Munich77

Leather - would not want it any other way. Thankfully it came standard with the E550.

cadetdrivr

MB-Tex in both a E350 & GL350.

Could care less about leather with 2 pre-schoolers and MB-Tex that is softer and easier to maintain than the leather in my prior BMW (E46) or wife's Mini.

Wookii

MBtex. Save the cows.

ElisTwoCents

MB-Tex in black...skipped a cream or white looking leather packaged one after the test drive since the back was left all marked up (sure it wipes off) - I have 2 kids under 4 and probably not good lol

Edward993

Two-toned Porcelain and Black leather. Smells like ...victory --er-- luxury


Edward

jahquan3

I just got a detail for the first time last week and they shamed the treatment that I've been putting on my leather every few weeks or so. I've been washing my car by hand for the past few months but it just got too hot lately to hack it. So instead of the VIP wash I'd typically get if I did go to the car wash, I just went full detail. Does anyone have any tricks or specific sprays etc. that they use for the MBTex or Leather?

Ejbrock

jahquan3,I have had very satisfactory results using Surf City Garage Voodoo Blend leather rejuvenator. It works well on leather,vinyl or plastic.

Quattrodude

2010 E550 - Brown Cow Leather - its awesome. with 145K on it - it still looks new!
( I think maybe the slightly dirty stitching might give it away if you look that close)
2008 ML with light grey MBtex- also looks new!
I too have seen the newer MBtex - my friend has a 2010 350 with it and it does not look like it has held up as good the two priors...and does feel thinner.
But still good considering other brands...

KEY08

I prefer the leather even with young children. It always cleans up nicely and just feels better to me. I have had the cool seat option in my last two MB, so that helps eliminate any sticky seat issue for the most part.

The G Man

I have leather and my wife has MBTex, we both prefer the feel the of leather.

IgorE350

Yeah wait till that Tex will rip and see what you will say after

Kevin McKeehan

2014 ML350 that I bought CPO in 2014 w/7,500 miles. Went along with the MBTex because both the salesman and the owner of the dealership assured me of it's durability. Well now with just over 53K on the odometer the drivers seat bottom has split at the seam and the dealers says not covered under CPO warranty, approx. $800 for new cover and labor. Our 2002 BUICK Rendezvous with over 190K and leather appointed seats had no tears, wear, yes, but NO tears. Very disappointed.

raja777m

that interior is sexy. I never thought we need leather on floor

raja777m

My DataCard says:
110A IMITATION LEATHER
118A IMITATION LEATHER - GRAY
Is that MB-Tex?

cetialpha5

They told you that probably because most of the cars on the lots were Mb-Tex, real leather was probably a special order and they can't sell you a car if it's not on the lot. It's a common MB problem. I think my seat cover is about $250 from an online MB dealer and I found a local upholstery shop that said they could do it for about $150 so probably about half the cost if you use an indy.

tresean1

Leather (rare color) for me on both of the cars:
Porcelain/Black on the Mercedes
Cinnamon on the BMW

Love the feeling (physical and emotional) both give.

Yes, that is MB-Tex or Artico (as they now call it)

IgorE350

Let me guess...... but you go to the restaurant and order a steak?! lol that leather have to go somewhere.

IgorE350

Take it back and get that salesman and owner and stick there nose in that ripped seam, see how they gonna sing this time.

Real leather is the best!!! feel, smell, look, quality so on.. people get confused that tex is better than leather. Dealers they do it for a reason, to save $$$ in manufacturing the cars and stick the cost to us.
Its like people get confused by Japan quality and china quality. Japan is the best and china is crap! anything china make is crap.

I got my 2011 E350 with tex, hated everything about it,then it split in the seam just like urs. I got me sewing machine real leather and did my own seats. I love it now its amazing

AkaSigFreak

I had Gray MBTex in my 2008 C300 and it was great. Had Black MBTex/Alcanatara on my 2013 C250 AMG Sport+ and had some issues where the two materials met. I have Black MBTex on my 2014 E350 and it is great (smells good with Zainos Leather in a Bottle applied). I also have a 2015 ML350 with Gray Leather Ventilated Seats. I have to admit They are Very Nice but look almost identical to the MBTex. I attend many Cars and Coffee events and Car Shows, and no one ever suspects my Eclass isn't leather.

nathandimond

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I am in the market for a W212 and drove 3 E350 models yesterday. I love the way they ride and the only gripe I have is how uncomfortable the seats are. This has always been the case for any Mercedes I've spent time in but they have all had the MBTex upholstery. After 20 minutes, my lower back starts to get sore and I think it's because the seats are so hard. Those of you who have experienced both MBTex and real leather, do the real leather seats have softer padding or are they just as firm but with a better "wrapper" on them?

tresean1

Why not just test-drive cars with leather in them, and then you can probably answer your own question?

El Cid

As suggested you need to drive a car with leather seats to see if feels better. But, need to do it for at least an hour.
Personally, I doubt it is the covers as much as how the seats themselves are constructed. MB-Tex and leather are both seat covers.
Another factor is that the car itself, suspension and so forth, contributes significantly to how comfortable the seats feel.
If it is your lower back, you might try adjusting the lumbar support. Doubt that will help though.
Did you try a Luxury version with the comfort suspension? Little better ride, but it's still and M-B and they are not known for real comfortable rides, compared to some other cars.

nathandimond

Believe me, I am trying to find a W212 with real leather. Am I correct in thinking that the real leather seats have he vertical slats as opposed to the horizontal slats for MBTex? That is how it looks in the brochures anyway. In all three cars, I adjusted the lumbar support so it was as recessed as possible so it must be the padding of the seat-back that is so aggressive. The thirst test drive was a solid hour in the seat so my body had plenty of time to settle into the contours. As for the sport vs luxury models, I believe all three were sport models but non of them rode harshly. I like the look of the sport version over the luxury as well.

veco.gibbs

2006 E-350 MB-Tex, 2013 E-550 Leather

cetialpha5

Did you drive one with the dynamic seat? With mine I notice it's a little better if I extend the seat cushion which is on the dynamic seat. Also tip the seat up helps, otherwise your legs aren't really resting on the seat. After about 2 hours or so it can be painful if the seat isn't adjusted right. I normally just run the car through a vin decoder first to see what options it has so you can tell in advance if it's MB-tex or real leather or whether it has dynamic seats. But yes, the real leather has 3 vertical slats and MB-tex has a single horizontal slat in the center of the seat cushion. Just take a careful look if it's MB-tex to make sure it's not ripped.

https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/Mercedes-Benz