[Sherhart]

Originally Posted by zarehs27

the only thing that bothers me in the leatherette option is that the door panels dont have stitching and that's why it looks cheap(er)...it's the only reason that makes me want the dakota option.

Not true for the sport version. Mine has contrast red stitching and it does make a huge difference.

Jimbo

[ft1330]

Originally Posted by ska325xi

just wondering the stock sensatec (fake leather??) seats are good enough or you must have the real leather...any thoughts?

my e90 has the real leather and its still like new after 8+ years

I love my leatherette, nobody can tell it's not leather, and I like it more because it's easier to maintain (as in, nothing to do).

Funny story: the other day I was pulled over by a cop at midnight because I didn't see a No Turn on Red Sign. After some questioning he admitted that he thought I had been drinking because of the "new leather smell" of my car that he confused for a booze smell. Don't know what it says about either leatherette or the cop, but he said he loved the car Got off with a warning... I'm lucky because I was about to gun it big time when I realized it was a cop that just passed me...

[lsutiger]

have a 13 year old E46 with 'ette. Seats still look brand new. just took delivery of an F30 with 'ette.

I live in Southern Louisiana and I've never noticed them being any hotter than leather seats.

[OC40]

My wife's MINI S has amazing leatherette. I probably would have went with 'ette, but I wanted sport seats and CA.

[Rasengan]

looks like i may be the only one that could tell leatherette was definitely not leather the first time i sat in it...my wife knew it wasn't before i had a chance to tell her...hell even my mom knew it wasn't real leather that she had to ask if it was leather (i don't think she wanted to be rude and assume it wasn't)...honestly, if leatherette is this close in look and feel to real BMW F-series leather then BMW leather is awful and far worse than Infinity or Lexus...i was shockingly disappointed BUT with 4 dogs and a new baby on the way, i'm still glad i went synthetic over real leather

[teaston]

I didn't realise leatherette was available in any region. In UK we only have Dakota or Individual leather, which are both proper leather i assume?

[moishe]

Originally Posted by ska325xi

my e90 has the real leather and its still like new after 8+ years

This ^

[trusaleen1]

I had leatherette in my 2008 335 coupe and 2011 335iS coupe. I liked the durability and no one asked if it was real, both looked new after my leases ended. However I did notice my back would sweat on long drives in the 2011.

I have a 435 on order and only went real leather because I ordered the coral red. I am happy to have the smell of leather too. We will see how it holds up.

[James550i6spd]

Had leatherette in my 01 330i and it was still holding up in great condition when I got rid of that car in November (12+ years).

Durability-wise, it gets an A.
Also, not once in the 12 years did I wish I had leather instead..just never really missed it. The other family car is an Infinity M, and it has high grain luxurious leather so I get to always compare the two. End of the day, the leatherette over leather was never an issue.

[R12ax7]

I agree with pretty much everything that's been said on this thread. I had leather in my previous 2 BMWs. This past week we had that freezing cold period in the northeast and i had to park my car outside overnight on the coldest of those nights. That next morning was the first time I remembered that I got the leatherette instead of the leather. Leather can get firm when it gets cold also but this was firm in a different way. Not all that big a deal, but just one more difference between the two that wasnt especially pleasing.

Still, for the savings (and since there was no terra or chestnut leather available), I would get the leatherette again for sure.

[nicknaz]

I had oyster leather and black vinyl (aka leatherette) in my old E90 and the oyster leather should wear in 2 years, despite my best efforts to condition, but the vinyl looked new after 3 years.

My current F30 has vinyl and I think it is fine. Good cost savings and durability.

[eekthecat]

Leatherette is only acceptable because the BMW Dakota leather is so awful. However, since they're both on the crappy side, I would've happily gone with Sensatec if I could've gotten comfort access and lumbar support with it. I've never had any issues with the leather wearing poorly, and yes, the leatherette will leave you with a sweaty back on certain days (and I'm not a sweaty dude).

(I've had an E46 with leather, E92 with leatherette, another E92 with leather, and now an F32 on order with leather)

[jenks.chris106]

Originally Posted by carzaddict

i find it to be complete bullshit that they even offer 2 kinds of "leather". theres really no point to it.

most of the buyers wont even realize the difference....i bet most buyers dont even KNOW theres a difference. just make 1 kind a standard across the board and call it a day. also, chances are a person who is buying a 3 series is more or less trying to buy a nice car without really breaking the bank. the kicker is that people will get in your car and expect it to be leather just because its a BMW

im not speaking on every single persons behalf....i know there are people that would rather have the real leather. im just saying

I know this is an old post, but I just purchased a 2020 M340I with sensatec. I must say the interior looks great. The downside is that its definitely not breathable, and it is very "grippy."

My only real issue goes along with what you said in that, I didn't really realize the seats weren't real leather until it bugged me enough to check...So basically it took me checking bmwusa to find out its not real. Kinda pisses me off being that I just paid nearly 60K on sport model 2020 vehicle and it doesn't have leather seats FML. I hope i don't regret it!!

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by Rasengan

looks like i may be the only one that could tell leatherette was definitely not leather the first time i sat in it...my wife knew it wasn't before i had a chance to tell her...hell even my mom knew it wasn't real leather that she had to ask if it was leather (i don't think she wanted to be rude and assume it wasn't)...honestly, if leatherette is this close in look and feel to real BMW F-series leather then BMW leather is awful and far worse than Infinity or Lexus...i was shockingly disappointed BUT with 4 dogs and a new baby on the way, i'm still glad i went synthetic over real leather

I had Dakota leather in my prior 3 series and I disliked it. Now I have Nappa and I love it. Nonetheless, if I had to choose between leatherette and Dakota, I would go for the leatherette.

[AndDown]

Just like everything in life, there's pros and cons with everything and it's what's important to you personally that matters. For some/most, the smell of leather and knowing it's leather outweighs the cons of leather e.g. upkeep, wear, etc. For me personally, it's whether the material holds up with minimal upkeep that's more important than the leather smell. Our three current bimmers and my previous two all had Sensatec and they look as good as the day we bought the cars.

[bimmer456]

I noticed some cracking in my sensatec so it is not invincible.

[deviantspeed]

Originally Posted by ybbiz34

Sensatec Pros:

- Wears better (BMW leather is notorious for wrinkling and stretching)

...l

Nope, mine cracked open easily (sensatech) on my 2013 with low miles. OEM warranty covered a replacement.

[5mall5nail5]

Drove the '15 328i RWD (that I ended up buying) but drove a loaded '15 328xi with full leather, everything. Honestly, when I got in the RWD I didn't even think to ask the salesman. I drove the car, loved it, and bought it. Then realized it had SensaTec and literally went "ew!" in my head. But then I realized I didn't even notice and honestly I have had many BMWs with leather and it cracks, gets stiff and hard, etc. I realized how "supple" the SensaTec still feels compared to my wifes E84 with full dakota... I am a convert.

[5mall5nail5]

Originally Posted by zarehs27

the only thing that bothers me in the leatherette option is that the door panels dont have stitching and that's why it looks cheap(er)...it's the only reason that makes me want the dakota option.

Mine has stitched door panels and seats with SensaTec

[deviantspeed]

Originally Posted by 5mall5nail5

Mine has stitched door panels and seats with SensaTec

Yup, my door panels are stitched, too.

edit: leather here

[deviantspeed]

EDIT: remember, this is leather, just showing some pics that there is stitching in the side panels

Some quick pics

[5mall5nail5]

deviantspeed how many miles on your car? I have 33k on SensaTec and don't have the loose fit in the seat