How do modern leatherette seats fare vs real leather seats?
I’m currently driving a 2018 Infiniti QX60 with leather seats and I’m loving it, but since the car is 6 years I’m looking to replace it (has the dreadful CVT) with something similar.
Driver comfort is probably the most important thing on my list and it seems that most 7 passenger semi-lux SUV have leatherette seats. How big of a deal is it when it comes to driver comfort?
I have the fake leather in my 2022 Lexus, and like it so far. No wrinkles, which my prior cars with leather seats developed after a short time.
Makes almost no difference.
Comfort comes down to the design of the shape of the seat, and the cushioning etc. vs the shape of your butt, spine, etc.
The upholstery’s bovine content is just a matter of looks and personal preference.
Seats are actually one thing Infiniti does well.
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I had a '12 MB C250 with MB-Tex seats.
If I were ever to design some custom cushions for a build, I would absolutely use MB-Tex if at all possible. Looks great to the naked eye, easy to clean and maintain, didn’t stain much, and was great with kids.
MBtex used to be way better, if you can believe it.
Don’t forget that new leather smell
I don’t have a preference between the two from a practical standpoint.
Note that within the leather category there are different options - both aesthetically and qualify-wise, like BMW’s Nappa vs. merino. I prefer the Nappa, but that’s entirely going by appearance.
On other hand, I am half looking for a fur jacket (probably mink or rabbit), and I will only accept real fur for that.
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And it has nothing to do with leather vs leatherette.
It’s from all the adhesives, resin, plastic, etc
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I believe that’s why they included the green bottle lol
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The fake leather in our F30 was horrible. Idk about the other brands.
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Really? That sucks, man. Like most materials. Manufacturers figure they can go thinner, lighter, smaller as time goes on.
Which years were you referring to?
A long, long time ago. W126 and 124 era (and before)
I’ve seen original MB Tex on 1970s era Benz’s that is still in fantastic condition
Sit in a W222 with Designo leather and then sit in a C/E-class of the same era with MB-Tex - I can guarantee the MB-Tex will feel cheap as hell by comparison (same thing applies with BMW’s Merino leather vs. SensaTec, etc.). Personally, I think the feel of the seating surface is a critical component of the overall luxury experience, and it truly boggles my mind how so many vehicles approaching a six-figure price tag are able to get away with obviously fake leather - you’d think making it a standard feature across at least mid-range and higher models would lower the cost through economies of scale…would people really balk at paying a couple thousand dollars more on MSRP for such a feature, as opposed to making those like myself pay significantly more than that to find that option on a limited number of inventory units with the option?
Well ofc. You’re talking about double the entry price of an E class or triple the C.
Agree 
except the “approaching six figure” benchmark is set too high. A GLE should have leather standard, NTM a GLS or X7.
Some of it is the gimmick of marketing a “$75,000 base price” on the X7 for example … sounds more palatable than the $85k examples sitting on lots that have $10,000 worth of options that should have been standard.
And then there’s the angle that options are more profitable. Coupled with the average customer who only thinks about monthly payments.
Honestly, BMW Leatherette is pretty good. I find it that their sensafin isn’t bad and honestly I would probably take it over real leather if it had the same stitching… I don’t know if their sensatec is good yet. And the x7 starts at 83k not 75k lol.
It could be worse, it could be Porsche where you pay 82k for a 5 seat SUV that has 348 hp and no leather seats. BMWs are much cheaper for their equivalent Porsches nowadays.
Not sure what you mean by BMW leatherette being good but IDK about sensatec… Sensatec is BMW’s name for their leatherette.
PS when it debuted the X7 started at $75k with sensatec standard
BMW has 2 different types of fake leather. The sensafin and the senatec. Sensatec is harder and honestly not that great (used in the 2,3,4,x1,x2,x3) and the Sensafin is used in the x5,x7. Sensafin isn’t that much different to leather and honestly, it’s holding up better than the merino leather.
I’ve only had non-perforated Sensatec in a couple of past BMWs. Hot AF in TX heat. I have no personal experience with sensafin yet.