Artico vs. Leather

[Paul/]

As often the case, MB USA appear to host a different resource...

designo Paint, Leather and Interior Trim - Mercedes-Benz

"Lavishly supple Nappa leathers are offered in both solid-color and two-tone motifs with rich Black trim."

"Extremely supple Exclusive Nappa leather hides are sourced from southern Germany. A semi-aniline dye process reveals their naturally smooth grain, requiring hides that are virtually free of imperfections to begin with."

"All of the hides gathered to upholster a single vehicle are matched by eye for uniformity of grain and color, then cut, sewn and fitted with an extraordinary level of handwork. "

 

[Ian Donkin]

It's Artico in our E and the (lack of) wear is remarkable. Our R has leather that I was convinced was Artico until I got the build sheet. I don't mind the Artico due to its total ease of care... Leather needs more TLC to stay looking good and sadly nowadays doesn't even have that wonderful smell of old.

Slightly off topic - I had an Audi A8 with Nappa and that was sublime whereas several BMW's have suffered from saggy leather seating as it stretches over time. Oxford leather in the L322 Range Rovers is very, very nice.

 

[MartinGB]

I must admit i'm quite a fan of the Artico stuff, i've had it in two car's with it in and never had a problem with it!

Obviously leather is a much more better quality product. But if you want to save a bit of money and go with the Artico, you cant really go wrong.

 

[b1g1an]

I must admit i'm quite a fan of the Artico stuff, i've had it in two car's with it in and never had a problem with it!

Obviously leather is a much more better quality product. But if you want to save a bit of money and go with the Artico, you cant really go wrong.

Leather is a better quality product when the leather is better quality, what passes for leather on cheaper/lower end cars nowadays is pitiful and looks and wears far worse than the decent fakes.

BMW's version, Sensatec, is much better wearing and actually looks more like leather than their low range leathers.

They all seem to be playing the leather facing trick too unless you pay a hefty upgrade fee and even then there's no guarantee.

 

[millo777]

MB Tex/Artico would make sense if you have kids or use the car as farm vehicle. Vinyl seats traumatised mt childhood, getting into a ford fiesta wearing shorts and getting 3rd degree burns on my legs.

I know I'm out of touch with reality, but looking around my local MB dealer is quite disheartening. Most of the cars have orange peel paint, plastic seats, drug dealer wheels and a clunky disesel engine, not forgetting an AMG badge and spine destroying sport suspension. Rant over.

On a semi related point. Are MB still using proper nappa (lambskin), or doing what most other makes now do and stretch the crap out of cow hides until the grain is smooth?

 

[whitenemesis]

.......................

On a semi related point. Are MB still using proper nappa (lambskin), or doing what most other makes now do and stretch the crap out of cow hides until the grain is smooth?

I believe 'nappa' is a tanning process rather than a particular skin. If MB blurb is to be believed MB "Nappa" leather is sourced exclusively from soft stomach skin of Bavarian bulls...

 

[Paul/]

...that's tripe. No, sorry, I'm getting confused, that's the stomach lining

It does seem oft stated on t'internet that proper Nappa is only derived from Sheep/Lamb or Kids.

But what do I know, I was blissfully unaware of the multitude of leathers until I got my MB recently.

 

[millo777]

I had a lift in a new SLK a few days ago and the nappa leather was really very good, but felt very different to the nappa in my w140. Not in a bad way, just different. The grain was more pronounced on the SLK.

I think it's the stitching that makes a difefrence too. It just gives the cabin a feel of high end workmanship and quality that you just don't get with artico or cloth. The stitched nappa on my w140 is leagues above the piped leather on the w124. Not as hard wearing, but it looks and feels in a different league.

 

[whitenemesis]

The standard leather in my S203 was nasty, fake and plastic coated. The datacard defo stated 'leather'!
After D:class retrimmed it in nappa leather it looked and felt 100% better, soft and luxurious
The nappa leather in the CLS is a bit in between, soft but a bit plastic looking...

 

[b1g1an]

Is yours the standard AMG nappa or the exclusive nappa? Still trying to work out the difference.

 

[whitenemesis]

Standard AMG nappa with the alcantara shoulder panels on the seats.

According to MB literature Exclusive means increased extent in the use of leather, not a different quality of leather.

 

[b1g1an]

Oh, another thread implies the opposite!

I've got the alcantara bits, does yours have nappa panels along the door armrest where you pull it to?

