[Dark_Knight_335]

Originally Posted by PKizzle

Surprised by some comments that say the leatherette is hard. I personally find the leatherette to actually be softer than the Dakota leather...as the leatherette has a bit of a rubbery feel to it. It's also grippier as the leatherette seats don't allow you to slide at all. This is great during hard cornering etc., but can at times also be a bit annoying like when you want to simply slide a bit to adjust your position...and you find your pants getting pulled down instead.

LMAO

[billiebob]

Since I lost my last car in hurricane sandy the next one will have leatherette again. It was totally fine.

It's not real leather like Audi or Porsche, but neither is Dakota really. Thats plastic coated too.

[ziggy55]

06 E90 with leatherette, interior looks fine and is holding up real well. Leatherette is very durable, just the feeling and hefty look of leather isn't there; besides that, no negatives towards my bmw leatherette experience.

[rg87]

Originally Posted by Amini77

I don't know what I have in my 06 E90 but I hear that leatherette is supposed to last longer than 100% real leather. It doesn't crack either because it doesn't dry up that easily like regular leather. Is there a way to tell what I have?

If you have sport seats, you can usually tell by the side bolsters and the back part. Side bolsters and the back will have the stitching on them. Leatherette doesn't.

Originally Posted by CJ421

I'd stick to the leather. The BMW leatherette is good quality but ... it's plastic. Leather smells nice and the experience is much better.

And as noted you can't get lumbar support without getting the 'premium' package which includes leather. Worthwhile package to have.

Definitely love the smell of leather when I get into my car!

Originally Posted by z4ps

Leatherette + hot summer =

Leather is no different, especially black leather. Super hot!

I can't check out the car equipped w/ leatherette cuz it's in SoCal, and I'm in NorCal. Looking to purchase Pre-Owned. Also, on my E46, I thought I had dakota leather seats, but turned out I had leatherette. The leatherette did get hard over time even with conditioning.

[Efthreeoh]

So I'll say this. I have beige leatherette in my car. I had to rebuild the driver's seat after 167,000 miles. I had to replace the upper seat (torso) cover as it had ripped at the side bolster seam due to my big ass rubbing on it upon entry. The bottom seat foam had deteriorated but the seat bottom cover was fine. I was going to replace the seat bottom cover too, but decided that it was still in good condition. So my car has a new torso cover and the orginal seat bottom cover (now at 196,000 miles) and the condition of both look the same.

[EPOS]

I bought my car brand new and opted for leatherette over the Dakota leather. Sorry guys, but the so called "leather" that the Dakota is suppose to be is some cheap shit. My G35 coupe had better leather. The only leather I would have paid for if I didn't get the msport package would have been the individual crap. I plan to keep my 335d for a very long time and didn't want the seats to start looking like crap after the warranty ended. One thing that I do like on the Dakota is the double stitching...that almost most made me change my mind when ordering lol

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by Amini77

I don't know what I have in my 06 E90 but I hear that leatherette is supposed to last longer than 100% real leather. It doesn't crack either because it doesn't dry up that easily like regular leather. Is there a way to tell what I have?

push 1 finger into it. If it wrinkles around your finger its leather. Also, if bolsters are creased...its leather.

[luskombi]

Originally Posted by EPOS

I bought my car brand new and opted for leatherette over the Dakota leather. Sorry guys, but the so called "leather" that the Dakota is suppose to be is some cheap shit. My G35 coupe had better leather. The only leather I would have paid for if I didn't get the msport package would have been the individual crap. I plan to keep my 335d for a very long time and didn't want the seats to start looking like crap after the warranty ended. One thing that I do like on the Dakota is the double stitching...that almost most made me change my mind when ordering lol

My e46 had leather, my e90 has leatherette. I much prefer the leatherette. With 50k miles it still looks new whereas the leather in the e46 at 50k looked like it was in a car with three times the use. I'm leather's biggest fan but not in a bmw. I also feel the leatherette is a lot more comfortable, softer in all temps and no different in hot weather. For what these cars cost the leather quality is a little embarrassing really. Now I wish I could find a nice e46 m3 with leatherette.

[Braumin]

I find it pretty funny that there are people slamming Leatherette, but then when asked how to determine if a car has leather vs leatherette, you have to point out stitching! I mean, if it's that bad, why is it so hard to tell the difference?

I had leatherette in my e46 and it was great. Now I have Dakota leather, and honestly it feels almost exactly the same.

Maybe that's because the Dakota is just poor leather as others have pointed out.

[Denny347]

The wife has VW's version of Leatherette in her Touareg. We had leather in her old Ford Explorer and it was hard taking care of it with the kids...very hard. Leatherette is so easy to keep clean and wipe messes up on. Since I'm the one to keep her truck clean, I like that I don't have to condition 2 vehicles.

