justinm001

About to order an E300 4matic P3 and haven't seen the designo leather in person. All the leathers look so great in the pictures but can't make up my mind if I should spend the $4900 on designo or just get the mbtex or cheapest one with ventilated seats. This will be my first MB want it to be nice especially since i'll be stuck with the 4cyl.

joshg1001

Personally I dislike the diamond pattern of the designo leather seats. I also dislike the MB-tex because of the "vertical" stitching. In my opinion, the regular leather seats have the best look to them, with the horizontal stitching. However, MB-tex will be the most durable and will look the same in 5 years with zero maintenance.

justinm001

completely agree about the "vertical" stitching, reminds me of early 90's leather seats. Dealer just told me there's only 2 E300 4matic's for sale with the designo leather.

The regular leather is $1600 and then I can get the ventilated seats for $450 (which i want)
I'm going Monday to actually look at the different seats(and wood), as i have all other options figured out i think

jamesmhood

We have owned 3 Mercedes. We currently drive 2 Mercedes. All have been ordered from the factory with the MB Tex. We own 2 Portuguese Water Dogs which we cannot keep out of the water. We have put approximately 200,000 miles on the 3 cars. The dogs have been with us for almost all of the miles.
The MB Tex is in perfect condition. The dirt, dog prints and mud cleans up immediately. It is very practical.
We will be ordering a 2017 Mercedes Wagon. I assume since it is an E 400 it will come with leather. We plan to order the MB Tex because of our dogs.
Leather is obviously more beautiful than MB Tex. Personally I would not pay extra for leather. It would get destroyed by our dogs and our outside life style.
JimHood

justinm001

Unfortunately MB-Tex doesn't allow ventilated seats. I have an appointment with the dealer tomorrow morning to figure out the color options I want and hopefully get it ordered soon. The dealer isn't very helpful in options and doesn't seem very knowledgeable on features so it should be interesting.

tdt5648

We have designo leather in our current GL, and it's way better than the regular leather in our previous GL and WAY WAY better than the MB-tex in terms of looks and feel and scent. I use Meguiar's leather cleaner and conditioner to keep the designo looking new. Not only are the seats covered in finer designo leather, but also the dash and doors. My wife absolutely love the interior.

mickhoog

The Artico (MB-Tex) in some markets is more durable over the life of your car. It doesn't feel as nice as the Standard Leather nor the Nappa leather that is included in the AMG line. Don't worry about the vertical stitching it looks better in the 'flesh'.