[SHARMAATL]

Where would BMW's Merino leather (the best offering from BMW AFAIK) rank against the best from the competition?

Specifically, how would Merino rank compared to these:

1. Audi Valcona
2. Mercedes Nappa and Semi-Aniline
3. Lexus Semi-Aniline
4. Porsche Club

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before because I was really unable to find much literature about it on the interwebs.

[MystroX5]

I have owned all the others (except Lexus but have experience with it).
Merino is the top in softness and quality feel. A quality Nappa is a good second. The problem is there is a lot of variations of Nappa leather so high grade Nappa is great where some other is just average. Asian autos top grade leather is mid grade at best. Lexus materials are rubbish in comparison to what the German’s use in their top level. BMW uses TOP build materials in their top grade finishing. Even their piano black trim is finished exactly like Rolls Royce in the hand buffing.
I am very picky with build materials and some automakers use decent leather on their seats but horrifically cheap leather on their trim panels. BMW does not do this at their top trim levels in the X5/X7 with the leather used on the door panels are better than what most use for their seats. Porsche is very guilty of this.

[X6M50i]

Audi is simply not on the same level, their cars don't deserve to be compared to BMW and Mercs. BMW is slightly better than Lexus in terms of feel, but Lexus is slightly softer, both very good, Lexus uses extremely high quality leather, then again I only have experience with LS and LC; and Designo in the S is quite comparable

rankings:

BMW
Lexus/Merc/Porsche


Audi
VW ha

[Paladin1]

Agree with most of the above (I'd actually rate Audi above Lexus, but only brief experience with Porsche and MB) - I've had Audi's Valcona, Lexus, and actually Nappa on a previous BMW, and the Merino leather is superior in comfort and durability to all of them to me. Lexus' analine is thinner and softer, but more like a living room couch, Valcona is similar to Merino but not quite as durable in my opinion, and less comfortable, and BMW's Nappa seemed to wear faster and look worse over time, but was very comfortable, though less than Merino. Merino seems to be the sweet spot among all of them in quality, wearability and comfort.

[arciga18]

Kia telluride is a new contender.

(Half kidding here)

[Bimar]

Originally Posted by arciga18

Kia telluride is a new contender.

(Half kidding here)

Looks good in pictures, haven’t sat in one.

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by arciga18

Kia telluride is a new contender.

(Half kidding here)

[arciga18]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

Lol,

Well nappa leather, Alcántara headliner (or similar suede )

Here are some crude pics.

You also have the privilege of paying 5-10k mark up on the sx- prestige .

[SHARMAATL]

Originally Posted by arciga18

Lol,

Well nappa leather, Alcántara headliner (or similar suede )

Here are some crude pics.

You also have the privilege of paying 5-10k mark up on the sx- prestige .

Tellluride looks good. However, things are a bit more superficial than in a BMW. The leather is soft, but it doesn't feel as high quality as the Merino or Vernasca. The wood looks good too, until you touch it and realize it's simulated. Still, the alcantara is a nice touch so points for that. For the price, sans ridiculous Kia markup, the Telluride is a great family vehicle.

Other than that, I sat in a friend's new E63S yesterday at the MB dealership, which is what sparked my curiosity. The red leather was an upgraded Designo Nappa option and it felt really nice, but it just felt a slight tad bit less nice than my Merino. I couldn't really put my finger on the difference (no pun intended ), but I wondered if there was any real difference other than maybe my bias.

On a completely separate note, at that MB dealership, they had a new G63 AMG with an insane $30K market adjustment. Yikes. Some rich soccer mom will pay it though

[Auricom]

Reminds me why I upgraded standard SensaTec dash to leather

Originally Posted by arciga18

Lol,

Well nappa leather, Alcántara headliner (or similar suede )

Here are some crude pics.

[thereef510]

we have nappa leather in our F15. Although I spec'd out a G05 with merino since Nappa isnt available, they had lot cars with sensatec and vernasca. I didnt expect the sensatec to feel good but i was surprised at how much i HATED the vernasca. It was course and rough and not soft at all. Even my mom who's usually oblivious to this stuff immediately commented on how the back seats were really really tough to sit in.

we have a 20 year old nissan maxima with leather seats that were much softer and softer than the vernasca.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by thereef510

we have nappa leather in our F15. Although I spec'd out a G05 with merino since Nappa isnt available, they had lot cars with sensatec and vernasca. I didnt expect the sensatec to feel good but i was surprised at how much i HATED the vernasca. It was course and rough and not soft at all. Even my mom who's usually oblivious to this stuff immediately commented on how the back seats were really really tough to sit in.

we have a 20 year old nissan maxima with leather seats that were much softer and softer than the vernasca.

I share a similar feeling about Vernasca. I have vernasca on my 3 series and it's not very comfortable (It was either vernasca or sensetac and i just couldn't see myself paying $65k+ for a 3 series and not having leather seats). Interestingly merino isn't offered in the US for the 3 series (Although you can pay $5k for it and add an extra 4-5 months lead time to production as an individual option if you really want it). I'm beginning to think maybe I should have splurged for the merino on it.

