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What is the opinion of the cognoscenti ?
MOCAŠ
MB Enthusiast
Funny you should mention that, as I've come across an bizarre anomaly when specifying my SLK - if you specify "exclusive" nappa leather, the dashboard is also trimmed in nappa, but go for Designo exclusive nappa (far more aesthetically pleasing, though over twice the price) and the dashboard is trimmed in Artico. No-one can tell me why, but I've asked my dealership if they can arrange a special order to pair Designo with a nappa dash.
Artico may be OK for those that eschew leather for anything but shoes, but however good it may be, it's still just fancy plastic when it comes down to it.
Artico may be OK for those that eschew leather for anything but shoes, but however good it may be, it's still just fancy plastic when it comes down to it.
that sounds bizarre!
Artico = taxi trim
Leather = the real thing
The combination of hard suspension and Artico trim was enough to put me off getting a Sport model E Class
Leather = the real thing
The combination of hard suspension and Artico trim was enough to put me off getting a Sport model E Class
MOCAŠ
MB Enthusiast
Indeed. Not just the dash, either; door top-rails too. I can only imagine they've compromised to keep the overall cost of the designo option down, but it's so disappointing.
V12
MB Enthusiast
The salesman in MB southampton tried to tell me that no-one could tell the difference anyway.
Absolute rubbish.
Most people who dislike leather in cars have normally only been in cars with some kind of fake or bad leather.
Absolute rubbish.
Most people who dislike leather in cars have normally only been in cars with some kind of fake or bad leather.
Red C220
MB Enthusiast
I've gone off leather. It's just a status thing, it's something you just expect to see on a premium vehicle.
However I've come to find the artico/alcantara sport seats not only more practical, they don't bake in the summer sun they don't act like a fridge in winter, but also more comfortable.
I don't like cloth though, especially light cloth as it's murder to keep clean.
I now wouldn't order leather in a car having done so for over 20 years.
However I've come to find the artico/alcantara sport seats not only more practical, they don't bake in the summer sun they don't act like a fridge in winter, but also more comfortable.
I don't like cloth though, especially light cloth as it's murder to keep clean.
I now wouldn't order leather in a car having done so for over 20 years.
MOCAŠ
MB Enthusiast
Not necessarily. That's a bit like saying people only buy MBs for the badge.
It's virtually impossible to get genuine cloth is mainstream car these days with out having it re-trimmed, and some of us are averse to sitting on man-made fibres. Same goes for Artico, Alcantara and Dynamica - they're all just fancy names for plastic.
Trim doesn't have to be leather, but I'd at least want it be a natural substance/material.
Surely the dashboard isn't trimmed in cloth- not even with the cloth (Artico) seats?
MOCAŠ
MB Enthusiast
Nappa is standard for the seats, but then the dashboard comes in untrimmed moulded plastic. Exclusive Nappa is optional, and extends to the dash and door rails as well. designo exclusive nappa sees the dash nappa replaced with Artico.
Where are you getting that info (Designo using Artico)? I can't see any cloth on the dash on the designo page or the used example below that...
Mercedes-Benz UK - Lines and equipment - designo
Approved Used 2013 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK350 BlueEFFICIENCY for sale
The Designo page mentions an optional Alcantara windscreen surround- perhaps that material is also used elsewhere in the standard Designo package?
greyboy
Active Member
In my humble and honest opinion, i have chosen leather over cloth in my last few cars, (BMW 5 series, W210 and W211), because the cloth option is bladdy awful. Like a circa 90's Jap car. My '98 model C class sport estate however had fantastic black cloth which looked well up to the task of a "premium" brand car.
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Artico is artificial leather, it doesn't look like cloth.
greyboy
Active Member
Thanks chaps, what a dummy. I've been labouring under that misconception ever since I saw a trim described as Artico/Cloth- which I now know must have been a half-leather(ish)/cloth setup but at the time I thought meant that Artico was cloth.
I suppose the name was a clue- mischievously similar to Antico (leather).
I suppose the name was a clue- mischievously similar to Antico (leather).
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