[0_steve]

Had the merino in previous 2 BMWs (5 series and X5). For current M60i I went with Silverstone sensafin and after just over a year of ownership I couldn't be happier. Never liked the feel of the Merino nor the look of the seats. IMO the Sensafin is better in every way and much easier to care for. 12k miles in and not one single mark on the seats.

Side note: I battled a friend on this. He too reluctantly got the Sensafin after several with Merino and months in, agrees that it was a good move.

[dwwStL]

I’ve always had leather. The look of Sensafin and positive reviews had me reconsidering. We just added an X3 with Veganza and I love it. My next X5 will be Veganza. I’ll spend the leather $$$ on something else.

[maxthrottle]

So the 2025 X5 50e is back again at the dealer for the never ending CEL. Had it there Friday and Monday picked it up yesterday and got the CEL driving home. They didnt do a thing other than clear the fault history. As far as i can tell the car operates fine but I did get a huge RED charging error warning on the dashboard when I first tried to plug it in yesterday after the CEL.. The CEL went out and I was able to charge and dropped it off at the dealership today for strike three attemps to find the root cause and repair. My loaner today is a 2025 x5 50e with leather seats and NO MASSAGE FEATURE. The seats are FAR MORE COMFORTABLE than the sensofin with MASSAGE feature on my car that has been making me miserable driving this brand new car (and the intermitenant CEL)
Save your money....DO NOT spend the $1K for the massage feature. IMO. The seat is about as comfortable as a stadium bleacher.

[RatherJaded]

Originally Posted by maxthrottle

So the 2025 X5 50e is back again at the dealer for the never ending CEL. Had it there Friday and Monday picked it up yesterday and got the CEL driving home. They didnt do a thing other than clear the fault history. As far as i can tell the car operates fine but I did get a huge RED charging error warning on the dashboard when I first tried to plug it in yesterday after the CEL.. The CEL went out and I was able to charge and dropped it off at the dealership today for strike three attemps to find the root cause and repair. My loaner today is a 2025 x5 50e with leather seats and NO MASSAGE FEATURE. The seats are FAR MORE COMFORTABLE than the sensofin with MASSAGE feature on my car that has been making me miserable driving this brand new car (and the intermitenant CEL)
Save your money....DO NOT spend the $1K for the massage feature. IMO. The seat is about as comfortable as a stadium bleacher.

I am fairly confident that it has been proven that the massaging seats as well as the ventilated seat seats have less padding than seats without either option? This was at least the actual case with an F15 X5 and I believe I have read the same sentiments here (G05). Multi-contours with no other options are the way to go… Keep in mind that in the U.S. heated front seats in the G05 are standard.

[maxthrottle]

There is no amount of massaging that can make your a$$ feel better on the brick hard seats with this blasted $1K massage option. Just say NO. or DON'T.

[Snave01]

Originally Posted by maxthrottle

There is no amount of massaging that can make your a$$ feel better on the brick hard seats with this blasted $1K massage option. Just say NO. or DON'T.

Tell us how you really feel

[Mattl0806]

Originally Posted by maxthrottle

There is no amount of massaging that can make your a$$ feel better on the brick hard seats with this blasted $1K massage option. Just say NO. or DON'T.

One other observation to add.

I believe every seat has a degree of comfort difference in them even when the material and features are the same. I remember when I first sat in the merino MC seats in an x7 m60 with massage - I was expecting to be overwhelmed in comfort. To my surprise they were harder than rocks! I’ve since sat in many many many MC seats sensafin, merino, vernasca , with all combinations of features and none felt as hard as that first one. While, I am believer that the features change the comfort, I also believe no two seats have ever felt the same. I think this also leads to some of the differences in opinions we see on this topic. I wish bmw had more consistency here.

[PunsGalore]

Leather for me, all day, every day. But, this is why they offer both.. some people prefer one or the other, others simply don't care..

[car_fan]

Originally Posted by maxthrottle

The pleather seats in my new 2025 X5 50e are hard and uncomfortable after a few hours, some airplane seats are better! I actually bought memory foam cushions on Amazon for some seat softness hoping the brand new seats break in a bit to allow the ventilation to before summer. Not certain if the leather provides additional softness but IMO the Senosfin plastic is like sitting on marble after a few hours.

Yeah the massage seats …I hear that the hardware mechanism make the seats firmer.

[car_fan]

Originally Posted by maxthrottle

There is no amount of massaging that can make your a$$ feel better on the brick hard seats with this blasted $1K massage option. Just say NO. or DON'T.

LOL I hope Soyfan from Redline Reviews (YouTube) see your comments. He always complains about a car he reviews that does not have Massage and/or ventilated seats. He probably would complain about a scooter not having massage/ventilated seats! But I digress

[P1]

Originally Posted by 0_steve

Had the merino in previous 2 BMWs (5 series and X5). For current M60i I went with Silverstone sensafin and after just over a year of ownership I couldn't be happier. Never liked the feel of the Merino nor the look of the seats. IMO the Sensafin is better in every way and much easier to care for. 12k miles in and not one single mark on the seats.

Side note: I battled a friend on this. He too reluctantly got the Sensafin after several with Merino and months in, agrees that it was a good move.

I have one BMW with Merino and one with Sensafin. I'd get Sensafin again and again. It's excellent.

[Gr8 Ape]

We have both—me with merino and my wife with sensafin. I’m happy with both, especially since my wife regularly transports grandchildren and a dog, and I’d rather they attempt to decimate sensafin than leather.