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I think I have found an almost perfect spec'ed AMG GT C (to my taste).
The question I have is that it has a DINAMICA interior (see photo), and I have heard different stories about how durable it is. All the way from "it's easy enough to keep up if you clean it weekly" to "it's a nightmare and wear poorly after just 5,000 miles".
Does anyone have any real life experience beyond 20,000 miles?
I hate the Alcantara steering wheel.
I saw the MrAMG youtube video about cleaning it with a small suede brush and every week when I brush it its like a Head and Shoulders advertisement... just massive amounts of dust and particles flying off...
Then the 3 and 9 area where your thumbs digs in to the faux suede... that area wears like poop. within10000 miles its like almost smooth, shiny and hard, instead of fluffy and soft
I hate the Alcantara steering wheel.
I saw the MrAMG youtube video about cleaning it with a small suede brush and every week when I brush it its like a Head and Shoulders advertisement... just massive amounts of dust and particles flying off...
Then the 3 and 9 area where your thumbs digs in to the faux suede... that area wears like poop. within10000 miles its like almost smooth, shiny and hard, instead of fluffy and soft
I feel the same way, which is why I sought out a car with a leather steering wheel. I don't mind it on seats, headliner, etc... But loathe it on the wheel.
IMO and experience, Alcantara/DYNAMICA or other synthetic microfiber materials hold up extremely well and are very durable. I've had microfiber on my furniture for over a decade and they are super easy to clean and haven't worn. I've had Alcantara seats in my previous car and it looked like new when I sold it at over 70k miles. The driver seat looked no different from the other seats despite being used the most and the rear seats only used a few times. I now have the DYNAMICA steering wheel in my C63 and it holds up equally well. I'm not obsessing with cleaning it. Once in a while use a damp microfiber towel dipped in slightly soapy warm water and then a toothbrush to raise the fibers back up. Funny thing is the part that has worn on the steering wheel is the 12o'clock marker, which is leather or MB-Tex. The steering wheel comes down to how dirty/sweaty your hands are. I hate dirty/sweaty hands, so I wash my hands frequently anyway and pretty much always before getting in the car. I don't like touching anything with dirty hands. I also wear driving gloves when I go out for a hard drive and work up a sweat. Leather also wears on steering wheels. Gets slick and shiny from the oils in your skin.
Last edited by superswiss; Mar 17, 2022 at 11:57 AM.
I had Alcantara in my Porsche GTS for 29,000 miles, and it held up very well. certainly not a deal-breaker if everything else in the car is what you want. there are several cleaning sprays on the market, I just sprayed a microfiber towel and wiped off any dirt or oils from my hands on the steering wheel or seats. EASY!
I bought my car with ~12k miles and while the Alcantara seats have held up great, the steering wheel was totally smooth, hard, and looked like garbage. Replaced it with an aftermarket facelift one and fell in love with it. Similar to the above poster I wear driving gloves when I know my hands will be sweaty, or are greasy from sunscreen, lotion etc. and there is no discernible wear to the wheel yet after ~3k miles.
2025 Lucid Air Grand Touring, 2022 F-150, 1926 Rolls-Royce SSG roadster
Artificial suede doesn't do well with oils or grease. And that includes oil on the hands.
I've had a lot of cars with Alcantara and they've held up well as long as I kept my mitts off them. A bit harder to do when you're dealing with a steering wheel.
I hate the Alcantara steering wheel.
I saw the MrAMG youtube video about cleaning it with a small suede brush and every week when I brush it its like a Head and Shoulders advertisement... just massive amounts of dust and particles flying off...
Then the 3 and 9 area where your thumbs digs in to the faux suede... that area wears like poop. within10000 miles its like almost smooth, shiny and hard, instead of fluffy and soft
I am not crazy about it either and I haven't dared yet to brush it out yet. Just feels a bit slippery or something.
Artificial suede on steering wheel = soft carpet in high foot traffic area.
It’s just not going to stay looking nice as long as smooth, harder leather, which has been used by human beings in applications requiring durability since the beginning…of existence (minus a short stint experimenting with fig leaves, I understand there was urgency involved in that case).
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