liang

Hey, Guys! I was going thru mbusa and noticed differences in leather between 2014 sedan and coupe. with sedan i can pick like black MB-Tex ($0) and black leather ($1620) (which is surprising to me that nappa leather isn't even available, plus there is only couple of colors can be picked from)

and in building pages for coupe, there are a lot more colors, and there are options like black leather ($0) with black nappa leather ($1370)

so do you guys know what differences are among those leathers? are there 3 different leathers: mb-tex $0 - leather $1620 - nappa $1620+1370??? mbusa pages seem so confusing to me. thanks in advance!

CEB

MB-Tex is plastic/vinyl/Naugahyde/leatherette/fake leather. The "normal" MB leather ($1620) is a good quality automotive leather while nappa leather has a very smooth finish.

liang

ahh, thanks for clear explanation!

CEB

Oddly enough, MB-Tex will wear the best and look new longest as long as you don't use microfiber cloths to clean it. Next best wearing is the less expensive leather while the most expensive nappa wears the fastest.

MB-Tex is called Artico in Europe - mainly because the original MB-Tex was nicknamed "MB-Taxi."

liang

mb-tex on my 09 c-class looks pretty new, but has started to crack, might've been jeans ripped it, have never taken any care of it tho

maguzma

I prefer MB-TEX for the durability and easy to clean. My last three cars came with real leather and after three years (even after proper car) the driver seat started to look like an Elephant rear end.

mikeyle

i had a 97 s420 with 160k miles on it and the seats still looked pretty good up until i sold it, no tears, no stretching, maybe a little color fade on the sides but hard to tell on a beige interior. Mb tex is pretty hardcore resilient stuff, like a previous poster pointed, orginially made for taxis that have 200k plus miles put on them, its made to last.

mleskovar

My previous MB had leather. My newest MB has MB-tex. The tex is more comfortable/softer, cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter. Tex is WAY easier to care for. Nappa leather is a cut above regular leather and I can't make comparisons because I've never had it on a car. My experience tells me that leather in a MB is more of a snob appeal than reality....in fact I was guilty of that comparison. Try them and make your own decision.

K-A

MB Taxi is really superior in every single durability aspect. I would have never gotten a car with real leather and a light (Almond) interior.... or I would but I would have spent lots of energy caring for it. With the Tex I just scrubbed it to get the dirty marks off the seats and voila.

Leather can age poorly thus aging a cars look prematurely, however does feel richer and more elegant/plush/luxurious than MB Tex. However, MB Tex is a good enough vinyl that "lower-quality" leathers don't feel thaaat much different. My biggest beef with MB Tex other than the rough plastic-y textures in some of the nooks and crannies was the smell. When an E's new-car smell wears off, it really starts to smell lousy.... and I used to keep my interior impeccable to not give off any odors.

I feel the E's "upgraded leather" doesn't feel that much nicer or more "leathery" than MB Tex. A rule of thumb with leather is that the softer/plusher it feels, such as Nappa, the worse it could wear and the more upkeep it requires .

Mr Snappy

Don't let the MB Fan-boys trick you...MB-Tex is a vinyl (plastic) seat cover and is not close to leather. It may be great vinyl, but it is still vinyl.

I have MB-Tex on my E-350 and Napa Leather on my GL-450. Night and Day difference.

If you take care of the leather, it will last the life of the car without issue.

MB-Tex is MUCH HOTTER than the leather.

MB-Tex is a joke on a car of this price/stature. I would not ever buy one with it again.

ESIX3POWER

MB-TEX is an absolute JOKE. One must be in complete denial to defend it and think it’s just as good as the leather. My good friend has an E350 with the MBTEX and during the summer, those seats are very uncomfortable. Even with the AC on, the MX-TEX seats contribute to a bad case of swamp-aXX. The seats also have an odd odor, nothing like the scent of real leather after its been cleaned and conditioned. My E550 seats are leather ( Not soft Nappa ) but kind of a grainy/rigid feel ?. The leather reminds me of the leather from the older Benz cars, after 4 years the seats have not aged a day and appear the same as the day I picked the car up. They provide great support and coupled with the ventilated seats function on, you can’t ask for more.. Even with the ventilated function off, on the leather seats, I can actually move side to side with jeans on. I felt like once you plant your bottom on the MB-TEX, you’re stuck in that position. The vinyl kind of grips your pants. I don’t like MB-TEX at all. Thats my 2 cents. -= )

sleewell

i love mb tex. it is perfect for me, my dogs and loading guitar gear. it always cleans up great and is very durable. personally i wouldnt pay more for the leather but that is just me i guess.

