Juice it

What is the deal with this option? I haven't seen anyone who has it, but what is the difference besides color? 3750 seems a little excessive doesn't it?

gkwhite

It is standard on the sl65 which I have, basically it is alot smoother, softer richer feel to it than the standard leather

Juice it

On the MBUSA website when you "build your own" SL65 it lists this as an option, the same as the 55. Also, from interior pics of the 65 I haven't seen the deep black, just the charcoal. Personally, I think the SL65 should not have any options, it all should be standard equip for the price but I guess if they can make an extra buck.

tntmcj

the black nappa leather is an option and an expensive one, it is not a standard on sl65s the biggest difference is the nappa covers more areas with leather, over the gauges on the dash, in the door panels, and on the dash. it definetly is much softer and more supple, but then again for 3750 it better be, i have only delivered 1 sl65 with black nappa leather and the customer that ordered it swears by it.

gkwhite

The SL65 has standard nappa leather over everyting just like the standard option on the SL600. I had a SL55 before and you can tell the difference, it is glove soft

terrence

The SL600 comes with nappa leather which is way softer and less grainy than the standard leather on the SL55. The SL65 nappa option has even softer leather and its all matching black, not 2-tone charcoal. It is an expensive upgrade considering napa comes standard. If having true black matching interior (not 2-tone) and softer leather all around is important to you, then its the only way to go. I ordered it and I am glad I did. I hate the 2-tone charcoal interior and that was why I ordered my old SL55 in 2-tone ash instead of charcoal.

Saud

I have the black leather (Designo) on my 2004 sl 500. It was the same cost as the designo option of any color i think.

LovinMercedes

Let me try to voice my opinion as I have spent hours on the phone with Montvale going over this issue. What I am going to say are the facts except that I did this research before the SL65 came out so I am not sure what the SL65 has.

This is how it works. Both the SL500 and the SL55 have leather that has a lot more grain and is not smooth, but it is NAPPA leather. When you get to the SL600 you get the smoother leather and it is also NAPPA leather but the key here is the word "EXCLUSIVE." The word Exclusive is what designates the softer smoother leather. The SL600 has EXCLUSIVE NAPPA leather which is the soft kind. When you order the 501 code which is Exclusive Charcoal, you get the Black soft leather on top and the Charcoal soft leather on the bottom. You then pick the Black Nappa option X11 and you now get the soft black leather on the bottom in addition to the top. You need the 501 code because that tells the computer that the leather is EXCLUSIVE so it knows to put the Exclusive leather in the car. Why they charge you extra for all black is because they decided to take advantage of those that wanted "all black" and this is a new option.

While I have not spoken to Montvale about the SL65 I am pretty certain based upon the literature and the names of the leather that the SL65 DOES NOT have leather as soft as the SL600. The SL65 does not have Exclusive in the name of the leather and it does not have the 501 code which is the code you need for the softer black leather. It may be softer than the SL55 but not the SL600. This is deliberate because the SL600 is suppose to be more luxury and the SL65 on the sport side. The smoother leather is not considered sporty. Also, the all black is NOT standard on the SL65. If you go to the website build your own for the SL65 you will see that the standard color is Charcoal on Charcoal and the Black is also a $3750 option. You will also note that leather on the SL65 is not called Exclusive so it is not as soft and smooth as the Exclusive in the SL600. In any event, they are both Nappa. I know this is confusing but this is how it works.

Not trying to be difficult here but when I ordered my SL600, I spent hours reseaching this very confusing issue. I spoke directly with product managers in Montvale and I am sure I have it right.

Thank you.

Juice it

Does anyone have a pic of the 3750.00 black interior option? I was just trying to figure out if it was leather in more places as well as all black or if it is just a color thing.

blueSL

I don't believe the leather in the standard car is nappa leather, it's too grainy and comes from a cow. Nappa is meant to come from a goat or a sheep and use a special tawing process to provide a softer feel. Mercedes seems to deal in two grades - regular and nappa, which is used in the "exclusive nappa leather" option and the designo options.

What you should know though, is that nappa leather shows pressure marks much more easily and they take much longer to recover. For example, the Mercedes rear-shelf bag has hard plastic feet on it and leave a distinct impression if, as I have just been, you are away for the weekend and the bag is sitting there for a few hours. Nappa leather requires extreme car in use if you want it to continue looking good. The "cooking" variety is much less prone to over-stretching though of course you should avoid abrading the surface of any type of leather.