[nosduh74]

Currently putting together a build for an M50i. When it comes to the leather dashboard for $850 is it just the dashboard or is there leather added to the doors as well?

For those of you that sat in X5's with both leather and sensatec is that much of a difference?

For those who have the leather dashboard, would you do it again?

Thank You

[VTENGR]

Originally Posted by nosduh74

Currently putting together a build for an M50i. When it comes to the leather dashboard for $850 is it just the dashboard or is there leather added to the doors as well?

For those of you that sat in X5's with both leather and sensatec is that much of a difference?

For those who have the leather dashboard, would you do it again?

Thank You

It's just the dash. Extended merino gives you leather on top of the door sills and some extra around the center console. Full leather gives you under the dash leather and some more in other places.

I have the leather dash and got it 100% for the look of the stitching. The sansatec option now comes with faux stitching so the looks are similar. If I were doing it again I probably would pass on that option and put it towards DHP.

[nosduh74]

Thank you VTENGR, much appreciated.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by VTENGR

It's just the dash. Extended merino gives you leather on top of the door sills and some extra around the center console. Full leather gives you under the dash leather and some more in other places.

I have the leather dash and got it 100% for the look of the stitching. The sansatec option now comes with faux stitching so the looks are similar. If I were doing it again I probably would pass on that option and put it towards DHP.

When I bought our X5, Sensatec did not have stitching and I did not care for the look, so I got the leather dash along with extended Merino. Now that Sensatec has stitching, I'd skip the leather on the dash, but I must say the extended Merino on the doors and interior parts is very nice indeed.

[VTENGR]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

When I bought our X5, Sensatec did not have stitching and I did not care for the look, so I got the leather dash along with extended Merino. Now that Sensatec has stitching, I'd skip the leather on the dash, but I must say the extended Merino on the doors and interior parts is very nice indeed.

Yep, I agree 100%. Extended merino is a must, IMO.

[nosduh74]

Thanks again, I am definitely going with the extended merino.

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by VTENGR

It's just the dash. Extended merino gives you leather on top of the door sills and some extra around the center console. Full leather gives you under the dash leather and some more in other places.

I have the leather dash and got it 100% for the look of the stitching. The sansatec option now comes with faux stitching so the looks are similar. If I were doing it again I probably would pass on that option and put it towards DHP.

Let me correct a couple of items.

[SIZE="5"]X5 Dashboards[/SIZE]

[SIZE="4"]Mid MY19 X5s[/SIZE]
- SensaTec stitched upper dashboard was standard on xLine models
- M Sport models had black soft touch dashboard with no stitching

MY19 xLine with stitched SensaTec upper dashboard and door window sills




MY19 xLine with Extended Merino with stitched SensaTec upper dashboard and door window sills




MY19 M Sport with black soft touch dashboard - no stitching




[SIZE="4"]Late MY19 X5s[/SIZE]
- SensaTec stitched upper dashboard became standard across all xLine and M Sport models


[SIZE="4"]Optioning 4M5 Leather dashboard[/SIZE]
- Replaces SensaTec stitched upper dashboard with Nappa stitched leather
- Replaces SensaTec front and rear door window sills with Nappa stitched leather

Here's my X5 with option 4M5 - upper dashboard in Merino



Front and rear door window sills in Nappa






[SIZE="5"]X5 Extended Merino upholstery[/SIZE]

[SIZE="4"]MY19-20 X5s[/SIZE]

- Replaces SensaTec or Vernasca leather surfaces with Merino leather, this includes seating, front and rear door arm rests and vicinity, center console, and center arm rest
- and adds "Extended" Merino stitched leather along the lower center console
- Extended Merino does NOT add leather door window sills

X5 with SensaTec or Venasca leather - highlighted shows no leather along lower center console




My X5 with Extended Merino - highlighted shows the "extended" stitched leather along lower center console




[SIZE="4"]MY21 to TODAY[/SIZE]
- "Extended" Merino stitched leather along the lower center console was removed starting with MY21 models

MY22 with Extended Merino w/o 4M5 and no "extended" leather lower center console




Same MY22 with Extended Tartufo Merino w/o 4M5. Note the SensaTec door window sill - grainy SensaTec vs smooth Nappa

Originally Posted by nosduh74

Currently putting together a build for an M50i. When it comes to the leather dashboard for $850 is it just the dashboard or is there leather added to the doors as well?

