I'm about to buy a 2009 ml 320 "bluetec" for my wife and have yet to decide between leather and mb tex. The salesman (of course) said that mb ex is great... better than leather... holds up well. I've never yet had a car with vinyl seats. All advice with respect to leather vs mb tex appreciated.

 

I just picked up an 09 ML320 yesterday. It has the MB tex. This is my 4th MB with MB tex. I find it to look almost as nice as leather but it's much more durable. The other downside is it doesn't produce that nice leather smell for the first 5000 miles!

 

I went for the leather....

 

Onto the soapbox... there is simply no excuse for vinyl seats in a car at this price point. AND, if it were a matter of personal choice (like some people say), both options should be offered either free-of-charge or for a nominal fee. IMHO it's outrageous what MB charges for leather! Off the soapbox.

Now, back to the subject. I've had both MB tex and leather. While both feel nearly identical, there is no subsitute for the nice scent of leather. Every time I got into the car with MB tex, the smell reminded me that I was driving a Mercedes-Benz with vinyl seats!

As for wear and tear, the leather used for car seats now-a-days is ultra processed and treated with all kinds of chemicals. It will last for a long time.

My best advice is go to the dealer and sit in an ML with MB tex and then go sit in one with leather. Make sure you spend a few minutes in each. It will help you make your decision.

 

IMHO based on how awful I think the seats are in my GL (same as ML) I'd think leather would be better, as it's perforated and couldn't possibly be as hot and sweaty on long trips as is the naugahyde.

 

I have had both. Tex will out wear the leather 2 to 1. Holds it look long after the leather has its creases and wear. It is a bit warmer in the summer, but that is a minor trade off. My dealer too encouraged me to get the tex. I have the heating package for both front and rear and the steering wheel and love it.

 

I had leather inserts in the old C240. They were starting to stretch and get loose when I traded it in on the E350 with MBTex. The Tex feels "sticky" and doesn't let your pants slide as easily when getting in or out. I would prefer leather for that reason. MBTex really doesn't act like vinyl--it doesn't get hot in the summer here in Florida like you would expect. But I would rather have leather.

 

The MB TEX works great and it is easy to clean up.

 

I have the MB Tex with leather inserts which means the center part of the seat and back are leather and even though they are side by side it is very difficult to tell the difference.

The only dif is the tex looks better and the leather seems not to lay as flat as the Tex. But color (Black), texture and feel are the same. The leather in these trucks is not the soft texture you'll find in the S classs or an AMG so if I had to choose between the both I would go with the Tex.

Will last longer. Looks exactly the same and will wear better, stronger, less concern and if anyone asks just tell them it's leather.

You can not tell the difference IMO.

Best of luck with whatever you choose, you really can't go wrong.

 

How long do you plan to keep the car? What kind of wear and tear is it going to be subject to? Maybe you don't care that MB Tex is supposed to last and wear longer. Personally, I'd go with the leather. I don't find the leather all that hard to maintain. It will stretch a bit on the seat bottoms as you break it in. I don't know how the Tex fairs in this regard.

 

I have an older BMW convertible with the leatherette (vinyl) seats in it. It still looks great after 17 years, long after my friends leather has had to be redone. Personally I have no problem with leatherette or mb tex. I do like the leather smell....

 

Wow...nice bump of a 2 1/2 year old thread.

We chose the Tex as it is more durable. The ML was bought primarily to haul our 100 lb pup and thought it would hold up better....and it has.

 

Maybe it was just the aroma, but leather seemed more comfortable, more luxurious. After a year I still appreciate the leather.
MB Tex is a great "fabric," and will probably last longer, but either is great.
Also, the ML leather package includes fancier interior lighting that is very nice.

 

I have tex and with 40 K I have "rubbed " a hole in the tex on the seat bottom. Never though the a man mad product would wear out so quickly after all the 'Tests" the vehicle is subjected to . Maybe they don't test seats for wear!? Perhaps my pants are to coarse. On top of that Corporate said that they would not pay for the replacement of the worn through seat bottom.

