Merino leather - worth it?

[JackReacher]

I've ordered an m340i with the standard black Vernasca leather and I'm wondering whether its worth the extra £800 it would cost me to upgrade to Merino leather (just seats not going for the full extended package). I've had a Cayman in the past with extended leather which was lovely but can't justify the cost now on the BMW.

Anyway, merino seems to get a lot of positive comments and some say its a must have (an expression I hate). But, I recently saw a 6 year old M6 at a BMW dealer which I presume had merino and the leather looked knackered and very worn.

This is hopefully a 5+ year car for me so want to make the right decision. How much work is it to look after? Part of me wonders whether the lower maintenance vernasca will be better especially as I have a baby on the way.

[Muzzer79]

I've always thought you have to be a certain type of person to sit in a leather seat in your car and think

"I wish my leather seat was a nicer leather"

If you're that type of person, pay the £800.

If not, don't bother. Personally, I'd rather pay £800 for something else that I can actually use.

[Court_S]

Apparently it’s the same as Dakota leather just with a finer grain.

It’ll feel a bit plasticy because of the coating but it wears its age well. I’ve had a few cars wit Dakota leather and whilst not feeling particularly posh it does age / wear well in my experience.

[DeWar]

I had the same internal dilemma recently speccing a new car. I've had Dakota in my current car for three years and as Court_S says, it's basically the same as Vernasca. The Merino feels much nicer than Dakota/Vernasca to the hand, but I can't see it holding up as well over time; my interior leather looks brand new and requires no maintenance beyond the occasional wipe down and I gather that feeding it with a decent leather cleaner is mostly pointless because of the coating. Plus, your arse can't actually feel the relative quality of the leather unless you drive in your birthday suit. Vernasca for me, Clive.

Edited by DeWar on Friday 31st July 18:19

[Court_S]

DeWar said:

I had the same internal dilemma recently speccing a new car. I've had Dakota in my current car for three years and as Court_S says, it's basically the same as Vernasca. The Merino feels much nicer than Dakota/Vernasca to the hand, but I can't see it holding up as well over time; my interior leather looks brand new and requires no maintenance beyond the occasional wipe down and I gather that feeding it with a decent leather cleaner is mostly pointless because of the coating. Plus, your arse can't actually feel the relative quality of the leather unless you drive in your birthday suit. Vernasca for me, Clive.

Edited by DeWar on Friday 31st July 18:19

That’s right, feed / conditioner won’t be absorbed into the leather because of the coating.

It doesn’t feel as nice as the posher leather but it’ll last longer.

[stuart_83]

I went for Merino, just because I thought the red / black combo looked better with the mineral grey paint. This is on an m340i too.

Plus I've got Dakota in my current car and it's worn badly ... I also felt the Vernasca felt a little tough and utilitarian. Just my opinion though, and I'm sure it'd soften a bit with use.

As I'm PCP'ing it the Merino adds to the GFV so it doesn't cost a stupid amount. It's the first car I've spec'd up in 14 years, so I wanted to splash out a bit.

Edit : I also look after my cars well whether they're owned outright or PCP'd, so the leather will get cleaned, treated and sealed properly.

Edited by stuart_83 on Friday 31st July 19:43

Edited by stuart_83 on Friday 31st July 20:34

[Wills2]

dakota is awful I'd prefer cloth to that stuff, vernasca is OK but not great merino is decent enough but individual is much better soft and waxy but that costs.

For me merino is the entry level in terms of BMW leather anything below that is pretty poor.

[to3m]

I don't generally mind the Dakota leather in my E90, luxurious though it is not, but I have to say that when the weather gets hot, like it is right now, "I wish my leather seat was a nicer leather" is *exactly* what I think any time I get into the car. It heats up like leather, but it's exactly as breathable as its plastic coating would imply. Worst of both worlds.

Seems to be pretty hard wearing though.

If you don't want to pay £800 for an upgrade to the proper leather, one of the cloth options will probably not be worse.

[gizlaroc]

stuart_83 said:

Plus I've got Dakota in my current car and it's worn badly ... I also look after my cars well whether they're owned outright or PCP'd, so the leather will get cleaned, treated and sealed properly.

