pinipig523

So I have a loaner 2012 E350 w/ MBtex today... immediately I notice the difference. I stick to the seat a little bit more than I sensed when driving my E550 w/ leather seats.

I dunno about you guys but it was very noticeable and I immediately missed my leather seats.

Definitely feels a little stickier and less smooth than leather.

Opinions?

RSIKR

MBTex is stiffer, less comfortable, holds up better than leather in the long haul. Leather is classier in my opinion but shows it age disproportionately on the driver's seating surfaces if you travel solo.

I can't comment on sticky as I drive my vehicle fully clothed. LOL

pinipig523

I was wearing shorts and my shirt kept sticking to the back of the seat... lol!!

BenzV12

I like Artico / MB Tex . I smelt it when my car was a few days old lol
Well, I can't compare MB stuffs mb Tex vs Leather but can compare MB Tex vs other leathers .
This artico makes me feel that it will last longer than genuine leather products and it's not soft but don't take it wrongly it feels a durable product as well

Above dashboard and door trims are also very hard (U09) , I expected somewhat softer such as Jaguar and Cadillac but may be being MB Tex these must have been like that
I am not complaining ,just my a few cents about this trim onto the door panels and dashboard . May be in long term usage, this trim proves to be as much durable as the seats

BenzE350

I'm looking forward to another 10 page discussion / rant on MB-Tex.

It's been a few weeks.

hyperion667

haha, you're quite right........no contest....I like the leather
just a matter of preference you know?

steelgrey

Let's make this easy and save a lot of time...everything you've always wanted to know about leather vs MBTex!! Talk to me about MB-Tex

CEB

Fixed it for you

El Cid

already been beat to death

norcal_cyclist

Leather will outlast the car if it's cared for ... most people don't realize how much work leather is in order to keep it looking nice.

ImInPA

Neither MB-Tex nor leather compare to the crushed velour fabrics of 70's and 80's US vehicles. nuff said.

norcal_cyclist

werd.... end thread, Landau tops and Continental kits round out the package

dfordham

Not to mention padded dashboards.

Regards,
Don

bigh123

I haven't noticed it sticking to me. What I have noticed is that leather gets wrinkles after only a few years and MB tex apparently will not.

dbtk

Nothing beats the fine fragrance of dead cow as it ages. My vote is for leather all the way!

SolidGranite

Oh boy, here we go. Where is K-A? I vote leather.

Anyway, you're probably feeling that stickiness due to the fact it's a loaner. For whatever reason people treat them like junk and I find the surfaces from the steering wheel to the seats to the cup holders to constantly be just nasty in Mercedes loaners.

hyperion667

MCF

Would you rather have a fine rifle with a man made plastic stock or one with a fine wood stock? Same applies for synthetic fabric vs leather fabric. Nuff said.

FraKctured

That depends--which one will hit a golf ball at 100 yards more often? Nuff said.

MCF

Spoken like a true mbtex owner. All things being equal the material of the stock would have no affect on accuracy of the rifle, but the beauty and quality of the materials is what make it a fine high quality firearm.

K-A

I always LOL at the prejudice Leather owners have against vinyl seats. It's similar to the reaction many narrow minded carnivores have when someone says they're a vegetarian.... it's like they get offended that you don't indulge in dead animal fun with them.

Realistically, I'll happily take either. As long as it's high quality vinyl, like MB-Tex, or what I've seen in Porsche (even the 911 doesn't have standard leather from what I understand, but their vinyl is top notch).

M-B Tex will look good and wrinkle free forever. Leather ages a car quickly if not extensively cared for, as when you open the door, you get a whiff of stale leather and nice creases to show the cars age. I'd even say that MB Tex cars will have better resale, as everybody thinks MB Tex is leather anyways, and they'll just notice how much newer it looks.

No doubt Leather is a little more comfy and more refined, but each have their perks. I'm happy with the ease of care and lasting quality of MB Tex/Good vinyl, but I also appreciate luxurious leather.

If you look up ads for even 2-3 year old M-B's with leather, such as the S550, you'll see how gross even M-B leather can look if not cared for after a short time, while M-B tex will always show well.

MinnBobber

My last two MB's had leather and I loved it.
Never thought I'd go with MB Tex but did on my 2013 order.

The ML's with leather had a really nice perforated leather.
The $1600 leather on the E's is not perforated and IMO
MB has gone backwards in their quality of leather as it is
more like "football leather" --harder and lower quality.
So those that say, would you rather have a high quality XXX or
plastic, well I wouldn't call the $1600 leather high quality.

Now if you move up to ventilated seats with perf leather or
their top grade leather, well that might be "better" than Tex
but then they really r#pe you on the price.

I'll report back after I have the MBTex for a while.

P.S. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't all but their highest level of leather
PLASTIC COATED so you're sitting on plastic anyhow?

Just my opinion

K-A

Correct. You are ALWAYS sitting on plastic, even with a leather interior.

Also, the E's leather option is really "unrefined" leather indeed, it didn't feel THAT much better or "more leather-y" than Tex to me either. It's not like Nappa or anything. On the flip side, maybe that rough/harder texture of their leather means it'll be durable for a leather. Kind of like a middle ground between MB Tex and high quality "nice" leather.

hyperion667

blah blah blah!!!

leather is nice if you can afford it! LOL

leather is nicer than tex

tex might look better longer..but it's still tex!

it's only a matter of opinons!

rjm

All the quotations in this newsletter are from the article entitled "Caring for Leather Upholstery" in the trade publication, "Professional Carwashing & Detailing." Dr. Herndon Jenkins, an industry authority and Technical Director of the Lexol Division of Summit Industries, is the author.

“A Plastic Coating"

"Most of the leather upholstery in domestic cars of recent vintage is plastic coated. The upper surface of such leather is ‘vinyl’.”

“Leather upholstery in most European cars is 'naked' leather which has no protective finish. The surface is that of the original hide. This leather 'breathes' and accepts conditioners applied to its surface.”

Dr. Jenkins explains how to tell the difference between “coated” and “naked" leather. Referring to coated leather he states, “Such leather can be identified by the failure of a drop of water applied to its surface to be absorbed into the leather after a few minutes.”