gohan

MB-tex def has a harder surface than real leather, not as comfortable. But because of that, i think it looks sharper and easier on wear & tear.

CEB

Correct. While most E's stocked by dealers in the US are equipped with MB-tex (and P1 - who knows why - if I'm spending $60k on a car I really don't care about another $2k or so) BMW dealers equip almost all of their cars with the premium package (leather, dimming mirrors, memory seats etc) and it is a chore to find a car without leather. They have no issues selling the cars.

In Europe, MB-tex is not standard (except on taxis and other fleet vehicles) but cloth is the standard. The S has leather as standard. Quite frankly, if Americans really understood was MB-tex is they would start demanding leather. Luckily for MB, most customers don't understand the difference.

It has nothing to do with the quality of the material - it has to do with the US perception of what makes a "luxury" segment car - and plastic isn't it.

I remember the uproar when manufacturers went from full leather seats to "leather seating surfaces" in the 90's. That spoke highly of the quality of modern plastics but Americans still expect to have the seat of their pants touch leather in a car from this market segment.

dbtk

I agree. There is nothing like the touch and feel of leather. And over time, the patina that develops gives it character. Leather if cared for correctly will last a very long time. I am sure that you (CEB) know from the M100 cars you own.

CEB

I wish I still owned them. Right now I'm at 0 MBs but that should change shortly.

Yes, well cared for leather will outlast the rest of the car. In the late 80's I owned a early 60's 250SE coupe with red leather that I brought back to life (it actually wasn't all that bad to begin with) but Leatherique and some dye made it look like a 10 year old interior rather than a 25 year+ interior. Luckily the wood was in decent shape as it spent quite a bit of time in a garage. It is much harder restoring an interior than it is to keep it looking good in the first place.

El Cid

Had three cars with leather. No matter how I cared for them, they all showed wear. One wore so much, the manufacturer replaced the seat cover. New one still wore a lot, but out of warranty by then.
Have read that some "leather" seats actually have a vinyl layer to protect the leather. From my experience, the most comfortable seats are ones made of quality cloth. Soft, fairly durable, doesn't scratch and requires very little, if any, care. Of course, leather does have a certain cachet to it.
Historically, broadcloth replaced leather and then nylon replaced cloth and then vinyl replaced nylon. Then cloth replaced vinyl on most cars today, except for ones with leather. While cost to manufacture was a consideration, vinyl was often used because it wore better and looked better for longer.
It seems to me that if MBTex was such an inferior product, MB would have stopped using it decades ago.

K-A

Most don't know that it's plastic, proving that the difference between MB Tex and Leather isn't as paramount as many may think.

And as for those who do think that it's unacceptable to have them in a $60K car, and are very aware that it is in fact Vinyl, why do they/you keep buying the cars?

M-B does it best: They give you an Option. They have the best Vinyl seats in the business (we're not talking about BMW's blatantly obvious cheap Leatherette Vinyl here) that you can enjoy the everlasting durability and ease of care of, or you can pay a small premium and get Leather. I don't get the complaints. Not everyone wants to have to care for their Leather in order to keep it from dating their car prematurely.

CEB

My only complaint is that dealers don't really give you a choice as there are virtually no in-stock units with leather to choose from. If you want a car with leather you need to order it - a bad choice for anyone with a trade.

BMW has recognized that the majority of US customers want leather and offer a free value package that includes leather on the 328s. Care to bet how many 328's without value packages are ordered by dealers - about equal to the amount of cars ordered with manual transmissions.

MB tex may be the greatest thing since sliced bread but we really don't have a choice, do we?

Dema

I lease all my cars, so do not have long experience with mb-tex, so answers are
1. no noticeable wear, look like new
2. have kids all ages, so endless spills of drinks, food and using pencils or pen. I do not use any specific cleaners, only some household universal cleaners, so far could remove all stains, but requires some efforts.
3. Didn't get shiny so far after 3 years
4. I have ash mb-tex, but can't tell any discoloring of it from different types of clothes, sure jeans as well
Certainly mb-tex looks good and most people can think it is leather, however I would prefer to take cars with real leather next time.

Dema

Take 550 and you will have no choice.

K-A

We should. Again, however, blame the consumers and MBUSA, or blame just how good MB Tex is over Leatherette.

MBUSA is very "lazy" when it comes to how they supply our cars. It seems every year they cater more to the anti-enthusiast, while BMW still keeps enthusiasts in mind. MBUSA supplies all E's with Sport Package, putting no attention or care to providing the E-Class with its legendary smooth-on-all-surfaces ride, they provide no Sport/Aesthetic Option at a premium for those who would be willing to pay it for some "exclusivity factor" amongst the E bunch (it used to be the AMG Sport Package) making all the cars look alike, the interior color variations barely exist, and different visual equipment for the most part also don't really exist.

It's hard to find cars with any Options on lots, etc. etc.

In Europe, none of these "problems" exist, and all are the way they should be. MBUSA seems to strangle variation as time goes on.

mrjoe

I still can't believe Mercedes does this MB-Tex thing on so many of their cars. Let's talk turkey, plastic or vinyl - whatever the hell it actually is - is much cheaper to produce that leather seating. So it wears well, we could take it a step further and go with a rubber wash out interior like a Honda element. But wait we are talking $50K plus cars. And I agree with other comments that quality leather is not that hard to take care of. Be it a car seats or a holster. Go to any Infiniti, Lexus or Jaguar dealer, all cars have REAL leather seating STANDARD I simply think it is outrageous that MB pulls this. Primary reason I have not pulled the trigger on Benz.