Yes, option 4M5 Leather dashboard will replace:
- the stitched SensaTec upper dashboard with Nappa leather
- the stitched SensaTec front and rear door window sills with Nappa leather

Originally Posted by nosduh74

For those of you that sat in X5's with both leather and sensatec is that much of a difference?

For those who have the leather dashboard, would you do it again?

Thank You

Yes there is a distinct visual difference and texture. SensaTec is grained vegan leather whereas Merino is smooth, subtle and high quality. Adding 4M5 will match the grain and leather of your upper dashboard and door window sills with the rest of your Merino upholstery.

I have had option 4M5 on my last gen X5 and current model X5 and MY21 M550i. Haha so yes, I will do it again and with full Merino IF ever becomes available again, maybe MY23 ugh or MY24 LOL

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by nosduh74

Currently putting together a build for an M50i. When it comes to the leather dashboard for $850 is it just the dashboard or is there leather added to the doors as well?

For those of you that sat in X5's with both leather and sensatec is that much of a difference?

For those who have the leather dashboard, would you do it again?

Thank You

I personally think Sensatec on the dashboard looks just as nice. I have the full Merino leather on my 2018 F15 (I think full leather is not an option now). While the full leather looks amazing, depending on how long you want to keep it, you'll need to take care of it. In my case, the bottom of the front doors, both have what looks like stains and little crinkles caused by water, the lower front console by the glove box, the leather that wraps around to the back of the rear AC and dashboard has a few scratches and I am pretty careful, but still happened. Initially, I tried to fix all that but eventually just resigned myself. I think if that was Sensatec or plastic, the interior would still look new.

The extended Merino is a good amount of leather and skipping it on the dashboard might actually be a good idea. Also, as others have said, putting leather dashboard and Alcantara and such towards DHP should be a no-brainer. I have DHP and think it is an amazing feature to have on the X5. If it were me, I'd skip leather dashboard, Alcantara, and even merino leather to get DHP. I find the Vernasca on the G05 pretty good, (much) better than Dakota on the F15. The plastics used in the cabin are pretty high quality IMHO - similar to a Porsche Cayenne or Audi Q8 etc.

My 2 cents worth.

[nosduh74]

Thank you Auricom, the information and the visuals were much appreciated. It looks like I will be going with the leather dash after all.

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by nosduh74

Thank you Auricom, the information and the visuals were much appreciated. It looks like I will be going with the leather dash after all.

Glad to be of help and welcome to the G05 forums!

[jphcbpa]

Originally Posted by nosduh74

Thank you Auricom, the information and the visuals were much appreciated. It looks like I will be going with the leather dash after all.

leather dash sets the cabin off to another level and well worth it since you look at it every time you are in the car.

[thereef510]

Leather does absolutely nothing. Get it anyway.

In 2016, We had never had a luxury vehicle before and just sort of walked into the dealer lot. Without us asking, the salesman put us in a loaded F15. It had so many features, we didn't really even know what to look for, but we liked the deal and took it home. It came with the "mocha design package" which included extended leather and the leather dashboard.

Having driven it around for a while, it felt really nice, but again, even at that point, I wasn't 'used to' being in a very nice luxury vehicle, so it was always just nice. the difference, however, was apparent when I took the F15 for its first service and they gave us a loaner. That car had basically nothing in it, and a plastic dashboard. That's when I appreciated what all these aesthetic upgrades really do.

It doesn't do anything, but it looks so nice, once you see it, its very jarring to get into a car and look at the vast swaths of plastic that cover every inch of it (at least in most cars). The next step up is to get a Rolls which has even more leather in places you seldom touch, if at all. I never 'got' why anyone would care about that stuff, till I was sort of forced to pay attention to it. Now having had all of that in the F15, I had included the full merino package as a 'must have' from the beginning of the build (I realize that's no longer available, which is really sad).

Even if you get it, it wont really be a head turner, as most people probably will be so wow'd by the interior anyway, they wont stop to notice the finer details. its really for a person who's seen it and cant justify 'unseeing' it. I unfortanately have now become that person

[Aimster82]

Get the leather .. I love it. Other people will probably not notice it , so if that is what you are trying to go for then don't get it.

[Jeff661]

I don’t have the leather and I’m not missing it. The sensetec looks good. Here’s mine. 2021 M-sport extended merino.

