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      10-23-2020, 08:15 AM   #23
Caramel
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Everybody has their own taste, so I am the one who begs to differ on this one:

I prefer real leather over artificial alcantara or plastic wherever possible. I also prefer any nice looking fabric over alcantara wherever possible.

What I do not like about alcantara is its pseudo-fluffiness, and that it has a "memory" which shows who touched/stroked it forever (or until somebody touches it again, eventually turning the alcantara's surface into a mess).

But then again, I also prefer plain, wrinkle-free leather surfaces over the wrinklegate variations.
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      10-23-2020, 09:25 AM   #24
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Alcantara is actually pretty durable stuff, and is used frequently for seating and steering wheel covers. It's more of a replacement for leather or vinyl coverings rather than a replacement for conventional fabrics - it's ideal for a headliner.
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      10-24-2020, 08:34 AM   #25
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I am going to add little fuel to this fire (video below). Full disclosure: I picked a package that comes with Alacantra roof-liner, extended merino with walknappa leather dash.

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      10-24-2020, 08:58 AM   #26
Caramel
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"More grip than leather" and "Looks messy" are the two points that will make me avoid any car with alcantara in it (except if I ever were to buy a Formula One car where I would welcome that extra grip and would not even be able to see the messy look being cooped in the tiny cockpit).

But we do not need to argue about whether alcantara is hot or not, because Clarkson is always right. Always!
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      10-24-2020, 09:13 AM   #27
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Contrasting opinion, and of course suede or Alcantara is not maintenance-free - just like leather it does require some care and cleaning (particularly in areas subject to frequent handling with oily hands, like a gearshift knob), but is actually noted in the industry for being more durable than suede. As an aside, Porsche uses their own proprietary product called Race-Tex.

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      10-24-2020, 09:29 AM   #28
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IMO alacantra is not a good fit for steering wheel, door hand rest, and frequently touched area. Roofliner and pillars are ok I think.
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      10-24-2020, 11:22 AM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SmartSaves View Post
IMO alacantra is not a good fit for steering wheel, door hand rest, and frequently touched area. Roofliner and pillars are ok I think.
I would agree. I do PCA tech seminars on detailing tips at events. I had a owner of light silver (ivory) alcantara seats that had his girlfriend get in wearing a mini skirt and a fresh spray tan.. What we demonstrated to remove the spray tan from alcantara was a white Mr Clean magic eraser. To remove pilling from alcantara we use a sweater shaver. Remember alcantara is a fabric and not real suede. You approach regular maintenance and cleaning as if it were fabric upholstery. There’s also many hydrophobic sprays that can be used on Alcantara.
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      10-24-2020, 07:43 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GlennC View Post
IMO, the alcantara headliner, leather dashboard and black merino full leather interior make my M50i feel very special inside.
While I agree, to bad BMW removed the full merino leather interior option for 2021.
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