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2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited September 2014 in Mercedes-Benz

image2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster Long-Term Road Test

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG may come standard with leather, but other Mercedes models get standard MBTex.

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Comments

  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    that looks less like regular wear marks and more like someone needs to ditch their 80's studded belt :)
  • mfennellmfennell Member Posts: 91
    Agree with zimtheinvader.

    I have a 22 year old BMW with vinyl that only started to show a few cracks in the past year on the base of the driver's seat while my 20 year old BMW with leather is a horror show. Unfortunately, I heard from someone who owned an E90 BMW with leatherette that it was not very durable. His showed cracks after only a few years. I have CLOTH in my Volt and I love it. I don't understand why it's not more popular.
  • jederinojederino Member Posts: 0
    I second that a nice cloth is superior, but the MBTex sounds really nice. I wish I could get it in my Infiniti. ;)
  • seppoboyseppoboy Member Posts: 93
    Over the years I have had good cloth, bad cloth, great vinyl (thanks VW!), merely OK vinyl, decent leather, and really nice leather. Swore I would never have leather, but then came a used and a new car that could only be had that way. Leather needs to be constantly cleaned and conditioned, most owners can't be bothered to do that, and leather type and quality varies wildly. My used BMW had sturdy leather that was poorly cared for, an Audi had very elegant leather I took good care of and it held up tremendously well... except at the outside shoulder bolster, which should always be upholstered separately with a thicker and more durable leather than the rest of the seat. MB Tex is great stuff, and so is a lot of the Volkswagen vinyl. Now I'm willing to consider any upholstery, as long as it's good, but vinyl, leather, and cloth in that order of preference.
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    Agree with zimtheinvader...that's not wear and tear, that is one jerk with something sticking out of his pocket, like a bunch of keys hanging out. You will also see black shoe sole marks on the side of the driver's door storage pocket, where he is kicking the door open instead of using the door handle.
  • motorstreetmotorstreet Member Posts: 23
    I don't have any experience with MBTex (as far as I know), but I've hated the leatherette in every car I've been in that had it. The leatherette in BMW's and VW's doesn't seem to breathe well at all and it doesn't hold up well either. Many people seem to like VW's leatherette, but I've always found their cloth infinitely better. Maybe M-B has figured out how to make good vinyl seats. I hope they have, though my experience with leatherette tells me to skeptical. I like cloth much more than leatherette and leather offered in many cars though anyway.
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