vdubpower

first off, im so pissed thats even an option on a 100K car

that being said, what do u guys think, is it worth it, or just a scam

Kar don

premium leather without a doubt.

aschb

premium leather. Feels much softer.

QuadBenz

I agree... Shouldn't be an option.

Anyways, premium. There is a difference - not a scam.

ALLDATAdiy INFO

Has to be premium, worth the $$

skrontz

I suggest going to a showroom and trying both for yourself. Contrary to the opinions expressed above, I chose regular over premium; just liked the feel more.

NJS430

Premium leather makes a big difference but don't take our word for it. Have the dealer let you sit in two with cars with the same color leather inside, one premium and one standard. That's what I did. I thought the difference was definitely worth the added cost.

Kar don

don't get me wrong the regular 2-series leather is very good but i prefer the smooth buttery feel of the 8-series premium leather.

vdubpower

i did sit in all of them, and yes it does feel beetter

its just annoying that it is an option

wht do u mean by 2 or 8 series

Kar don

201, 205, 208 are the color codes for std lthr
801, 805, 808 are for premium

The first number denotes the material
1xx = MB-tex
2xx = Std leather
5xx = Exclusive leather (exclusive just means the dash and door panels are leather)
8xx = Premium leather

pmb600

Good overview. There are a few exceptions though. My car has 825 Black/Sahara Beige but it is regular leather not premium.

pmb600

If it helps your decision at all... the premium leather in the S-Class and CL-Class is full-grain Aniline leather which is pretty much the highest quality of leather you can buy.

skrontz

Also, keep in mind that *some* drivers reported excessive wear on the premium leather after very little use. To me, it makes sense as it's softer and hence wrinkles easier. Search this forum and Google for specific posts.

QuadBenz

What about the exclusive leather used in the V12 models?

pmb600

The leather in the V12 models is of the same quality as the Premium leather option in the S550 (standard CL550). "Exclusive" in Mercedes terminology simply means more of it: covering of the dash, console, doors etc. But there is no difference in quality between the two.

In Europe the Premium leather is called "PASSION" Leather and the V12 models have "Exclusive PASSION" Leather standard. Also, customers can order Exclusive PASSION Leather on other long wheelbase S-Class models besides the V12, but that is not offered as a stand alone option in the U.S. The only way to get the "Exclusive" part in a non-V12 in the U.S. is to order one of the designo interiors which comes with Exclusive Premium Leather.

usctrojans1

BTW, is the exclusive leather in the V12's the same leather as in the designo packages? If not, what is the difference?

aschb

Different looking design and most important: maximize the profit for MB (as my MB dealer said when discussing to order this option for my car).

NJS430

This was a concern of mine when ordering the premium leather. All of my other Mercedes had the standard leather which feels more durable. I am happy to report no issues after two years / 20,000 miles. The leather still looks and feels great. Glad I have it.

skrontz

That's actually good to know, since this concern partially influenced my decision to not go with premium. Considering how paranoid I am about the interior staying in perfect shape, any kind of scratches or wrinkles are a show stopper ;-) Maybe next time I'll take a chance.

13pauls

Without a doubt, the premium is worth the premium. I got around 30k on my car and after nearly 3 yrs. the leather looks great. I recently had my cars waxed and dressed. I can honestly say my s looks brand new and still drives like new.

carsnob

In that case, go for the MB tex in the C class. If you're going into the car with your tool belt on, and kids are jumping up and down and dogs are jumping in and out.
Otherwise, there's nothing nicer than the exclusive passion leather (std. on S 600). The advice from everyone above is good --Go for the best and you won't be disappointed.

QuadBenz

That's interesting, I didn't know that. Thank you!

Too bad they don't have an option for the extra leather throughout the car.

skrontz

Yes, why don't you tell me which car to drive. While we're at it, are you going to pay for it, too?

The choice between premium and standard leather is personal; I like the standard while some other people would prefer the premium. Hence, the only logical answer is to go try both and see which one makes sense for the money. After all, it won't be us paying for it nor sitting on it.

konigstiger

Examples of the different surfaces and leather grains are shown here to illustrate the differences between the seat cover materials note fabric is not available in MBUSA market.

pmb600

Interesting chart, but it doesn't look like this is the S-Class upholstery choices, even for Europe--they don't have Nappa leather available on the 221. I think someone had posted a very good 2 page overview that came from Europe with excellent Leather quality level descriptions, I will see if I can find it and post it.

EDIT: I found the document I was referring to in the E-Class thread, and you were actually the one to post this. Thanks to konigstiger for originally posting. Note, since this was published, the CL-Class actually uses the same Premium (aniline leather) that the S-Class uses except Premium Leather is standard on the CL-Class.