 

[whitenemesis]

My info is relevant to the 2005 models (which mine is!), leather quality goes - Standard, Nappa, Passion and the highest, designo Leather

Yes my door panels and door pulls are nappa covered

 

[whitenemesis]

From the 2005 MB Literature on Leather

Mercedes-Benz leather: high standard of quality
Robust and at the same time easy to clean – Mercedes-Benz leather
The long-lasting and hard-wearing Mercedes-Benz leather is available in all classes. The careful and involved treatment makes Mercedes-Benz leather above-average abrasion-resistant and lightfast. Further features:
• Easy to clean – at the same time, impressive in its naturalness.
• Not easily damaged also due to its high elasticity.
• Mercedes-Benz leather comes largely from bulls kept in an environment specially suited to the animals. The hide has an especially strong texture.
Nappa leather: makes an especially soft impression
Pliable nappa leather fulfils the highest demands
Nappa leather is appealing because of its naturalness and smooth surface. Smaller natural features such as tiny scars are evidence for the genuineness and exclusivity of leather as a natural material. The treatment principle of the soft nappa leather is the same as that for normal leather. The difference lies in the omission of the embossing (with which non-uniformities in the hide surface can be hidden). The leather comes exclusively from bulls, primary in south Germany:
• Demanding: only few hides fulfil the requirements for an almost fault-free, even and strong hide texture.
• Manufacturing character: in the highest precision handcraft, the leather is sown with decorative twin seams to increase the quality impression.
• Confirmation: the designo collection, that can be selected separately, uses nappa leather as its standard quality. Exception: the S-Class (see the following section).
S-Class: innovative also due to the new, highest-quality leather offerings
New, even higher-class leathers are responsible for the atmosphere in the new S-Class: PASSION leather, designo aniline leather and designo natural leather. The fine, even surface quality is brought out in a fascinating way.
PASSION leather: extremely careful pre-selection of the raw material is necessary
The selection criteria for PASSION leather are extremely exacting
PASSION leather receives little dressing, the natural hide texture is visible. Only the best raw material from bulls kept in stalls comes in question here. An extremely careful preselection is required. The use of a new, very thinly applied surface treatment can bring out its merits in an outstanding way:
• Impressive natural effect: fine-grained and open-pored.
• Very good moisture transport and heat balance.
• Ideal combination of suitability for daily use and pleasant feel.
• PASSION leather corresponds qualitatively to the designo aniline leather for the S-Class.
• Important: aniline leather is a term that has been introduced internationally to describe a leather that has a special unprocessed quality. The original „aniline“ has not been used to dye leather for many years now.
ADVANTAGES E-NEWSLETTER
designo natural leather: a new dimension
Sensual experience from soft cow leather
The designo collection has been designed exclusively for die S-Class and is a new leather quality, the designo natural leather. It opens up a really new dimension in terms of aesthetics and quality of comfort:
• No finishing, only dyed, extraordinarily soft cow leather.
• The material „lives“: Discreet colour changes in the course of time emphasise its unique, individual character.
• The most exclusive leather variant on the market, unique selling feature for the S-Class against the competition.
Even more leather: Exclusive means increased extent in the use of leather
Exclusive: Additional interior items can be covered with leather
From the quality „nappa leather“ upwards, the customer can order additional items in leather (shown by the „Exclusive“ tag):
• Dashboard, centre console, door facings etc. are also covered.
• Inside roof liner in Alcantara (depends on the class the car belongs to).
• For critical places which receive a lot of sunlight, the leather is pre-treated – experts talk of „pre-shrinking“.
With the Exclusive PASSION leather: additional items are not covered in PASSION but in nappa. Nappa is the more suitable material for places subjected to heavier wear. Controls and instruments (sunlight) and doors (ingress of rainwater) thus profit from greater long-term stability.
Conclusions: Leather is part of the Mercedes-Benz automobile „feel good“ culture
Individual, high-class: The range of leather fittings from Mercedes-Benz
The choice of leather quality, colours and design is unsurpassed in the competition. The customer can then introduce his personal style in a unique way. The new S-Class underlines its exceptional position in the upper range also by the range of new, top-class types of leather. It is a general truism: leather was always a sign in automobile construction of good taste and aesthetics. And apart from the emotional aspects, leather also offers convincing practical advantages.

 

[b1g1an]

Hmm, the mystery deepens.

Mine's a 2006 and the original owner paid about £750 for "Exclusive Nappa" according to the original invoice. It's got stitched Artico covering the dash and centre console and I can't remember seeing anymore nappa anywhere.

It's listed as Anthracite rather than black which the brochure mentions.

 

[whitenemesis]

My dash is also stitched material. Not sure what but it doesn't appear to be nappa, too coarse!

 

[Paul/]

...The leather comes exclusively from bulls, primary in south Germany:

...PASSION leather receives little dressing, the natural hide texture is visible. Only the best raw material from bulls kept in stalls comes in question here...

All of which, combined with the view that beyond MB, Nappa is usually from young sheep or goats, in my mind points to it being Veal Calf (seriously).

Oh well, at least there's no fur (or perhaps that's in a different part of the Designo catalogue)

 

[b1g1an]

My dash is also stitched material. Not sure what but it doesn't appear to be nappa, too coarse!

That's the artico synthetic stuff everyone's talking about.

 

[joecash]

as long as it's leather - nothing like it

 

[sinewave]

..............cue Steve!