Leather options

[Chewyjr15]

what is the quality of the leatherette? Im deciding between coral red, and black leatherette. Id rather the coral red, but the price difference is what is driving my decision to maybe go with the black leatherette. This is for a jet black 135.

[lacrosse]

I LOVE my coral red interior.

[GMT II]

'ette gets hotter in summer from what I hear. That could be a concern for you.

[Zoidberg]

I cannot stand the smell of the leatherette. If you look on various BMW forums, you will find stories about some individuals who get nauseous when exposed to leatherette. I know it's only people with sensitivities to artificial material, but why take the chance?

The extra cost of leather is well worth the cash in my opinion. My 128i has a taupe leather interior and I love it.

[135iUSN]

I choose coral because I don't like leatherette, but my choice is the terra...in my AW..

[Budget M3]

A black car in SoCal will be very uncomfortable in the summer with black leatherette. If cost is a concern, then go with the taupe leatherette...it will be cooler.

[lib]

The coral is a great color - if you want it I'd say go for it.

As for the letherette, it works well. After a summer in TX with taupe leatherette I can't remember having any problems with it getting too warm or having any odd smells.

Black may be too hot in the summer but that would likely be true of black leather as well.

[FunkyTown128]

I have the taupe leatherette and I love it. My last two cars had real leather, and even with good upkeep it still looks cracked and bad after a few years imho. I say leatherette for ease.....but I must admit...that coral with black is very sexy.

[pit1]

If the bank can handle it, go with the Coral. I LOVE mine. Good friend has the leatherette, it's nice, but makes a difference on the interior feel of the car. Plus it's a bit hard. People often conservatively complement my car as the walk up...then the see the interior and jaws drop.

I LOVE the Black/Coral combo, aggressive and sporty. I just couldn't handle upkeep of another black car.

[paologaspar]

If I wanted a black (or taupe) interior, I would go with the leatherette. It's cheaper than the leather, it wears better, and I've been fooled many times into thinking it was the real thing.

[Dave]

I have an AW with black ette
and everyone seems to think it is leather.

For a black car I would try to get some color, so I would go with coral but keep in mind the red looks great now... but in 4 years it will show cracks alot more and be nearly impossible to sell. Ask any e46 m3 owner who had the red leather

The ette is soft and not vinylly (sp?) at all and does not smell at all. Also in the summer it was not hotter than leather...felt just right

[Chewyjr15]

right now since i havnt ordered the car im thinking of going montego blue with black ette or aw with black ette

[john08135i]

I have the black leather. It is NOT worth the extra $$ IMO. Yes it does smell better but other than that it isnt real plush or anything.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Chewyjr15

right now since i havnt ordered the car im thinking of going montego blue with black ette or aw with black ette

also seen a few thread here about coral (and maybe lemon too) leather having dicoloration after like 2k miles. The bottom of the seat starts to look a little off in color because of your pants which transfer over colors.


I would def. go with black ette

[instantexpert]

I originally wanted the Coral Red interior but two things changed my mind:

1. Maintenance. I had neither idea how or patience to care for the read leather and keep it looking good.
2. Once I rode in a Black 135 with red interior, I found it harsh enough that I would be irritated by it after a few thousand miles.

I got black leather because I wanted a few features of the Premium package (compass on mirror, garage door opener, folding mirrors, bluetooth, lumbar support, power seats) and it just made sense to go for the whole thing. If you're going for a stripped car with just sport package, I'd just get the leatherette.

[Chewyjr15]

planning on going sports package idrive hifi ipod, bmw assist.

[320Devil]

I have Lemon on Jet Black and the contrast looks great. Yes, it's a PITA to keep clean, but if you wash your car at least once a week and live in Southern, CA where it hardly ever rains, it's really not that bad. You HAVE to clean Lemon at least once a week to keep it looking new, but I figure with all the cleaning and conditioning it gets that perhaps in 5 years it will look like new. So, go with coral red and clean it often and you'll be happy.

[warmtoes]

Love my Coral and I have no discoloration on my seats after 5 months of use.

[AlienDNA]

I have black leather. The loaner I had today had black leatherette. To me, there was no difference in feel, appearance or odour. In my opinion, the only reason to order leather is if you want colour, and that comes down to personal preference.

Otherwise, save some coin for gas and tires - you're gonna need it. :biggrin:

[Choccy]

instantexpert was the first to point out the real deciding factor for choosing leather over leatherette. Forget about the upfront cost of ordering your car with leather.

How much extra time and coin do you have for the maintenance and cleaning?

Unless you plan on taking care of a leather interior regularly, it will become a hassle.

Consider how much of your free time you have to dedicate to maintenance and cleaning. If you're okay with this, then go for it. If you're only leasing the car for a few years, well, maybe you can grin and bear it.

But if you're in the 1- for the long haul...

Put another way, you ever see a picture of Pamela Anderson without makeup on? That will be the inside of your 1- without proper care.

[Dazza]

Didn't even realise leatherette was standard(?) until after I had ordered and joined this forum, waited 5mths for car, delivery last week. Also did not know full leather was an option had one known about leatherette

[Chewyjr15]

went to the dealership today. liked jet black with toupe leatherette.