Piannino

Planning to purchase the new GLE soon and having owned a glc coupe with real leather i cant really tell if its worth it. It seems that artificial one is more durable, cost effective and easier to maintain.

Happy to hear some more oppinions

rustybear3

I've heard very good things about the MB-Tex...as you stated they are durable and easy to maintain.

• MB-Tex wears better than leather
• MB-Tex requires less maintenance
• MB-Tex is easier to clean
• MB-Tex is not animal-based

Bottom line: A lot cheaper than leather. It all depends as to whether it's worth it to you to upgrade.

I didn't have a choice on my car; otherwise I might have opted for it.

RJC

I think if you tend to not care for the interior of your vehicle well, or have kids, pets etc and let them make a mess, then go with MBtex.

DMG

MB-Tex is not available with multicountour seats and therefore not with the Drivers Assistance Package. That might be a deciding factor. I likely would have gone with MB-Tex if it didn't preclude getting the other options.

audi40

Have MB-TEX in my wife's 2014 ML (80k+ miles on it) and definitely would go that route again on a new GLE - not worth the upgrade to leather IMHO.

Neil_ofTX

DMG's comment is correct. Last night I was at my local MB dealer putting together my order for a new 2020 GLE when I learned MB USA is forcing us into packages we don't want! I'm very angry. If you want to be safe and get the Drivers Assistance Package, they force you to buy leather (total unrelated option). Then you get forced into either the cold weather package or massaging seats. My simple $79K building turned into $86K. I'm reconsidering my purchase. Their greed is appalling. I know a lot of the manufactures do it, but that doesn't mean I have to fall for it.

RJC

unfortunately they all do and it does suck

Tirgoman

Aside from the package and option issue, I've had both MBTex and leather on a list of MBs and to be honest it's hard to tell the difference. If saying you have real leather impresses somebody spend the money. More than likely nobody will care. The reason you need leather for things like the vented seats is that they have to punch all those holes. The 2019 C43 I just got has leather and the other options I wanted so I took it. Think the leather was $1600 that I wish was in my pocket but I'm OK with the car. Can't go wrong with either in my opinion.

frostsdad

I had an E350 with MB Tex and I will say that it wore incredibly well. It looked the same after 4 years as the day I bought it. You don’t need to do anything to it except wipe it with a damp cloth. However, there’s a reason you can’t get an S Class with MB Tex. There’s nothing luxurious about vinyl, even when it is made to look grained. So if you appreciate the finer things, getting leather is the way to go - but it requires the use of leather cleaner and conditioner to keep it clean and from cracking because it dries out. If you don’t want that hassle, go with MB Tex. If you have kids that make a mess or larger dogs that travel with you, MB Tex is pretty worry free. The good news is 99% of people will think it is leather. Only folks savvy about cars, especially European cars, will know the difference. I even sometimes see dealers who sell used cars wrongly advertising these cars have leather interior when they don’t. The only real way to know is to know the difference in upholstery patterns or if you know MB models well enough to know which have leather standard. I will say I garage kept a 2013 s550 with base leather and it still looked great after 8 years. I typically clean and condition leather but for whatever reason didn't with this car but it still looked new and it never dried and cracked. The quality of leather is good even if you don’t upgrade it to nappa or designo exclusive nappa. If the car had been outside in the sun a lot I’m sure the leather wouldn’t have looked as good though.

jsa1983

I went for MB-Tex and I love it. With 3 kids having something easy to clean and maintain is a must have. Plus it looks like genuine leather but does not harm animals.

Stuart Morley

I've had both and would go for leather every time. You can't repair Artico (which I have been told stands for ARTIficial COw).

I had a seat split and when the repairer found out it was Artico said very little could be done as it's just plastic. Leather on the other hand can be reupholstered (at a cost of course).

Was Ferrari Guy

As was mentioned earlier, I believe that ventilated seats require leather and the multicolor seats are usually leather only. For me, the ventilated seats are a must!

MarkerVB

We have ventilated seats with MBTex. We chose MBTex because this is my wife's primary vehicle and between sweat and sunscreen after tennis, the leather on her previous vehicle did not hold up well at all.

Was Ferrari Guy

TE=MarkerVB;8391235]We have ventilated seats with MBTex. We chose MBTex because this is my wife's primary vehicle and between sweat and sunscreen after tennis, the leather on her previous vehicle did not hold up well at all.[/QUOTE]
You are correct- MB tex can get ventilated seats.

WindInMyHair

Someone may have already mentioned this--but you can get the ventilated seats now with MB Tex. That's the way I ordered my 2022 GLE 350 AWD a few months back.

Lucky 777

My 2020 GLE350 has MB Tex and is surprisingly cool. My work car is a 2020 Ford Explorer with vinyl seats and they are awful! Even though both are synthetic materials, MB is doing something very right and the difference is night and day.

jsa1983

True. My 2019 GLE 450 has ventilated MB-Tex seats. They are a must have in places with hot summers.

dstclairb

I just traded in my 2014 E350 with MB Tex. 7 years old and the interior looks like the day I bought it. No hyperbole!

I bought a GLE with the same. I'll never order leather again!

chassis

+1 for MB-Tex. I have it on a W166 and it’s comfortable, durable and cleans up easily with water and a cotton terry towel.

Having said this, there have been complaints of cracked MB-Tex in the V167. After all it’s vinyl, and MB and the supplier seek to reduce cost with each successive vehicle platform. The chemical formulation get tweaked over time for many reasons, cost and environmental requirements are just two of many factors. It’s possible on the V167 they left out too much of the good stuff.

monwen

MB Tex cracked after nine months. Dealer tried to repair it and MB wouldn’t cover it under the warranty. Dealer told me you get one “courtesy fix” so I should wait. I do not buy their story. Not sure leather would be any better but I chose TEX because of it’s supposed durability. SA claims they have several cases and MB is aware. You’d think they’d want a happy customer.

monwen

UPDATE - I brought my car in yesterday for a new windshield. When I went to pick it up, the SA surprised me with a new seat (bottom only). He told me that he forced MB into covering it under warranty which they should have done anyway IMO.

nextmilenium

Wow, you have a great SA! I'd buy him a lunch!