[Kief]

Love the my leather dash and upper window trim. Looks top notch. That fake leatherette w/stitching looks cheap and is found in every car these days IMHO. Go with the upgraded dash.

[FCX5]

Originally Posted by thereef510

Leather does absolutely nothing. Get it anyway.

In 2016, We had never had a luxury vehicle before and just sort of walked into the dealer lot. Without us asking, the salesman put us in a loaded F15. It had so many features, we didn't really even know what to look for, but we liked the deal and took it home. It came with the "mocha design package" which included extended leather and the leather dashboard.

Having driven it around for a while, it felt really nice, but again, even at that point, I wasn't 'used to' being in a very nice luxury vehicle, so it was always just nice. the difference, however, was apparent when I took the F15 for its first service and they gave us a loaner. That car had basically nothing in it, and a plastic dashboard. That's when I appreciated what all these aesthetic upgrades really do.

It doesn't do anything, but it looks so nice, once you see it, its very jarring to get into a car and look at the vast swaths of plastic that cover every inch of it (at least in most cars). The next step up is to get a Rolls which has even more leather in places you seldom touch, if at all. I never 'got' why anyone would care about that stuff, till I was sort of forced to pay attention to it. Now having had all of that in the F15, I had included the full merino package as a 'must have' from the beginning of the build (I realize that's no longer available, which is really sad).

Even if you get it, it wont really be a head turner, as most people probably will be so wow'd by the interior anyway, they wont stop to notice the finer details. its really for a person who's seen it and cant justify 'unseeing' it. I unfortanately have now become that person

This is an awesome post and really true. At some point everything becomes a commodity because we get used to it. It is when we step down that we notice. However, in my case I am now trying to consciously not make a big deal of luxury. I realized I had to do that when I could not enjoy all the things I should because of the small things. I decided I didn't really need a Bentley etc. It was very cathartic for me.

But I totally can relate to what you are saying. My wife on the other hand has no way of appreciating the quality of leather etc in a car. It used to really boggle my mind sometimes. But She loves to spend the money on travel and experiencing places. Which has also been amazing.

Yeah, so there is no right answer, it's what one enjoys and likes and as case the case might be, leather is totally a must have or not.

I would give you two likes If I could. LOL.

[speedyman]

Originally Posted by Jeff661

I don’t have the leather and I’m not missing it. The sensetec looks good. Here’s mine. 2021 M-sport extended merino.

I'm with you. Can't think of a more useless option other than possibly the "soft close" doors or the pimp stick glass shifter.

[BobsM3Coupe]

Back in October of 2020 when I was choosing between a 2021 X5 M50i or a 2021 X5M, full merino leather wasn't offered on the M50i. Once I saw the difference, and even with the M50i having the extended merino, there was no way I was going to not get the full merino leather in the X5M. To have all the passenger doors covered from top to bottom in really smooth merino leather, just makes the vehicle special.
But everyone has different tastes/budget/needs, so it's great to have a choice.

[BMWoody]

On MY 22 is there merino leather on lower center console and lower dash?

I’ve got the extended merino and leather dash option selected.

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by BMWoody

On MY 22 is there merino leather on lower center console and lower dash?

TL;DR it's a no and no.

1. Lower leather center console which was included with Extended Merino leather upholstery option was deleted starting with MY21 models.

2. Leather lower dashboard was only available with Full Merino leather upholstery which was only available on MY20 models.

Originally Posted by BMWoody

I’ve got the extended merino and leather dash option selected.

4M5 Leather dash option replaces SensaTec upper dashboard and front/rear door window sills with leather

[Jetrik]

The leather dash/door sills is the only thing my M50i is missing. I thought the Sensatech looked pretty good and never really saw the leather dash in cars I looked at. Or maybe I just didn't notice. Whatever the case, I'd totally option it next time, whenever that is.

[amc42]

Just for completeness sake:

The leather in the leather dash option is NOT Merino. It's BMWs version of nappa leather (not Vernasca, its the "old" nappa leather from the Individual program that got replaced by Merino. It's also the same leather that BMW uses on the steering wheels for robustness sake. Even in the blue/white full leather option, the dash will be dark blue, but Nappa, not Merino.

Same in other BMW models with Merino - Dash is always Nappa (not the lower part that comes with the full leather option).