 

... there is simply no excuse for vinyl seats in a car at this price point. AND, if it were a matter of personal choice (like some people say), both options should be offered either free-of-charge or for a nominal fee. IMHO it's outrageous what MB charges for leather!

Well said!!!!

 

What adds insult to the injury of the initial cost,,,, is that when the product fails to out live the expectations, certainly that of the consumer, Corporate simply washes its hands of the responsibility for the " short life" of its product sold at over charged/ valued price point. Scandalous!

 

I wonder what MKatz ever decided? Would have been nice if he let us know.

Probably went and bought another Porsche!

 

Hello everyone, MB brand is in my family for three generations and I'm continuing this tradition with some mixed feelings. Since 1997 my wife and I are driving E-Klasse and M-Klasse. We owned a total of eight MB's. All vehicles were with leather seats accept the last two. My 2012 E-350 Sport driver seat vinyl started cracking at the seam on bottom cushion, inner and outer bolster. My wife's 2014 M-350 started doing the same, also on driver's lower cushion. We are both in normal range of weight; 175 lb for me and 145 lb for my wife. We get in and out of vehicles twice a day. When we were purchasing each car there was not a single E or M on dealer's lot equipped with leather. I love leather for the feel and durability. I do not care what everyone says but the leather is superior if maintained (cleaned and oiled) every six months. I should never listen to the sale associate telling about vinyl's advantages over the leather because there is none. Vinyl is economical or cheap and that is the only advantage. I'm greatly disappointed with MB using vinyl in their $60k plus vehicles. I have made a huge mistake by not waiting and ordering both vehicles with the leather. I should be a little more careful next time and not to listen to salesman. The worst part of my story is that MB is not supporting their product and not covering seats under manufacturing four years warranty. Also, I'm tying to contact MB Rep almost on daily basis for the past three weeks and appears that they are ignoring me or hoping I'll go away. The MB Regional Rep is not returning my calls. Also, my last post with pictures was removed from this forum most likely by MB Forum moderator. I guess MB is afraid that their customers are communicating about quality issues or reporting porting problems. Hopefully this time they will let everyone to read about my experience with the MB Tex seats.

 

I will be the lone dissenter here. I prefer MB Tex. I hate the wrinkles and waves that develop in leather. The worst leather wear I've ever seen in in BMW. MB Tex is now perforated too.

 

I am about to order my 2nd replacement skin for my 2007 ML 320 cdi driver's seat (combo fabric and imitation leather)...that is an average of 3.5 years per skin. I am not particularly rough on the vehicle and do not weigh much (160 lb). I would have expected more wear out of this interior and if I had to do over, would get leather. My leather interiors (Mercedes and Ford) although showing some character of age after many years, never wore out like this.

 

'09 ML550 here, 90,000 km, perforated leather seats. I am 6' 2" and weigh 240 lbs. All the leather is in perfect condition with no wrinkles, no waves, no damage, no stitching coming apart, and no sign of undue wear. (Comparison: the driver's seat looks identical to the passenger's and gets used 20 times as much.)


I use leather cleaner and a good conditioner twice a year, spring and fall, but otherwise do nothing special to maintain the leather.

 

I picked up my 09 ML320 8 months ago. When shopping for a used ML I was amazed at how well the interior seats looked in the 4-5 year old vehicles I was looking at. It wasn't until after seeing a few that I read about the MB Artico product.

If I was buying brand new I would likely go with leather because I would condition it every couple of months ensuring it's longevity. I've never had any problems when I've purchased new vehicles with leather.

That being said, when purchasing used vehicles with leather you're extremely lucky if you pickup one where the previous owner has properly maintained their leather. That was my experience with my previous 330i and more recently an XC90.

I do miss the smell of leather but I'd take a good looking interior over smell any day of the week.

Chad