frcotting

I actually like MB-Tex better than full leather seats in the C63 - they're grippier and don't get as hot in the sun (at least from what I've read). But I was surprised and disappointed to discover that the only way you can get power seating adjustment on the passenger seat is to order the leather seating package for about $2600. If I'm going to spend close to $80K on a car, I'd hate to make my passenger reach underneath the seat and assume an undignified bodily position to adjust the seat position manually - I haven't had manually adjustable seats since the '92 Mazda Protege I drove back when I was a poor college student. The sales guy at the MB dealership tried to convince me that power passenger seating wasn't included in order to "save weight". I find that hard to swallow. I know this is a performance car, first and foremost, but come on - give me some basic "luxuries". Does anyone else agree?

SonnyakaPig

I have the MBtex. The older kind with the cloth inserts. I do like the fake leather better than the leather because my seat still looks new compared to my prior C63 with leather that showed more signs of wear. But the manual forward/ backward kind of sucks. Plus no memory is a bummer. I think not having power seats saves about 10 lbs per side. Nothing to write home about. But if you plan to put your car on a diet, then it adds to the weight loss.

xxGenericSNxx

What country are you in?

jarjoug

What is MB-Tex? I have never seen this in Canada.

George

Mort

It is the base non-cloth upholstery in most MBs. It is currently called Artico in Canada. It MB's version of man made leather but is really just fancy vinyl upholstery. It can be hard to tell from leather if you don't know what you are looking for/at. It does have a rubbery feel to it. It is not available in the C63 in Canada except in the BS with a cloth centre panel.

Sincity

I like MB-Tex as well. Hardly wears. I have an '86 190e with MB Tex and the upholstery is almost like new!

SonnyakaPig

Fake leather. To the untrained eye it looks a lot like leather. Btw, I'm not one to try to pass off fake leather as the real thing. I tell everyone it's fake. But when I first saw mbtex a few years ago, I don't think I could tell.

Even Money

the black series has mb tex..

jtrichel

my view has always been that if you cannot reach between your legs, pull a lever, and push you seat forward or backward...then you must have much bigger problems in life...

power seats are nice, but the epitomy of unnecessary luxury... I of course do not speak about anyone who has physical limitations that prevent any of this....

frcotting

"Unnecessary luxury" is a redundant phrase, is it not? By definition all luxuries are unnecessary. Sure, using power seat adjustment is lazy ... damn lazy! But so is pressing a button to roll down the windows, or using a knob to move the side view mirrors ... and a bunch of other "luxuries" that come standard on a freakin' Yaris. If I plunk down $80,000 to buy a Mercedes Benz, for god's sake I want unnecessary luxuries! Dude, I deserve unnecessary luxuries.

flomofo

I went with the mbtex as well because it also had the fake suede insert in the middle which I liked for wear over the leather and I also thought it looked a lot cooler then just leather over the whole seat.

Just a preference thing really, although the no full power seat thing is just a money savings carry over decision on the options package from a regular C coupe which is MB cheaping out or deciding it wasnt worth changing for someone who wanted the mbtex. Although I would have paid for full power with the mb tex...

otakki

I also prefer MB-Tex over leather for the ease of maintenance and UV resistance. If possible, I would also go for non-powered seats. I'm just one of those guys who would pick anything non-powered if it's available. For this car, I'm mainly after the engine, suspension, brakes, wheels, driving dynamic, and what else that comes with being an AMG.

jtrichel

perhaps.... re: the grammar.... but in my world not all luxuries are created equal.... and the 1.3 seconds it takes to pull a handle and move my seat is not something I care about....but totally respect that for some others, it may be very important...

however, i dont think that there is a direct correlation from $$ to power seats...there are plenty race models of cars (lightweight, limited production, big bucks) that dont have power seats...purportedly for weight savings

jarjoug

Thanks.

DuaneC63

Vinyl vs leather. Not much of a decision.

cyberorth

May I suggest to the world that if you are cutting out electric seat adjustment out of ONE of the two front seats, make it the driver's. I do have the said seating package. I don't care for it in terms of luxury. I'd rather have a better navi or park assist.
Case in point, last time I adjusted driver position was when I drove off the dealer' lot. The passenger seat gets adjusted 2-3 times a week, so...