrs from lack of use on our empty roads. 2 cars at a junction constitutes a traffic jam...... seriously! Those times I encounter city traffic i am usually in an unknown area trying to understand and cope with frances unusual motorway road junctions as the locals who know where they are going whizz about filling every available mm of road space........anything which helps me avoid bouncing off the 207 and renaults around me is welcome! The underground car parks here are a miracle of engineering but frequently very very tight all available visibility aids are equally welcome.
Lastly the ils system is just brilliant on country roads at night, no cars usually but lots of wildlife to see......and ditches to avoid.

Roger Bill

Hi, The images in the UK brochure for the W205 C Class suggest Artico is perforated whereas the extra cost leather is not. Just out of curiosity I wonder if anyone can confirm if this is the case. I've ordered the leather option but have not seen a C Class with leather. As we don't have a ventilated seat option in the UK I imagine non-perforated leather seats would be feasible here.

One reason I went for the leather option was that my brother's W204 C Class Artico seats developed a split within the first few years and only 30,000 miles. I've had a number of Honda and Lexus cars with leather seats all of which were good and wore well but, unfortunately none had any noticeable real leather smell. I was told that this is because in Japan and various other countries people don't like the smell of leather so car manufacturers remove the smell.

Glyn M Ruck

I have never owned a Benz without real leather. I can't imagine it any other way! It's looks & smells good & will outlast MBTex (Artico) any day as long as you feed it every year to 18 months with a decent product like Meguiar's Rich Leather Cleaner Conditioner CREAM!!!

I use Maguiar's because it does not give the leather any unnatural shine. In the UK Autoglym & Gliptone products are equally good.