[SteveMD]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Why is the kid eating yogurt in your car in the first place??

Because I have leatherette

[gohawks23]

Well, I have had black leather, beige leatherette, black leather and black alcantara in my BMW's and the alcantara is the best...wish I could get in my 335...IMO BMW leather isn't the greatest in the world and the 'ette had a pretty similar feel...having said that I think the only way I get leather is if they offer it in coral red/black for my TiAg E90 335.

[cdheaven]

alcantara isnt animal flesh, right? its synthetic?

[gohawks23]

Originally Posted by cdheaven

alcantara isnt animal flesh, right? its synthetic?

Fabric

http://www.ultrasuede.com/products/automotive/oem/

http://www.alcantara.com/

[THE JEDI]

The only cow i'd pay 1450 is the one I eat damn dude I'd by pass the leather as a stand alone option and get the navi...if ya gonna get leather get it in the premium ......only way i'd get it....leather taste better when ya eat it then when ya sit on it

[JBOO]

I was all for getting ette until recently. I tried a car with beige ette and it was definitely more sticky compared to the leather car I had just driven. Granted, this was the 3rd car I drove that day, so maybe I was already hot, but I'm definitely concerned now. Also, the beige didn't look very good. To me, I could easily see the difference. I'm still having a hard time picking leather, but now, I'm a little more inclined to do it. Guess I should just pick a different color than black or beige so at least it will seem like I"m getting something extra for the money.

[whippersnapper]

Although it isn't true in every case, most things that cost more are better than things that cost less

[John]

been sweating quite a bit this summer in, so far i haven't been sticky to my leatherette at all. the days when i dont put a towel over my seat. i do leave sweat marks that are blueish (quite annoying). but i just wipe it down or leave it alone and it goes away.

[cdheaven]

Originally Posted by whippersnapper

Although it isn't true in every case, most things that cost more are better than things that cost less

sometimes there are more variables involved than just an opinion of whats "better"
Im just giving an example here, i dont know this for a fact, but MAYBE it cost more money to rasie a cow, feed a cow, slaughter a cow, skin a cow, treat cow skin, and then put it on your car, then to just pump out leatherette from a fake cow skin factory....
economical that makes sense to me....

[scubajag]

Been living with black leatherette for over a year. The feel and durability appears to be excellent. This is my third BMW with leatherette, and my E-90 leatherette is the best quality yet. If you aren't hooked on the leather, I think the leatherette is a good alternative.

[RGB]

My one month old 325i has black Sensatec -that´s how it is named in Europe- and I live in Seville, with 40ºC+ temperatures. I was concerned about it, but now I dont feel it to be any hotter than the leather in my other car. Very good.

What I dont like is that one tend to stick to the seat and is difficult to change possitions while driving.

[akhbhaat]

This is one of the oldest debates in BMW land. Even still, I've always like discussing this particular topic...

The leatherette is, quite honestly, a fairly mediocre seating material. Some people will swear to you that it looks and feels "exactly" the same as leather, but that's ridiculous. The differences are somewhat subtle, but they're definitely there. The leather is softer, has a different texture, and smells differently.

Leatherette is plastic. Vinyl, pleather, whatever you want to call it - it's plastic. This means that all the usual pros and cons of plastic apply. On the plus side, the leatherette is incredibly durable, almost indestructable, and will easily shrug off dirt, sand, mud, water, and sugar-based drinks and virtually anything else you can throw at it. It cannot be stained, it's difficult to puncture or tear, and it doesn't really wear. My E46 has leatherette, and the interior seating surfaces look brand new after more than six years of very regular use. It has seen water, humidity, heat and cold and still looks and feels the same as it always has. Huge plus, obviously. Another plus is the cost, or lack thereof.

However, durability doesn't decide excellence alone. Leatherette would be the perfect seating material if it actually allowed any sort of airflow or permeation whatsoever. As it is, it doesn't breathe. At all. Any sort of sustained heat whatsoever, and your back will sweat and itch uncomfortably for hours - I also say this as somebody who sweats very little, on the whole. On long distance trips in warm weather, I bring some bath towels with me to wrap around the seating surfaces. And I feel pity for anyone whose bare skin comes in contact with leatherette for more than five sustained minutes. Better find somebody else's car to take to the beach, or throw some towels over the seats.

And Leather? Well, the BMW leather is mediocre as well, and you have to pay extra for it - a lot extra - so don't waste your money. Unlike the leatherette, the leather will fall apart in a couple years unless you clean and condition it with zeal, and it naturally responds poorly to water and dirt. It doesn't breathe particularly well, either, though it does breathe better than leatherette (which, mind you, is sort of like saying you'll breathe better underwater than you will in the vacuum of outer *******.

If you actually the enjoy the smell and feel of chemically treated animal skins, fine, but is it worth $1,450 to you? Buy a leather couch for your living room instead, where it won't be subjected to water, dirt, rubbing or extreme changes in temperature.