E Classy

.

hyperion667

I agree that leather, while sometimes losing luster, is better for these cars, guess it depends on the desire to keep it well taken care of.....
you have the power

CEB

Like the OP, I'd venture a guess that the vast majority of US MB owners have no clue that they aren't sitting on leather.

Only 10% of so of US E series come with leather - so says my dealer.

Why should MB pay for leather (by increasing the base price by $1620) for something that most owners won't notice?

Base MBs in Europe come with cloth seating. Artico is an upgrade as is leather.

BMW does it slightly differently. While base 3 and 5 series come with leatherette seats, the most popular premium package includes leather so most BMWs in the US are sold with leather.

Leatherette is more durable, a bit stiffer and hotter in summer (but warmer in winter) than leather. In cold temps it becomes stiffer than leather and it gives off a typical plastic smell for years.

Me? If I were king for a day, I'd offer cloth seating as base with leather as an upgrade. MB cloth is very durable and looks quite "rich." But then I'd also offer an E250 4matic wagon with luxury styling but sport suspension.

MinnBobber

On my previous ML's (99 and 05)
I ordered leather but Tex on my
current E. IMO, MB leather has
gone downhill in quality
I think their leather has gotten
harder/thicker like football
leather. Unless you go with nappa
for $3K which is a ridiculous
price.
I'd go $1500 if the leather
quality was better.

P.S. how do you get a f'in fleet farm ad out of the middle of this reply box, it
won't close????

E Classy

.

hyperion667

^^^check out the new issue of Star Magazine for a sweet Wagon

Hodgeman's Hammer

pmb600

The MB tex these days doesn't seem to wear as well as it did in the past. In my opinion, regular Leather wears the best in Mercedes. The Nappa Leather is very soft and looks more worn quickly and is more susceptible to creases in the wear areas (side bolsters). The regular Leather smells good and is still durable enough to look good for a long time.

Lastly, someone above said that Tex is cooler in the summer. I've never found this to be the case. The Tex does not breath and therefore makes you sweat more. Lastly, Nappa Leather is available on the E-Class as Special Order on the sedan and wagon, regular choice on the Coupe and Cabriolet.

mleskovar

That would be me I live at the beach and rarely wear long pants in my local. My leather MB always stuck to my legs....the Tex does not. I think the thinner Tex cools quicker and the surface has more texture to avoid the "sticking" and sweating. People in REAL hot climates like Az or Nv seem to agree with me. I always cared for my MB leather so never had wear issues like some people complain about and this is my first Tex car so I'll see what the wear pattern is like.

E Classy

.

BenzV12

I like Artico / MB TEX and prefer it over leather . Leather is highly sophisticated product and I also believe , the higher the price the better the material and if we apply this for ARTICO vs Leather , the latter should win

However, I used to have a real leather car and I can say that MB's ARTICO is not staying behind of that highly glossy finest British leather at all .
My dad's Fleetwood has a real thick leather , no tears but cracks as you can expect . Interior gets hot being a black car and black interior

My W212 is too black / black and pano roof .To make a comparison it gets warm too when you get inside but the Fleetwood gets warmer giving same conditions .
I don't make a apple vs orange comparison but MB's Artico is not a product that you should stay away from .
I sat in various BMW models and one of them came with the fake leather and the owner said seats were clinging to his body during hot scorching days and he was not happy with those .It's,however, MB Artico is not clinging to my cloths and I can touch the buttons w/o hurting my fingers
Only downside I have found is you can not use mf cloth to clean it but I bought an official MB cleaning stuff ,it's good for Artico leather
I like vertical door pleats in the Artico leather as well and you can not have them in nappa leather as far as I am concerned

K-A

Been having the same issue. WTF.

CEB

What are you guys posting with?

K-A

Desktop here when I see those ads (Mac). They haven't showed up since yesterday though. They'd literally clog up the screen so you can't scroll around them, then not even have a way to "X" out of them.