Had a chance to closely view and drive in both base and nappa versions of Silk Beige interiors. Unless you have to have the Nappa upgrade, the base version was almost equally as good, just slightly thicker. There was absolutely no difference in the surfaces covered by leather or stitching quality.
The base leather and Nappa versions are both similiarly perforated.
The burl walnut trim was somewhat disappointing in these cars; appeared much more brownish rathet than the rich, burled look with a reddish tinge that we have been accustomed to in past from MB; very different and downmarket appearing.

 

Hmm. The base leather is nearly the same base leather from the W221 with a heavy grain (at least that's the version I saw in Germany). Nappa has a smooth leather surface.
I for one wouldn't guy a car without nappa anymore, but in the end everyone sets their own priorities on the options they buy. I personally rather save the money on the rear seat entertainment than the leather.

 

Absolutely; Nappa is somewhat thinner and smoother with less grain.

In BMW 7 (at least 740Li), Nappa upgrade includes many other surfaces covered with nice leather instead of cheaper looking plastic such as top of dash and the door panels.

In S550, the amount of leather coverage was exactly the same in both base and nappa versions.

 

On the 740, BMW charges you extra for the leather dash and top of the door panels as well as for the Nappa. It's cheaper though than MB but also of a lesser quality. On Th new S, the dash is only leather with the exclusive Nappa package. You can identify that by the cross stitching pattern on the seats and dash.

 

Certain options are not allowed with std leather like warmth & comfort & exec rear seat pkg that requires warmth and comfort.

 

I think it's ridiculous and cheap of M-B to not only jack the price of the S up (at least optioned out) but include no standard Nappa when the LCI 5 Series when selected with a "Line" has a no-cost Nappa option.

I loved the W222 interior mostly but one of the letdowns was how noticeably hard and somewhat "cheap feeling (RELATIVELY speaking to the price)" the stitched dash and door panels in areas felt, which is obviously because they're stitched MBTex plastic. If by selecting Nappa you still don't get genuinely stitched leather dash/door panel surfaces then again that's a cost-cutting move that IMO shouldn't be for a car of this price range. A 6 Series gets actual leather dash and door surfacing as well.

 

Exclusive Nappa IMO is worth every penny. It really adds a level of true luxury to the car with door panel / dash leather and dinamica headliner. I have black interior and it's awesome.

 

Interior Pics Please

 

I will take it tomorrow and post them.

 

Glad to know the black exclusive is worth it!

 

It's almost a month now , where's the pics ?

 

The nappa leather is "thinner"? Does that translate to less durable?

I'd hate to go back to the wrinkled leather that I had in the W220. The regular leather I had in the W221 was much better after 176K miles...

 

I had a 2013 W221 sedan with base leather. After owning the car 7 years and 105k miles, the leather was in such good condition vs other manufacturers. A few examples - I owned a Cadillac DTS and the leather was wrinkled and would eventually crack through at least than 80k and 3 years. Example 2, I owned a Lexus RX and ES, both had wrinkled leather within 3-4 years of ownership. I typically use leather cleaner and conditioner but did absolutely zero to my W221 S550. Note - when I’ve applied leather cleaner I use a horsehair brush. I apply conditioner with a soft rag, let it soak in and the wipe excess away. With the S550, again, I was a bad car owner and did nothing with the leather. My point is, there were no wrinkles and we were years away from any deep wrinkles that would’ve turned into cracks which ultimately end up as holes. I have a 2008 CLK with pebble beige leather. The CLK is one of the only non S class models that had leather as an option without spending a fortune or being caught up in expensive packages. In the clk, which I’ve owned longer than I owned the 2013 S class, I used cleaner (cleaned incredibly well!) and conditioner but still ended up with wrinkles that cracked through as well as leather that came apart at the stitching seam. I bought some leather weld glue and will try to glue it together to prevent more separating. My 17 yo daughter drives the CLK now as her first car. I constantly tell her to try and keep it nice as we plan to keep it forever. It’s been a bulletproof car other than typical aging stuff like cracked wire tubes, bulbs out, switch gear starting to be brittle etc. I do maintain according to schedule using an honest European mechanic and have had very few actual repairs. I have completely digressed so let me get back on track. Last point on this topic - base leather in W221 2013 model was better than most from other car brands even with zero maintenance of the leather. Well done MB.

transitioning now to my second topic - Nappa leather.

