Artico Artificial Leather

[theogeor]

I had half cloth/half artico on our previous A class and now full Artico on our B class and so far I could not be happier. My wife likes it and doesn't understand what the differences are and most if not all our friends don't either. Is easy to clean and is durable. .. yes it doesn't have the same feeling like my full leather on my 911 but I could not say that I am dissatisfied. On the contrary. .
Would I choose it again. ..Definitely!

 

[Bonecho]

Doesn't black roast your bum when the summer sun gets to work in the car park?

 

[Deane x]

I would definitely buy a new car with Artico, Sport trim for me, flat black paint and beige artico, that is £1200 saved which can cover Comand.

I think comand is only with prem plus not a up grade on its own so that's £2780 ..it's a personal thing but I would not wear fake leather shoes and would not put my children in fake leather shoes so why would I sit in fake leather ...every one to there own

 

[DSB SL AMG]

Been debated many times, it all depends if you want to drive around in plastic or leather seats...good topic thread below

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/42381-real-leather-vs-artico-leather.html

Interesting comments - I thought there would be more against Artico.

 

[gIzzE]

I think comand is only with prem plus not a up grade on its own so that's £2780 ..it's a personal thing but I would not wear fake leather shoes and would not put my children in fake leather shoes so why would I sit in fake leather ...every one to there own

But I bet none of there shoes are nice calf, up to £100-150 a pair they will be corrected grain leathers and 9 times out of 10 have a non breathable layer over the top taking away any advantage decent leather brings with it.

The UK gets very caught up in things having to be leather, where as many higher end footwear products are now using breathable synthetics, they wear better, breathe better, take far less looking after and can be waterproof.
But you try selling someone in the UK a boot for £250 when the leather version is only £180, it is a hard sell.

Synthetic to many people, especially in the UK of a certain age, makes them think of non breathable cheap tat, the sort of products that you would be sent to school in in the 70's and 80's, polyester shirt and trousers? Nice!
However synthetic these days for a younger generation can mean high end performance fabrics.

Go into a sports shop and look at the best fabrics, with the exception of layering pieces in Merino wool none of it is natural fabrics, they are all performance fabrics and all 'synthetic'.


If a leather is a proper aniline nappa then fair enough, but when it is painted the same as artico there is no real reason to worry if you don't tick the box.
This generation of artico vs leather is no where near as big a gap as the last gen or Nappa vs MB Tex.






I wouldn't consider a car without Comand (or xenons), even Comand is a bit basic, but it needs it imho. And it adds £1000 come resale, leather and metallic add nothing, not when you can have artico. But as you say, different strokes and all that.

 

[Deane x]

But I bet none of there shoes are nice calf, up to £100-150 a pair they will be corrected grain leathers and 9 times out of 10 have a non breathable layer over the top taking away any advantage decent leather brings with it.

The UK gets very caught up in things having to be leather, where as many higher end footwear products are now using breathable synthetics, they wear better, breathe better, take far less looking after and can be waterproof.
But you try selling someone in the UK a boot for £250 when the leather version is only £180, it is a hard sell.

Synthetic to many people, especially in the UK of a certain age, makes them think of non breathable cheap tat, the sort of products that you would be sent to school in in the 70's and 80's, polyester shirt and trousers? Nice!
However synthetic these days for a younger generation can mean high end performance fabrics.

Go into a sports shop and look at the best fabrics, with the exception of layering pieces in Merino wool none of it is natural fabrics, they are all performance fabrics and all 'synthetic'.


If a leather is a proper aniline nappa then fair enough, but when it is painted the same as artico there is no real reason to worry if you don't tick the box.
This generation of artico vs leather is no where near as big a gap as the last gen or Nappa vs MB Tex.






I wouldn't consider a car without Comand (or xenons), even Comand is a bit basic, but it needs it imho. And it adds £1000 come resale, leather and metallic add nothing, not when you can have artico. But as you say, different strokes and all that.

Good read many thanks I am a bit of a fan when it comes to natural products I would not even have UPVC windows and door in my house , one reason being is there harmful to the environment and I am sure fake leather is just as bad ..I think your wrong about metallic adding value as lease company's like metallic paint on there cars and it's not because it looks nicer, not sure about leather adding value

 

[markjay]

Good read many thanks I am a bit of a fan when it comes to natural products I would not even have UPVC windows and door in my house , one reason being is there harmful to the environment and I am sure fake leather is just as bad ..I think your wrong about metallic adding value as lease company's like metallic paint on there cars and it's not because it looks nicer, not sure about leather adding value

I agree with you, but at the same time commercial processing of leather involves use of harsh chemicals that are potentially harmful to the environment.

Old fashioned totally hand-made leather is quite expensive and rarely found in mass-production cars (unless available as an option).

Choosing the standard leather option in preference to synthetic polymers is not necessary more environmentally friendly.

Cloth might be the better option, though again almost anything produced commercially these days is likely to have a non-green element...

I suppose that if one is seriously green-minded the only real option is a pair of bicycles.... which also contain rubber....

