Dakota Leather

planemad · 10-20-2015, 04:18 PM

As title

Is it real leather or pleather (plastic leather)!?

Thanks

Kal101 · 10-20-2015, 04:19 PM

Have read a few threads on here that say it's genuine but coated

Tengocity · 10-20-2015, 04:21 PM

There's leather in there, but it isn't great quality, so a thin layer of leather and coated/bonded to something else much thicker.

planemad · 10-20-2015, 04:25 PM

Thanks both

Wills2 · 10-20-2015, 05:36 PM

All leather used in modern cars is coated to protect the material, aniline leather (not coated so open pored) wouldn't stand up to the wear and tear, you get different grades and finishes and some require more treatment than others.

The closest you'll get to an uncoated leather is semi aniline but that is still coated.

But Dakota isn't a very good example of coated(pigmented) leather from a "luxury" POV in my opinion but it's hardwearing, which is probably a key performance need as well as cost.

JustChris · 10-21-2015, 02:11 AM

It's great IMO.

Not luxurious but personally I've never had any seats fail or mark up much.

The Napa however on the M4 was a worry, one fast exit wearing jeans or alike and I could see problems, it is very soft. It also seemed to get warmer or feel more insulated over a long journey which I was surprised about, noticeably more insulated than Dakota.

I don't really pamper my cars so getting in full of mud and sweat after sport etc, needs to be able to cope with all this, for me Dakota is perfect balance.

Others leather like Audi reminds me of the shiny BMW Napa.

simon. · 10-21-2015, 02:24 AM

Agree with Chris. It's fit for purpose, looks ok, is leather & you don't have to worry about it.

creepy coupe · 10-21-2015, 02:30 AM

The leather in my missus's Mini Paceman is better than my 4 series. Dacota is shite IMO

leon1984 · 10-21-2015, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

The leather in my missus's Mini Paceman is better than my 4 series. Dacota is shite IMO

X2. Would have ordered alcantara M sport interior even if a paid option. I had a Z4 loan car with the proper stuff in and it was lovely!

The nicest interior I have had was an ST Ford, which had really nice soft leather on the sides, with perforated heated and cooled alcantara in the middle

Tronneh · 10-21-2015, 03:16 AM

It is far, far superior to the pleather that was in my skoda
At least the Dakota smells kind of like leather!

creepy coupe · 10-21-2015, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tronneh

It is far, far superior to the pleather that was in my skoda
At least the Dakota smells kind of like leather!

That must be dire then.

leon1984 · 10-21-2015, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tronneh

It is far, far superior to the pleather that was in my skoda
At least the Dakota smells kind of like leather!

And in a Vauxhall Vectre "Elite"

Ah man the name makes me giggle looking back at it now. Having said that it actually wasn't a bad car for the dollar but leather was like plastic, it just made you sweat!

Buttons · 10-21-2015, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

The leather in my missus's Mini Paceman is better than my 4 series. Dacota is shite IMO

+3

My wife has alcantara in her 1 series and its much nicer.
Dakota leather is crap IMO - hardwearing seats should be for Transit vans not a Premium (?!) car

HFW003 · 10-21-2015, 06:42 AM

The Dakota is real but, as others have said, it is absolute shite!

It is, IMO, the biggest problem with the 3 series.

muckypup · 10-21-2015, 06:47 AM

It's better than fabric seats - especially when you have messy children. You can wipe clean the sticky sludge plastered on the seat easily - Can't imagine you would be able to do that with fabric.

dopper99 · 10-21-2015, 06:58 AM

Seems hard wearing, but doesn't smell of leather - so doesn't seem special.

Not that impressed with it, other than being hard waring.

JD6 · 10-21-2015, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris The Manx

It's great IMO.

Not luxurious but personally I've never had any seats fail or mark up much.

The Napa however on the M4 was a worry, one fast exit wearing jeans or alike and I could see problems, it is very soft. It also seemed to get warmer or feel more insulated over a long journey which I was surprised about, noticeably more insulated than Dakota.

I don't really pamper my cars so getting in full of mud and sweat after sport etc, needs to be able to cope with all this, for me Dakota is perfect balance.