1) I used to love Cadillacs. Now I’m over that. I had a Catera, Deville, Seville STS, then due to naming changes my next was simply a “STS.” The STA has package 1SG with a V8 - to this day one of my all time favorite cars. For an American car, the STS was ahead of its time just like S-class Mercedes. Where am I going with this? My STS had Nappa semi aniline leather. It was glove soft and had zero signs of wear. Because it was a quality hide, it had incredible give even if it was thinner than base leather. I think I cleaned and conditioned this one time in 7 years. After this experience, I said I’ll always opt for Nappa/Semi Aniline leather. If a leather upgrade is ootonql
I’m all in. If it wears well, I’m alm for it as I don’t just trade cars 2-3 years. I want nice looking leather even after 10 years!
(2) When we gave my daughter the CLK, my wife needed a car since the clk was her daily driver prior. We decided on a small crossover suv - Cadillac xt5. Big mistake. Very quirky electronics,
needs new brakes constantly, there’s zero comparison with either Mercedes ClK or my S. Not nearly as solid. We bought the platinum trim which gave us semi aniline leather. It looks and feels good, almost glove leather like in the STS.
(3) recently time came to get a newer S Class. I had a hard time saying Bye to my beautiful black on black w221. Did I say again, base leather with zero wrinkles! So I traded in my W221 for a w222 with exclusive trim, piano black designo “wood” and Nappa semi aniline leather that is quilted. It’s beautiful and the package added swaths of leather throughout the car like arm rests, console cover, dash board, etc.

So now I have beautiful Nappa, and I did a small amount of leather cleaner and conditioner. Specifically in a place that looked prone to wrinkling which would lead to deep cracks then holes and major wear and tear.

I haven’t found anything that says don’t use X cleaner but I’m not even sure it is really needed because even S class base leather is a treat.

sorry for the long winded response. My point in all of this is that the manufacturer and hide determine wear and quality. Nappa quilted is beautiful on the W222 and one day I might splurge on full designo leather including tufted leather. Question in all of this is - does anyone has a recommendation.on leather conditioner / cleaner for semi aniline quilted Nappa in a 2006 S550. I want to keep it supple and nice.

 

Not directly. The best 'cut' for leather ( from the finest hides) is always the 'top' part...aka, not the hide and then sliced thinner so the tannery will have more leather to sell. The top portion is the toughest (most durable) and most desirable...thus, the Nappa extra charge. Man made 'grain'...aka, the grain is the same everywhere....is not natural ( inspect a leather hide sometime...the grain changes in depth/intensity over different areas)....its called 'embossing'...machine pressing the grain to get an even look. I restore/repair leather/plastic/vinyl in homes and cars/aircraft.

 

I’d like to hear from someone who has a 2014/2015 with 150K miles on it and with reasonable care (conditioning, cleaning) has no significant flaws in the nappa. I believe there is a reason why only certain options are available with the standard leather which probably can endure more punishment.

With regard to leather
Full grain = best
Top grain = almost as good… the top layer is shaved/polished to remove imperfections but almost as strong.
Split leather = inferior… avoid it.

Nappa leather is a marketing term and does not describe the quality of leather or where it came from.

Also, the cream of the crop is vegetable tanned leather (not chrome tanned leather), and you probably need to step up to Bentley or Rolls to get an interior with high quality supple vegetable tanned leather. The vegetable tanning process maintains the integrity of the fibrous tissue of the leather and leaves it much much stronger than chemical chrome tanning which is an order of magnitude cheaper to perform. Chrome tanning also conserves water. But vegetable tanning generally results in a very stiff hard leather. Getting a soft supple vegetable tanned leather is difficult and can sometimes require a softening step with a bit of chrome. I’ll take corrected top grain vegetable tanned leather over full grain chrome tanned leather any day. The proteins have not been broken down like they have with chrome tanned leather.

 

The quality leather in these cars really makes a huge difference in how it ages

 

We have a 2015 with the upgraded designo nappa silk beige interior. Pretty much every interior surface on the car is either wood or leather, even the headliner and A.B&C pillars are leather since it is an S65. The car only has 36k miles but there is no visible wear, cracking or discoloration anywhere. The interior still looks new.

 

thank you. Since you know leather very well, what cleaner and conditioner do you recommend? I’ve been using Lexol since many people recommend it, but it just seems like it’s a cheap alternative. Maybe I’m wrong. Does Connolly hide car work well with the nappa version I have? I figure if it is used in RR/Bentley it must be decent. But as you do a lot of restoration and repair, what would you recommend? I discovered horse hair brushes with cleaner a few years ago and was shocked how well the brush does cleaning the leather. It was a lot dirtier than it looked!