 

[markjay]

On another note, traditionally only three things made a significant difference to the second hand value of an executive saloon:

Colour (metallic, black or silver), automatic, and leather.

SatNav, pano, HID, large wheels, etc are all nice but the top three are as above.

This may have changed though.....

 

[Bonecho]

Also it comes down to cost, for many a line has to be drawn in the sand as to where the spending stops. Also I would have thought that there is a great deal of profit for MB in the leather upgrade. So how much does a cow hide cost compared with is imitation rival?

 

[gIzzE]

On another note, traditionally only three things made a significant difference to the second hand value of an executive saloon:

Colour (metallic, black or silver), automatic, and leather.

SatNav, pano, HID, large wheels, etc are all nice but the top three are as above.

This may have changed though.....

Yeah, media pack, comand, mmi high etc. now dictate a £1000 premium come trade in, nothing else in any guide adjusts price any more.

 

[James]

I wouldn't get Artico. It's plastic at the end of the day. It does annoy me that Mercedes charges so much for their cars and then sticks plastic upholstery in it. Even cloth would be more desirable.

In the past, Mercs with MB tex were always less desirable on the second hand market than cars with leather or even cloth - I don't see why that should change now. However a lot of people are duped into thinking that Artico is leather by non-franchised dealers. Okay it looks a lot more leathery than MB tex, but don't let MB tell you that it's anything other than plastic.

Also I have been reading that it is prone to splitting. Yes leather needs occasional treatment, but no more than a damp cloth every now and again and a full clean once or twice a year.

 

[BTB 500]

I'm curious what people who regard Artico as merely 'plastic' think about Alcantara? That's equally 'fake', but is used in some reasonably upmarket applications (often in conjunction with leather ... the real stuff that is ).

 

[streethawk]

I wouldn't get Artico. It's plastic at the end of the day. It does annoy me that Mercedes charges so much for their cars and then sticks plastic upholstery in it. Even cloth would be more desirable.

In the past, Mercs with MB tex were always less desirable on the second hand market than cars with leather or even cloth - I don't see why that should change now. However a lot of people are duped into thinking that Artico is leather by non-franchised dealers. Okay it looks a lot more leathery than MB tex, but don't let MB tell you that it's anything other than plastic.

Also I have been reading that it is prone to splitting. Yes leather needs occasional treatment, but no more than a damp cloth every now and again and a full clean once or twice a year.

Well I've only had my e class with artico a month and I'd of never of guessed it wasn't leather! Even brought some autoglym leather cleaner and feed stuff and used it ha ha oh well it cleaned it. Will have to save it for the wife's Honda with real leather.

 

[streethawk]

Well I've only had my e class with artico a month and I'd of never of guessed it wasn't leather! Even brought some autoglym leather cleaner and feed stuff and used it ha ha oh well it cleaned it. Will have to save it for the wife's Honda with real leather.

Doh just checked vin decoder and it is leather ha ha that's why I couldn't tell

 

[whitenemesis]

I'm curious what people who regard Artico as merely 'plastic' think about Alcantara? That's equally 'fake', but is used in some reasonably upmarket applications (often in conjunction with leather ... the real stuff that is ).

Artico is vinyl, Alcantara is polyester. Both can be passed off as that which they purport to be.

There are many grades of Alcantara, from the downright crap that bobbles and wears flat as you watch, to that which wears very well and could be mistaken for suede. Probably more expensive than the real thing though...

 

[Red C220]

There are many grades of Alcantara, from the downright crap that bobbles and wears flat as you watch, to that which wears very well and could be mistaken for suede. Probably more expensive than the real thing though...

I recently had a local trimmer re trim an item for me in Alcantara. The decent stuff is £100 m2.

 

[James]

I'm curious what people who regard Artico as merely 'plastic' think about Alcantara? That's equally 'fake', but is used in some reasonably upmarket applications (often in conjunction with leather ... the real stuff that is ).

I was always felt that although Alcantara is fake suede, it is a far more sumptuous material than artico - it doesn't wear very well though as a seat material. A lot of car manufacturers seem to use it as headlining on their more expensive models.

Mercedes used to offer a fake suede option called (correct me if I am wrong!) Amaretta on the W126 SE/SEC models for a short period of time - it was a similar priced option to leather or velour (also a man made material)

 

[Camchan]

As someone says it is horses for courses. I had reached my spending limit and had to choose between intelligent LED lights or leather. After driving the car with artico, I went with that as it seemed fine. Also the sales guy was adamant that it would wear better. He has seen both leather and artic after 10 years and said uncared leather comes back with cracks and sags where as the artic is as good as new. Apparently the Germans love it as well. I Sat in a 10 year old SL recently and the leather was as hard as stone and slippy as hell so I feel for me it will be the right choice.

 

[whitenemesis]

Didn't know they Artico 10yrs back. I thought it was MBTex then, a totally different vinyl, much better than Artico.

 

[Camchan]

That is interesting as my brother in law was with me and he had been in an artico merc. years before and said the quality in this one was far better than that. Whether it was MB tex or not I don't know.