I really wouldn't use any treatments or sealers on top coated leather, it will age it really quickly.

Wipe with an all purpose cleaner and they will look like new for years and years.

Edited by gizlaroc on Sunday 2nd August 09:46

[Pioneer]

Wills2 said:

dakota is awful I'd prefer cloth to that stuff, vernasca is OK but not great merino is decent enough but individual is much better soft and waxy but that costs.

For me merino is the entry level in terms of BMW leather anything below that is pretty poor.

This

[Ninja59]

Honestly, think about your usage and who or what will go in the car.

The nicer leathers honestly are nicer places to sit, but at a cost in my view of additional time caring for them I have seen quite a few merino leathers not looking in great shape.

[MarkJS]

Merino is leagues above Dakota & Vernasca in terms of looks, quality & feel. Whether you want/need it would depend on how much you”re paying for it and usage etc. I have Opal White Merino but I don’t have kids/dogs etc. (Ive had Dakota in previous BMW’s and Vernasca in a service courtesy car)

[Mr Tidy]

My E90 has Dakota leather which I thought was OK.

Until I bought my Z4M Coupe last December with Nappa leather, which I guess is similar to Merino, and it just feels so much better. And even at 77K miles it still looks great!

I suppose it just depends whether you are willing to spend the extra on better leather instead of something else.

[Philrose]

With a baby on the way and your objective of keeping the car for 5 years plus I would select the most stain resistant and easy to clean. Your leather is going to be subject to baby and toddler so unless the infant is never in the car the subtleties of leather choice are somewhat irrelevant surely. The choice of colour is another consideration dased on the above.

[Chris Hinds]

I had Merino on my F31 330d and now have Vernasca on my X3 M40i. In all honesty, if there had been Merino in a colour I'd wanted like a Beige or a Black, I'd have gone with that. It's the one thing I miss more than anything else from the 330d because it lifted the whole ambience of the car. If you'd gone from Dakota to Vernasca you'd be happy btw... it wears well, you had to maintain Merino, but my Cashmere Beige in the 330d lasted 4 years of newborn to toddler without issues. I just didn't want turd brown, madame whiplash red or bling white!

[ianbee]

I currently have an F33 435i cabrio with the red Dakota leather. It looks wonderful, but I must point out that it does not breathe. We just completed a 2000 km blast through the Rocky Mountains. The weather here was scorching! > 35 C for a week. Also, I was driving in Eco, the air con cannot keep up. We were wearing shorts and T shirts which ended up soaked every day. I think that I will specify cooled/ventilated seats on the next car.

[DiamondLights]

have the standard vernasca leather in my X3 (black with blue trim) and i definitely wouldn't spend an extra £800 on top for Merino. Of course this is personal opinion end of the day, it's up to you. For me:

1) I'm sat comfortably, will i notice a different leather 'feel' - no, i'll feel the acceleration as i chuck it into Sport and fly away
2) I'm not sat naked in the car (at least most of the time), so will any part of my body feel the softer leather? Again, no.

[to3m]

The breathability is definitely the issue with it for me. The non-plush appearance and texture doesn't feel like a problem, since, as you say, it's just a place to park your (clothed) arse. The 3 series interiors are always a bit basic, so non-deluxe cheap fake leather is quite in keeping.

But when the UK gets a proper summer, it gets hot, and it stays humid, and this isn't the right material for that.

(For most of the year, though, it's fine. And I do prefer the colour and texture to cloth. And the non-breathable plastic coating is presumably what makes it so hard-wearing. So I'm a bit torn.)

Edited by to3m on Thursday 6th August 01:02

[JackReacher]

Thanks all, a wide range of opinions and no concensus as normal

I think I will stick with the standard option for practicality reasons with a baby, and accept that I might get a sweaty arse in hot and humid weather.

It't a shane they don't offer a nice alcantara/cloth mix that you can get on the m135i.

[g3org3y]

Where does 'Exclusive Pearl' leather fit into the hierarchy?

Was an option on the E63 6 Series over the standard Dakota leather.