[thereef510]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

I share a similar feeling about Vernasca. I have vernasca on my 3 series and it's not very comfortable (It was either vernasca or sensetac and i just couldn't see myself paying $65k+ for a 3 series and not having leather seats). Interestingly merino isn't offered in the US for the 3 series (Although you can pay $5k for it and add an extra 4-5 months lead time to production as an individual option if you really want it). I'm beginning to think maybe I should have splurged for the merino on it.

if you're already used to vernasca then its totally fine i think. I haven't done an A/B comparison between the two hides so who knows if i could tell the difference blindfolded about which I was sitting on. What I will say is that the surface texture is different, so that's what stuck out to me. I'm sure you'll be very happy with your custom build nonetheless.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by thereef510

if you're already used to vernasca then its totally fine i think. I haven't done an A/B comparison between the two hides so who knows if i could tell the difference blindfolded about which I was sitting on. What I will say is that the surface texture is different, so that's what stuck out to me. I'm sure you'll be very happy with your custom build nonetheless.

Yeah I suppose if you're used to it.

I've also owned Nissan's in the past and most recently an Infiniti, and while I wouldn't say their leather is high quality, it's definitely soft. I've also owned a couple of Lexus' in the past and they have incredibly soft leather as well. My X5 has Merino which is also soft.

So needless to say, I definitely was not used to it. Hopping into the vernasca seats of my 3 series was a bit of a shock at how hard it is.

[TXSchnee]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Yeah I suppose if you're used to it.

I've also owned Nissan's in the past and most recently an Infiniti, and while I wouldn't say their leather is high quality, it's definitely soft. I've also owned a couple of Lexus' in the past and they have incredibly soft leather as well. My X5 has Merino which is also soft.

So needless to say, I definitely was not used to it. Hopping into the vernasca seats of my 3 series was a bit of a shock at how hard it is.

The Vernasca is better than the Dakota leather that was previously the base leather on the F15 (and still the base leather on a 7 Series). BMW base leather seems to be more about durability than comfort.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by TXSchnee

The Vernasca is better than the Dakota leather that was previously the base leather on the F15 (and still the base leather on a 7 Series). BMW base leather seems to be more about durability than comfort.

Yeah I can see that being the case.

The seats in both of my Lexus cars, while extremely comfortable and soft, were starting to show signs of cracking towards the end.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by SHARMAATL

Where would BMW's Merino leather (the best offering from BMW AFAIK) rank against the best from the competition?

Specifically, how would Merino rank compared to these:

1. Audi Valcona
2. Mercedes Nappa and Semi-Aniline
3. Lexus Semi-Aniline
4. Porsche Club

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before because I was really unable to find much literature about it on the interwebs.

I have no clue on how to compare BMW's leathers to other car manufacturers...but you can get an understanding of BMW's leather nomenclature (names/quality) if you have a few basics about leather.

An aniline leather is smooth hide that is not coated with a synthetic top coat which allows it to absorb conditioners that can keep it supple over time. A semi-analine leather is similar. In this regard...BMW's Merino leather is an aniline leather...and BMW's Nappa leather is a semi-aniline leather.

BMW's Dakota/Nevada leathers are a "corrected grain leather" & have a synthetic polymer top coat which means that the pores are coated. Leather conditioners just get smeared over the top coat and don't penetrate into the hide...leather cleaners probably work best to keep them maintained.

BMW's Vernasca leather is a newer player to the game. From appearance it looks to fall somewhere between the base Dakota/Nevada leathers and the higher grade Nappa leather. Is it a semi-aniline leather? In most examples (that I've seen) it appears to have a finer grain than the base Dakota or Nevada leathers...but it does have a grain vs the smoother and higher quality Nappa & Merino leathers. Another question...is Vernasca leather coated with a synthetic top coat?

[sygazelle]

We have Ivory Merino extended and love it. If there is a better car interior leather from another manufacturer, that's okay. The difference would be lost on me since the Merino is bloody perfect to me. I get back into my 328 with Dakota and the difference is huge. I have no issue with Dakota; its tough and durable. But, this Merino is something special. Good job BMW.

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

BMW's Dakota/Nevada leathers are a "corrected grain leather" & have a synthetic polymer top coat which means that the pores are coated. Leather conditioners just get smeared over the top coat and don't penetrate into the hide...leather cleaners probably work best to keep them maintained.

BMW's Vernasca leather is a newer player to the game. From appearance it looks to fall somewhere between the base Dakota/Nevada leathers and the higher grade Nappa leather. Is it a semi-aniline leather? In most examples (that I've seen) it appears to have a finer grain than the base Dakota or Nevada leathers...but it does have a grain vs the smoother and higher quality Nappa & Merino leathers. Another question...is Vernasca leather coated with a synthetic top coat?

Vernasca is also split corrected leather, coated, fine gain surface embossed with synthetic top coat. Touching the surface of Vernasca, you can tell it's been surface treated. The grain closely matches SensaTec - which matches the standard SensaTec dashboard. It's nice for the majority of BMW consumers.

If you currently own any BMW with nappa or Merino, you can see and tell the difference. $1K extended Merino upgrade when optioned with M Sport is a no brainer.

PS to the OP discussion:

1. BMW Merino, Porsche Club (milled nappa), MB designo nappa
2. BMW Nappa, Lexus semi-aniline
3. Split leather - Audi Valcona, BMW Vernasca

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by Auricom

////If currently own BMW nappa or Merino, you can see and tell the difference. $1K extended Merino upgrade when optioned with M Sport is a no brainer.

^^^This

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

^^^This

Haha, I justify it as drinking 9-12 less Starbucks a month ☕️

[Floriankarch44]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

We have Ivory Merino extended and love it. If there is a better car interior leather from another manufacturer, that's okay. The difference would be lost on me since the Merino is bloody perfect to me. I get back into my 328 with Dakota and the difference is huge. I have no issue with Dakota; its tough and durable. But, this Merino is something special. Good job BMW.

I have the same ... incredible leather seats !