And IMO they don't get points for "fooling" people that vinyl looks like leather. I have never experienced plastic that smells or feels like leather.

CEB

Leather isn't easy to take care of. If you want it to look good you need to work at it - a lot.

My biggest gripe with MB-tex is that we really have no choice. Unless you want to order a car you can get MB tex or MB tex.

K-A

If you want leather so much, pony up the meager extra cost for it. Again, what's the complaint here.

Mercedes gives you an Option. They have the highest quality vinyl available for seats, or you can pay extra and get barely-better low-quality Leather (pertaining to the E-Class). Why force Leather onto those who don't want it (making it standard)? Bad move, and the way they do it now is far more beneficial.

I've sat in some of those Used Infiniti's, Jaguar's, and Acura's with their "Leather", I'll take MB Tex.

golfster

You forgot the third option, FINE CORINTHIAN MB Tex!

SolidGranite

I think we can all agree an important reason why we purchased a Mercedes is for its level of comfort. Having said that, get leather. It's more comfortable.

FWIW, my 2009 leather looks new without any signs of wear.

SolidGranite

Absolutely! Having options is great. Oh, and the leather in those other makes??? Junk. Throw the Lexus GS in there as well.

mnje350

I didn't have a choice. All of the new E's on the lot came with leather as standard. I would have had to order MB-tex. So far this leather has not been any better or worse than any other car I have had with leather seats. Audi, VW, Toyota, Nissan. But, no kids or pets in the car either. If I had that, I would have specially ordered the tex I guess.

mrjoe

Sorry guys- test drove the Infiniti M56 and the STANDARD leather is excellent. That's my whole point, and that of others - LEATHER SHOULD BE STANDARD on a $50-60K car. Not sure what the disagreement is. Can't believe anybody would want vinyl seats in this price range, no matter how high quality the plastic is.

I get a chuckle when I read somebody say " people can't tell my MB-tex equipped Benz is not leather" Well if your happy with that whole farce, be my guest. I am not giving MB any credit for spending endless hours and resources coming up with vinyl that looks like leather. A buyer already has to pay extra for most paint choices and HID lights which are also standard among the competition. Hey, maybe they will bring back A/C or cruise control as options too..............

BenzE350

Selling cars is all about marketing and price.

Not long ago the upscale German cars all had nice leather. The Japanese wanted to enter into the premium market and naturally put leather into their cars. The cross-shopping consumer compares features - both have leather - and determines both are equal. The German manufactures may have been using better leather - but the marketing brochure indicated both the German car and Japanese car had leather - equal in the minds of the average consumer.

The clever Germans rolled out more durable, lower cost leather in their lower priced cars. This helped them keep the cost down and compete. They kept the premium leather in the higher end cars, or offered it as an additional cost option.

The even more clever Mercedes marketers put MB-tex in their lower end cars - and sold customers on the "advantages."

Talk to any "old time" Mercedes salesman about the differences between the E and S. He will tell you that the S is the premium Mercedes for the discerning luxury driver, and the E is the car sold to compete with the Japanese on price. When the potential customer asks what the differences are between the E and S, the conversation often starts with the fact that the E doesn't even come equipped with premium leather. If you want a "real" Mercedes luxury car - get the S.

It's all about marketing and price.

golfster

Very true. And certain things come at a price. Paying $60K for the car gets P2 and leather. Paying $56K for the car gets you P1 and MB-Tex. The options are there for the price, and maybe an order, but there is choice.

mrjoe

Benz E350,

I get your point, but I don't agree you should have to spend $100,000 on a S class to get a decent leather interior. I really like the E550 coupe that I test drove, but the standard leather is lousy. Now sorry if I am offended to be asked to pay another $1400 for "premium" leather on a top of $57,000 and another $6400 for P2 if I dear ask for HID, Nav and keyless go. This is why I am having a tough choice between Benz & Infiniti who make practically all big features standard equipment.

mrjoe

Golfster,

$56,500 is the base for the E550c. P1 would add $4200 and P2 $6400. So $60,700 with P1 and $63000 with P2. And don't forget to add $720 for any color other than blk,white, red.

golfster

I'm referencing the E350, as leather isn't standard.

You are correct on the E550, it is a higher base MSRP, but it also includes several upgrades as standard, such as leather, V-8 engine, heated and cooled seats, etc.

mrjoe

Both E350/E550 coupe have the basic leather, which as I said is not too great. Looks like the sedan comes with MB-tex. And to get cooled seats in the E550 you again have to pony up for P2

BenzE350

MB-Tex is a "fun" subject to beat to death.

In your example, the P2 "only" costs $4,000 more.

However, in the northeast it is very difficult to get a P2 with leather off the lot. The choice comes down to buying a car off the lot (often with a ~15% discount), or special ordering and only getting a ~5% discount. Now the off the lot P1 nets out at around $48K, while the special order P2 nets out around $57K. So the leather and HID actually costs another $9,000!

(The above are only estimates - but hopefully you get the idea.)