What's the best choice in the end? Cloth, obviously...but BMWNA, in their infinite wisdom and apparent desire to cater to every imaginable, frivolous American whim, have decided that the best material available will, in fact, not be available at all - and have replaced it with a lovely plastic imitation material simply so that ignoramuses who see it will be fooled into thinking the car's owner didn't cheap out of the overpriced, overrated leather. After all, buying a BMW without leather isn't merely a petty crime - it's a cardinal sin.

[chicagolab]

I had leather in my Volvo S40 prior to my 330i with leatherette. I really like the leatherette and I could not justify to myself the added expense of leather vs. the leatherette. For me it definately works. Throughout the year, I often have my dog in the back of the car and the leatherette is very easy to clean. If I was set on an interior that was not black, then I would consider the leather. But I like the black interior, especially with alum trim.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by 742

I am curious. For all this talk about leather/plastic, am I the only one who would like a fabric option?

I would LOVE to have a fabric option on my 335i... I even offered to pay for a ZPP and have them give me caloth / alcantra as avaialble in some EEU builds in place of leather ...no go.

I'll be happy with my leatherette... I went to si tin it in the dealer and was amazed, I like it. I also liek saving the cow.

~Frost

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by cdheaven

you guys are being a little silly with this for a few reasons.
1. "for 40k dollars leather should come standard, blah blah". its an option. ANY option is good in life. audi,acura,lexus and more LOST my business because they wouldnt even give an OPTION of anything other than leather. i could give you the option of 100 dollars or 1000000 dollars. we all know which one you would take, but who cares that there is an option. dont think that you are paying EXTRA money. if leather came standard, the car wouldnt get cheaper.... you just happen to save a little money if you choose leatherette.
2. this isnt 1935. dead animal doesnt make you a better person. if you think you are a better person cause you spend more money on having leather, or because youre shoes are made out of snake skin, or your coat is dead wolf, you are wrong. and you are an idiot. dead animal flesh shouldnt be a way to judge someone anymore.
3. leatherette has lots of pros. people dont just get it cause its cheaper. i personally, would have paid 1,2,3 thousand dollars EXTRA to have leatherette. just because its impossible for me to find a car without real leather. from what i have learned so far, correct me if im wrong, you can order any mercedes with MB text, but you have to pay EXTRA. either my next car or the car after that, will be a benz, and i will happily pay a few extra bucks to have the pros of MB Text. and to save a few lives.

CDhaven... I could not have said it better.... If leather was the only option on hte 335i I would be buying a different car. I actuallty applaud BMW for having leather ette avaialble on many of their cars. I gave up on Infiniti because I could no longer get a G35 with cloth as I had on the the rare ones built in 2003...

Anyway, a pleasure to hear some of my sentiments in your post.

~Frost

[SapphireBlackG01]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

"The backs of my legs..... stickin' to the pleather...."

Don't know, I have leather - but in a warm climate with shorts on I would think it would be sticky.

Nope.

[SapphireBlackG01]

Originally Posted by Socom

Thanks..Don't know of many places with more heat/humidity than Houston.

Right Now for
Houston, TX
Feels Like
82°F

Right Now for
Miami, FL
Feels Like
91°F

This is at 5AM. lol.

[SapphireBlackG01]

Originally Posted by wantmye90

Socom, I live in Athens and I can tell you that nothing's like the real thing - leather. What other posters are neglecting to take into account is the HUMIDITY. A dry 90 degrees is a whole lot different than 90 degrees with HUMIDITY in the Southeast.

With leatherette, your sweat glands on the back of the legs, butt and small of the back spring to life and start pumping out that sweat if its humid and hot. With leather, there's still that hot feeling but since it breathes you at least don't get that wet, slimy feeling. Nasty!

Sorry, but we have two cars with leatherette, and I'm very hard-pressed to find the difference between it and the leather in the other cars.

And I promise you that we have more humidity than you do.

[SapphireBlackG01]

Originally Posted by whippersnapper

Well I'm using the term in a derogatory sense, hence the word "fa.ke". It is a product for people who would like the world to think they have leather. in the same way that Americans delight in the fake whipped cream from a can

I disagree. It's a product for people who want the comfort and relatively easy clean-up (compared to cloth) of leather but don't want the hassle of maintaining it. It just so happens to be cheaper and easier to produce than quality leather. Sue us.

If anything, you're the one who has to conjure up delusions about the granduer and supposed superiority of leather, in order to justify the $1500 that you spent.

[SapphireBlackG01]

Originally Posted by JSpira

The leather material wears about as much as the vinyl, and given how it it is treated is just as easy to clean.

Sorry.

[SapphireBlackG01]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Why is the kid eating yogurt in your car in the first place??

Because we don't like to starve our children?

I mean seriously, who the fuck are you to tell him his child can't eat in his car? He was eating yogurt 'cause Daddy let him!

[SapphireBlackG01]

Originally Posted by whippersnapper

Although it isn't true in every case, most things that cost more are better than things that cost less

This is like saying that platinum is better than gold, and gold is better than silver.

Better at what?

Better at being scarce? Sure.

Better at being jewelery? Hardly.