Others leather like Audi reminds me of the shiny BMW Napa.

I had black nappa in 2 of my BMWs including an E53 X5 which I ran for about 6 years. It showed no signs of wear at all in that time and combined with Comfort Seats, was amazingly comfortable. The seats and leather are the thing I miss about that car, which was a boat in other respects. Great in winter, but too clumsy and wallowy for summer.

I would much prefer nappa to Dakota of my current car. Merino leather seems to be somewhere in between - it doesn't feel as soft as nappa to me.

Buttons · 10-21-2015, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muckypup

It's better than fabric seats - especially when you have messy children. You can wipe clean the sticky sludge plastered on the seat easily - Can't imagine you would be able to do that with fabric.

easy, don't let kids in the car!

lol

Musket · 10-21-2015, 10:20 AM

Funnily enough, I like the dakota leather in my F11, (my responsible adult reckoned it was dog sh*t brown colour but I liked it...)

I have recently ordered a F30 (330d M Sport) and was pleased to note the same hard wearing, decent looking leather, although this time I have gone for black.

I had a Hyundai Santa Fe a while back and decided that when in the '80s, manufacturers managed to get vinyl to look like leather, that in 2010, Hyundai returned the favour and managed to get leather to look (and feel) like vinyl.

teaston · 10-21-2015, 05:07 PM

The individual Merino leather is in a completely different class to Dakota, it makes Dakota really feel like plastic!

Wills2 · 10-22-2015, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teaston

The individual Merino leather is in a completely different class to Dakota, it makes Dakota really feel like plastic!

It has a wonderfully rich waxy feel to it, gorgeous stuff.

