MBTEX vs Leather
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Most of the people here who have talked to dealers, the dealers have said that its nearly identical to leather. Have you seen it in person?
Yes, i saw it yesterday in a 2013 C300, its ok, they claim it wears like iron. Its not leather and you can quickly tell
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My dealer said the exact same thing when I was giving him my wish list. He took me out to the show room and showed me both the mbtex and the leather, and it's really hard to tell them apart. Plus he said the mbtex holds up better than the leather. It certainly surprised me!
I'm getting leather for several reasons...
1) I like the feel of leather instead of plastic
2) my current car has both leather and plastic. The plastic is cracking. The leather is not.
3) Leather breathes better. You know, summer time and sweaty backs. Plastic does that.
4) It's a Mercedes. Some of my friends might be fooled, but do I really want to fool them and play that game? Again, it's a Mercedes. Leather should just be expected to be standard. Besides, it's German leather, not like that Cadillac leather crap. Cadillac customers would kill to have that type of leather.
1) I like the feel of leather instead of plastic
2) my current car has both leather and plastic. The plastic is cracking. The leather is not.
3) Leather breathes better. You know, summer time and sweaty backs. Plastic does that.
4) It's a Mercedes. Some of my friends might be fooled, but do I really want to fool them and play that game? Again, it's a Mercedes. Leather should just be expected to be standard. Besides, it's German leather, not like that Cadillac leather crap. Cadillac customers would kill to have that type of leather.
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71 Posts
I'll go with leather, my G500 has it. My C class has MB TEX and after 200K miles it has held up great. People have a hard time believing that I have driven my car so much and it still looks great. I generally like the trim package that comes with leather and I like the smell of real leather, but I certainly won't knock the MB TEX!!!
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871 Posts
I've got MB TEX in my 2008 C300 and it looks and feels great. I will give you a fair warning, I did have to get my driver seat replaced (under warranty) because the MB TEX started tearing. The dealership said it was covered because it was a known flaw. I will probably go with MB TEX but will spring for leather if its available in the right color (red).
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What kind of price difference are we talking between MBTEX and Leather?
The B 200s in Canada with Artico/MB Tex had reams of torn seats under warranty and sometimes just beyond. What's more, some dealers would not repair the seats under warranty, claiming tears in this plastic stuff are "normal wear and tear"...so to them, I guess a tear in this stuff is normal. Anyway, once again, leather is the only stuff to get. Leather should last at least 25 years if you take care of it.
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Went into the dealer today guys to put my deposit down and to be honest I couldnt tell the difference between the two. The only thing was that the leather was a little softer but honestly they felt the same so I save $1,200 there which is a total score!
I have MB-Tex in my C300 now and it's weathered just fine for the first two years. It feels pretty nice and, aside from a leather smell, seems pretty close to the lower end leathers you see in cars. Seems perfectly fine to me.
The bonus to the leather option on the CLA to me is that you can get brown and you get the two-tone door trim, which I think looks nicer. Either should be pretty nice though.
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I'm reviving this because the seats are one of the things I can't seem to settle on. I'm looking for any new feedback/experiences you have with either. I have been reading about the leather getting all scratched up due to bedazzled jeans, crazy kids, pets, etc. I haven't had leather seats before (and feeling like this would be the time to do it), but I don't want to get all spazzy (which I certainly will) when the seats get damaged due to the day in the life of me. For what it is worth, this will be my fulltime car, so it's not like it's reserved for special occasions. OK guys and gals, sell it to me...what should I do - leather or MB-Tex??? 
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161 Posts
I have had black MB-Tex in 2 successive C-classes. It feels good but doesn't look quite as rich as leather. It seems to be improving over the years- I drove a 2013 recently and it looked better. For some reason I think the difference shows up most in black- so check different colors if you can.I'm reviving this because the seats are one of the things I can't seem to settle on. I'm looking for any new feedback/experiences you have with either. I have been reading about the leather getting all scratched up due to bedazzled jeans, crazy kids, pets, etc. I haven't had leather seats before (and feeling like this would be the time to do it), but I don't want to get all spazzy (which I certainly will) when the seats get damaged due to the day in the life of me. For what it is worth, this will be my fulltime car, so it's not like it's reserved for special occasions. OK guys and gals, sell it to me...what should I do - leather or MB-Tex???
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Interesting. Thank you.
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Go check'out a C-Class w/ MB-Tex and/or a BMW 1-series/3-series/etc w/ "Leatherette" as both will give a more-or-less accurate feel & idea of the CLA's MB-Tex.
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