I have been carefully following the discussions in this forum regarding the different leather interior on the S600/S65 vs the standard leather on the US spec S63. I am in the camp that thinks the so-called "AMG Premium" leather in the US S63 (that we have seen so far) is not as attractive as that found in the S600/S65. However, the alternative for those who want both the performance of the S63 and the interior quality leather of the S600 is to get a S63 with one of the three Designo packages that MBNA is apparently allowing us to order in the US: Opt # 264 - Designo Mystic White Edition, Opt # 235 Designo Graphite Edition, Opt # 181 - Designo Espresso Edition. These are priced at $9,295 retail/$8,644 wholesale. To my knowledge, the Armagnac Nappa interior is only available from MB in the softer aniline leather which graces all new S600s. Here is a photo of the Armagnac interior on a US 2007 S550 and it looks like a regular US S600 interior (notice the details of leather treatment on the dash): https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...8&d=1184203033. Here is another shot of the same interior: https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...9&d=1184203033. Norb asked the same Designo S63 question in a recent post. Quite frankly, we all know the Designo options available for European or RofW customers ARE NOT necessarily going to be imported to the US by MBNA. So I really don't care about what other MB markets get in the Designo line. USCTrojans1 responded that a S63 Designo Mystic White Edition is coming soon to his US (LA) dealer. Could some of you who actually work at a US Mercedes dealer and have access to the official Star Net ordering computer system confirm for me if the 2008 S63 will be available to order in US with Opt # 181 - Designo Espresso Edition - Mocha Black Metallic with the Armagnac interior? Yes or No - and if yes, starting when can it be ordered that way? Thank You in advance for your response. Is there any mention from MBNA in the official order guide of the particular way the three special Designo editions for the US market will be applied to the S63? For example, will the Designo Espresso in a S63 have a wood/leather steering wheel (like that provided in the US spec S65) or the more 'sportif' AMG all leather steering wheel with paddles found in the standard S63 (like in this photo....notice also lack of stiching detail on front of dash vs Armagnac photos on top): https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...&d=1184979686? Z356

 

My understanding is that yes, the Designo Mocha is orderable with an S63 and comes with an AMG leather wheel. The interior leather has changed from the orange colored leather to sand.

I am investigating ordering one. My question is whether the rear seats have the ventilation/heating with the designo package.

J

 

Have been fooled by enough pics of different cars over yrs to really only trust extrapolating from a live, US-spec example....

IMO, weakest aspects of leather treatment on CL63 (which is notably better finished than S63....but still rather weak for a $150K+ car) are along doors; coarse-graininess of dash leather....the cheap, ?cloth finish of the rear shelf (behind the rear headrests)....and the plasticky airbag cover of the all-leather, sport steering wheel; needs airbag cover to be fine-grained leather, w/stitching (which unfortunately only the wood steering wheels seem to include)....

Am trading CL63 for CL65 next mth...though I like the quality of the 65's leather grain, I find the quilting pattern, esp on the doors, crass and rather baroque, conflicting w/the clean, contemporary elegance of the S/CL interior (which IMO is, by far, the most elegant/ergonomic interior in today's car world)....and it's not clear to me that even CL65 w/all-leather sport steering wheel will not have a plasticky airbag cover.....