 

The leather is coated, I wouldn't use any kind of traditional leather conditioner.

This is what I use, works great:

https://www.colourlock.com/leather-c...er-shield.html

 

Lexol is 'ok'. ANY product that claims to 'clean, condition, and protect'.....don't believe b/c it can't do that. For example, how many of you leave shampoo IN your hair? ( this is akin to applying Lexol's 'clean, condition, protect stuff'). none of you. ANY cleaner should be removed/wiped off and THEN a protective element applied. Most everywhere...all you can find is a 'conditioner'...and they almost all are glycerin based.....which are okay for use, just not the best, but they work fine....IF you apply them to your leather car/sofa many more times than you think you need to.

The best thing you can you do to increase the life of your leather, is a mild cleaning ....although some cars have graining that is deep....and a bristle brush is needed....NOT scrubbing real hard, keep lubricated to get junk of crevices and THEN a quality protection creme is applied. Why? b/c the most damaging agents on car leather are 1: friction, 2: UV rays/heat, 3: body oils....for sofa leather is body oils, and then friction.

@sw20s. all leather is coated , essentially, some more than others, so ALL of them need something applied to keep from our foods/drinks/body oils from penetrating them and the PH balance attacks the 'finish' of the leather thus, weakening it....till it cracks/tears. Aniline leather is one of the most sought after in furniture leather ( virtually untreated/uncoated) b/c it looks more distressed as it ages. Finished leathers ( aka what's in our cars) will never 'age' like that. There is an inverse relationship with leathers and the quality/cost....aka the better the leather, the more CARE it requires to last. ITs a superior cut of the hide, but the weakest in terms of rejecting spills/oils/sweat/uv penetration etc.

Our company sells more of the very best protection cremes ( we purchased an additive from 3M which tripled the life of our cremes), but others will work too...you just have to apply them about 3x as often as ours. Fibrenew.com. FYI. don't use any 'saddle soap' or products for raw leather....your cars/furniture are largely, vegetable tanned leathers...require a 'finish' applied at the tannery.....but don't last long. THATS why you NEED to apply some sort of protection .

PS. . it is VERY RARE that any car has true leather used on the dash since it doesn't handle the heat/uv well ( the thin cut used). my previous BMW 750iL v12 had a 'look' of leather stitched dash....it wasn't. Ever see a wrinkled dash on a high end auto...think older Maserati....Chryslers TC by Maserati etc? they shrink up....require way more applications of conditioners to restore the evaporated lanolin's out of the leather hide. Outside of Bentley/RR, I haven't personally see a car with leather on dash pad top. ( keep in mind, some MIGHT have it...at 2% or less leather content, but not genuine leather)

hope that helps some

 

Sure, but the point is a traditional oily "leather conditioner" doesnt do anything for you, in fact it may cause you problems.

If you look at the Colourlock kit I posted it includes a sealer for the leather to use after cleaning. Way better than a traditional leather cleaner.

 

Buy a car with the black/charcoal leather, then drive the thing. Only a mild cleaning needed periodically and no need to ever condition the seats. The dark leather doesn't discolor and the oils in your body will keep it conditioned with zero need to use any special conditioners.

If you have the Designo with leather covered dash, doors, etc, then you may want to consider using a leather conditioner on those surfaces since your body oils obviously won't offer any natural protection.

 

gotta make one correction, your body oils NEVER help…only hurt leather. PH is all wrong for leather surfaces

 

If you have cracked, dry, or seriously dirty leather, I'd try Leatherique. It's a two-step process and takes some time. You first apply their Rejuvenator Oil, let it sit on the leather in a warm environment for a while, some say 24 hours in the sun. Then clean the surfaces with their Pristine Clean product to remove the excess oil and dirt. Dry and buff the surface with a microfiber towel. It's a bit of a process and in my opinion too much work for routine maintenance, but it does wonders for deep cleaning and softening badly soiled or dry leather. I think products like Lexol and Swissvax, both make cleaners and conditioners, are better for routine maintenance and less trouble. There are lots of others out there.

Leatherique Leather Care How-To | Ask a Pro Blog (detailedimage.com)

 

For what it's worth, my Nutbrown base leather is showing some wear at 58k miles. Pretty much what you'd expect from any car at that mileage, so I wouldn't say the base leather is exceptionally durable.