10-20-2015, 04:18 PM	#1
planemad Lieutenant Colonel 770 Rep 1,641 Posts Drives: 2020 Audi SQ7 & 2019 AM DB11 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: The Democratic Peoples Republic Of South East England iTrader: (0)	Dakota Leather - Real or Fake As title Is it real leather or pleather (plastic leather)!? Thanks
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10-20-2015, 04:19 PM	#2
Kal101 Major General 3105 Rep 7,031 Posts Drives: 335xd Msport + Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: West mids!!!! iTrader: (0) Garage List 2015 Bmw msport + 3 ... [0.00]	Have read a few threads on here that say it's genuine but coated __________________
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10-20-2015, 04:21 PM	#3
Tengocity General 8566 Rep 19,982 Posts Drives: 911, Cayenne Turbo, Disco 4 Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland iTrader: (0)	There's leather in there, but it isn't great quality, so a thin layer of leather and coated/bonded to something else much thicker. __________________ Current: Porsche 911 991 C4S, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Land Rover Discovery 4. Gone...G01 X3 M40i, Cayman S 987, F31 340i, Cayman GT4, F82 M4 CP, Lotus Exige V6, G20 330e, F30 330e, Boxster S 987, F31 335d, Mini Cooper SD, E89 Z4, E90 330d 320d, E60 520d, E46 330d 320d, MX5s, E30 325i
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10-20-2015, 04:25 PM	#4
planemad Lieutenant Colonel 770 Rep 1,641 Posts Drives: 2020 Audi SQ7 & 2019 AM DB11 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: The Democratic Peoples Republic Of South East England iTrader: (0)	Thanks both
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10-20-2015, 05:36 PM	#5
Wills2 Barge driver 8647 Rep 12,421 Posts Drives: 730d Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	All leather used in modern cars is coated to protect the material, aniline leather (not coated so open pored) wouldn't stand up to the wear and tear, you get different grades and finishes and some require more treatment than others. The closest you'll get to an uncoated leather is semi aniline but that is still coated. But Dakota isn't a very good example of coated(pigmented) leather from a "luxury" POV in my opinion but it's hardwearing, which is probably a key performance need as well as cost. __________________ 730d/Z4C
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10-21-2015, 02:11 AM	#6
JustChris General 17483 Rep 25,112 Posts Drives: Tesla MYRWD Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	It's great IMO. Not luxurious but personally I've never had any seats fail or mark up much. The Napa however on the M4 was a worry, one fast exit wearing jeans or alike and I could see problems, it is very soft. It also seemed to get warmer or feel more insulated over a long journey which I was surprised about, noticeably more insulated than Dakota. I don't really pamper my cars so getting in full of mud and sweat after sport etc, needs to be able to cope with all this, for me Dakota is perfect balance. Others leather like Audi reminds me of the shiny BMW Napa. __________________ My car made front page of Bimmerpost
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10-21-2015, 02:24 AM	#7
simon. Colonel 922 Rep 2,559 Posts Drives: F48 25D mSport Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Milton Keynes iTrader: (0)	Agree with Chris. It's fit for purpose, looks ok, is leather & you don't have to worry about it.
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10-21-2015, 02:30 AM	#8
creepy coupe Lieutenant General 1867 Rep 13,043 Posts Drives: BMW M340I G20 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: UK iTrader: (2) Garage List 2015 BMW 435d [0.00] 2009 335i [0.00]	The leather in my missus's Mini Paceman is better than my 4 series. Dacota is shite IMO __________________ -------------------------------------------------------------- Current car.M240i. Previous.MINI JCW. E92 325i. 435d M235i.M135i. 635d Coupe, E92 M3 manual, E92 M3 DCT Competition Pack. E92 335i, Porsche Cayman S Gen2, 135i Coupe. E92 320d, MK5 R32. MK5 Golf GTi,MK5 Golf GT-TDI,E46 318Ci.
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10-21-2015, 03:16 AM	#10
Tronneh Private First Class 53 Rep 198 Posts Drives: F31 335d LCI Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Blackburn iTrader: (0)	It is far, far superior to the pleather that was in my skoda At least the Dakota smells kind of like leather!
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10-21-2015, 06:42 AM	#14
HFW003 Brigadier General 5684 Rep 3,225 Posts Drives: 2024 M340i xdrive Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Newcastle, Australia iTrader: (0)	The Dakota is real but, as others have said, it is absolute shite! It is, IMO, the biggest problem with the 3 series.
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10-21-2015, 06:47 AM	#15
muckypup First Lieutenant 120 Rep 361 Posts Drives: F31 320d xDrive LCI Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Leighton Buzzard iTrader: (0)	It's better than fabric seats - especially when you have messy children. You can wipe clean the sticky sludge plastered on the seat easily - Can't imagine you would be able to do that with fabric. __________________ Drives: VW Tiguan 2.0TSI SEL DSG History: 320d F31 xDrive Sport, Kia Sportage KX-3 SatNav a.k.a The Tractor, Ford S-Max, Mitsubishi Shogun, Mitsubishi Pajero, BMW 2.8 Z3, Mazda 323, Ford Orion, Ford Sierra, Ford Escort, Ford Fiesta
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10-21-2015, 06:58 AM	#16
dopper99 Lieutenant General 3528 Rep 11,291 Posts Drives: Golf R Mk8 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: UK iTrader: (1)	Seems hard wearing, but doesn't smell of leather - so doesn't seem special. Not that impressed with it, other than being hard waring. __________________ Current: Golf R Mk8 Previous: Golf R Mk7.5 Mercedes AMG C63 S Coupe F80 M3 Competition Pack
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10-21-2015, 10:20 AM	#19
Musket Private 18 Rep 76 Posts Drives: F30 330d M Sport Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Funnily enough, I like the dakota leather in my F11, (my responsible adult reckoned it was dog sh*t brown colour but I liked it...) I have recently ordered a F30 (330d M Sport) and was pleased to note the same hard wearing, decent looking leather, although this time I have gone for black. I had a Hyundai Santa Fe a while back and decided that when in the '80s, manufacturers managed to get vinyl to look like leather, that in 2010, Hyundai returned the favour and managed to get leather to look (and feel) like vinyl.
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10-21-2015, 05:07 PM	#20
teaston Banned 10994 Rep 32,881 Posts Drives: X3 M40d Join Date: May 2012 Location: The High Seas iTrader: (1)	The individual Merino leather is in a completely different class to Dakota, it makes Dakota really feel like plastic!
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