[cuiter23]

I have Leatherette in my car. In comparison to the Nevada leather in my Dad's X5, it is less comfortable. The seat feels more "plasticky" rather than soft and comfy in the real leather seats. Leatherette does shine if you use it often without cleaning as well. Honestly, I do not believe that they should even be in any 3er.

Overall, I would definitely prefer real leather over leatherette any day.

[KWVT]

My 05 325xi has leatherette and ~100k and still looks great, looks like its brand new.

My previous 06 330i had Dakota Leather and sold it with 65k and while the most of the interior was in great shape from not being used the driver seat had quiet a bit of wear.

My current 2009 328xi with real leather still looks great, but I take very good care of it and I am careful entering and exiting the vehicle just for this reason.

My moms 2011 X5 with leather has about 15k on it and her drivers side seat looks atrocious, and she is a very petite women.

I really like how the leatherette holds up, and if purchasing a new car I wouldnt let that sway my decision making. However if I was ordering a new car I would get the real leather just for the added option of the PP.

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by Braumin

I find it pretty funny that there are people slamming Leatherette, but then when asked how to determine if a car has leather vs leatherette, you have to point out stitching! I mean, if it's that bad, why is it so hard to tell the difference?

I had leatherette in my e46 and it was great. Now I have Dakota leather, and honestly it feels almost exactly the same.

Maybe that's because the Dakota is just poor leather as others have pointed out.

I agree...pretty funny. What cracks me up even more is that they call it "leatherette" instead of vinyl. So easy to care for and after a couple of months the leather smell is gone.

[Braumin]

They couldn't sell a "luxury" car with vinyl seats! No one would buy it!

[JRJ1970]

Originally Posted by z4ps

Leatherette + hot summer =

I've had both in the Texas summer. Leather is hotter than leatherette for me.

Regardless, I totally like having leather better.

[drevil2k2]

Currently have black Dakota leather, breaking in nicely. Yes I will have to do maintenance to prevent cracking and drying.

Previously had the Artico leather on my Mercedes W204 C300; it remained very subtle, even in winter but I made the mistake of ordering the light grey interior. Cleaning it properly and safely was a little tricky. Felt more sticky in the summer.

After 5 years in my Audi B6 A4, the leather around the seat region started to split and crack. Luckily, it was a leased vehicle and back it went.

When building my next car, I will still order it with leather, personal preference, and in a dark color.

[spiike32]

A lot of posts in this thread are not correct. Leatherette will crack, I know because my driver side bolster started to crack which then grew into a huge crack and I had the entire seat replaced by BMW. I am a fit 5'9'' individual, and was specifically told by the dealer that it is actually quite common in leatherette after 4-5 years.

So yes leatherette can crack, but it definitely is more durable than leather, doesn't need to be conditioned, and shows less visible wear over time.

[E92 M Sport]

IMO I wasn't buying a BMW with leatherette. My black Dakota leather looks awesome after 27k from the original owner. I'd get it again.

[f0xfire021]

+1 on leatherette. I have beige leatherette, and everyone that gets into the car notes how nice the leather is. We have a toddler, and cleaning up cheerios, goldfish, spilled milk, decaying grapes ... good god, who knows what falls behind her car-seat ... is as easy as wiping everything down with a wet rag. At nearly 50k miles and almost 4 years old, it still looks brand new with no sagging.

My one complaint is that it doesn't breath as well as other options out there, but it takes several hours of driving to get to that point in my experience.

[rubber]

Originally Posted by spiike32

A lot of posts in this thread are not correct. Leatherette will crack, I know because my driver side bolster started to crack which then grew into a huge crack and I had the entire seat replaced by BMW. I am a fit 5'9'' individual, and was specifically told by the dealer that it is actually quite common in leatherette after 4-5 years.

So yes leatherette can crack, but it definitely is more durable than leather, doesn't need to be conditioned, and shows less visible wear over time.

I was shocked that my leatherette is cracking, and the car is under 4 years old and less than 27,000 miles. I went with the leatherette for the alleged durability.

[mark1996]

Originally Posted by rubber

I was shocked that my leatherette is cracking, and the car is under 4 years old and less than 27,000 miles. I went with the leatherette for the alleged durability.

Sounds like an exceptional experience. I have the leatherette and after 3 years and 60k miles: no visible wear. That being said, for my next car, I may go for the leather.

[christopherboyce]

I purposely sought out leatherette in mine for the exact reasons listed in this thread: durability, easy-clean, virtually no-maintenance, and still looks like new (after 75k in my 2006).

I have (and had) leather in my other vehicles, and although I love that, too, I didn't want that in my BMW models.

The inside/trim of our cars are delicate enough the way it is, to the touch, so why help add to the eroding over time with 'real' leather. : )