Boxador

I like the leatherette and here are my reasons for it.

-Very easy to clean and take care of
-I like the compact stitching. Leather is too loose for me.
-Will age better than leather
-Great for Pet owners like myself
-Does not have that strong leather odor
-Heck of a lot better than Fabric for various reasons
-Great for people with kids that just don't know how precious a BMW really is

Here's what I don't like about leatherette

-It's a lot less breathable and you'll know easily in the hot summer days. Your ass will sweat if the AC is not on.
-Two colors to choose from. Black is nice but Beige looks like crap
-The vinyl smell during hot days does stand out but so does leather

I have a X5 with leather and the 3 series with leatherette. I'm sure I don't speak for myself when I say that I was never hyped up about leather as a luxury for cars ever in my life. The 3 series will be returned soon and when I get my 5 series, I easily knew I wanted leatherette over leather. I rather spend the extra $1500 for something else. Overall, I'm impressed by BMW's leatherette. It'll last for years to come with little care. BTW why do guys need a navigation system? So you can openly admit that you have no idea where you are driving to? That's like saying I drive a BMW ladies but I don't know my directions. Even though it's mostly local.

GT Premi

Leather is easy to take care of and will age just fine when taken care of. Kids need to be taught to 1) behave and 2) respect property.

We have navigation not just for driving around locally. The nav system has tons of points-of-interest. If you live in a major metropolitan area, it's impossible to know all of the places visit, eat, etc. The nav system provides a way to find a "whimsicle," out-of-the-way place to go if the mood suits you. Also, some of us actually drive outside of our own little circle of existance. Why carry around a bunch of maps or go to Mapquest and waste time, ink, and paper when I can just get in the car and go? By the time I've mapped out and itenarary and printed it all out, I could be an hour into my journey.

Miikka

I think this discussion thread is especially interesting to us who live in the areas where leather isn't installed by default or isn't exactly cheap option. Lucky you who will get it by default or cheap.

I have been slowly starting to think the next car, the time for it coming slowly closer and closer and at the moment diesel powered E60 is looking more and more interesting option. Leatherette has been one of the options, which sounds nice but I have some doubts about it also; mostly those doubts are based on the ancient thinking that it would be really bad choice but of course the it has most likely developed during the years.

Zetta

I don?t understand people who buy a 50.000 - 70.000 Euro BMW and want to save 2.000 Euro on the seats. It is an option what you use every minute you spend in the car. I could imagine to save money on the colour or the wheels, but on the seats? No way - a BMW 5-series without leather is a NO GO.

It is an other thing when you buy an used one - so you can not control this.

Boxador

It has absolutely nothing to do with saving the additional $1450 MSRP to be exact. It's a matter of preference. I simply prefer the leatherette over the leather and I made my points on why I liked it. It's not some obligation that you have to agree on. So there's nothing to get. The 3 series was a lease and same goes with the upcoming 5. I doubt I'll keep this car after the lease is over because I'll probably be interested in another BMW anyway. The X5 I knew I was going to keep and that's the only reason why I went with the premium package on that. As for GT Premi, yes, I do live in a Metro area. NYC in fact and majority of the people in the city takes the MTA. Have you ever been to the city aka Manhattan? There's a Starbucks in every corner. Banks in every corner. The same damn store just across the street from each other. I travel to PA, CT, and NJ frequently and I know my way around those states pretty well. I'm not saying the navigation is completely pointless, but it's not a necessity for everyone. Same goes with those POI because not every one needs it especially in the city. Do I have a GPS lying around, of course. It's cheap as hell these days but do I really ever use it? No. So why would I pay for a factory navigation which I really don't need? Again, I'm just explaining my preferences. We all have different taste. If we ever meet one day, I'll make sure I'm putting you guys in the X5 before you spit at my face.

Zetta

OK, I agree with you, everbody has his own preferences. For me it is very important to have leather seats, but when I think of the Navi, my opinion is the same as yours.

And .. yes .. I was 3 times in NYC and NJ. I liked it very much

GT Premi

I've been to NYC before, too, as well as Seattle, et. al. But I don't/didn't travel to those cities often enough to know where everything is. I don't fly, I drive. And I don't use tour guides and such. So, for me, built-in navigation is a godsend.

Westcoast M5

The same can be said for full leather versus extended leather. I love the full leather (ful leather dash, full door panels, seat backs, etc). Once you have experienced it everything else seems spartan. I am glad they make a full range of options though - leatherette through to full leather, or even cloth, everyone can get what suits them. The cost difference with these options also means more people can enjoy a BMW that otherwise might not! BMW knows how to sell cars.....

Miikka

Maybe not all of us want to spend so much money on the car. Yeah, then we can of course buy something else than BMW. In my current car (not a BMW) I have leather seats but I really don't see so much benefit on those. Sure, they look premium but not that much.

In Finland the default seats are fabric, then you have following options:
- Fabric/Leather 1.080 Euro
- Leatherette 180 Euro
- Leather Dakota 2.740 Euro
- Leather Nappa 4.130 Euro
- Leather Nasca 2.740 Euro
- Leather Merino 14.740 Euro

So which one to choose. If BMW 5-Series without leather is a NO GO then I guess everyone takes the Leather Merino.

To me it is more a preference question, the standard fabric feels actually quite high quality to me and I could then spend 2.000 Euro to some other options. Maybe take driver's seat with memory option because the car will be driven by two drivers (180cm and 164cm tall drivers).

Just thinking ... I am about to jump into the BMW world for the first time in my life. The interesting question is that the leatherette is actually very cheap, some people state that it is still quite high quality and up to the BMW standards and some people hate it. Why would BMW have it as an option if it is a bad choice?

Zetta

I think it is a good option for taxi drivers

.. and when somebody doesn?t care about his interior and has kids, dogs, etc.

EDIT:

If you are thinking about buying a BMW -> just DO it - the "Leather-Thread" is only based on everybodys preferences - the BMW is not a worst car without the leather - the fabric is also fine, but when you buy it new - in my opinion - you should invest the money into leather - but this is only my personal opinion and shows what I would do in this case

So don?t take this discussion to serious - it?s only a discussion and we ALL love BMW - doesn?t matter if it is with leather or no - black or white