X3 config pleather?
 

Friend had pleather in his E93 335 and I loved the material. It was strong, stain resistant and wasn't sticky in summer.
When I went to the dealer and looked at an X1 with pleather the quality seemed different - looked and felt cheaper.
Did they change the pleather material?

I was looking at building an X3 with M package and avoiding leather which would save about 3k.

Yep, my Msport has the plastic seats. I'm happy with the decision. I previously posted a picture of the Msport vinyl seats from another angle... I'll see if I can find it for ya.

edit: ya here is the other pic: http://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showpo...19&postcount=4

I'd say go with leather unless you have messy kid(s) and/or pet(s).

The only problem (which I experienced and eventually just gave up on) is that there is NO WAY in the US to get the desirable features of the premium package (dimming mirrors, ambient lighting, storage etc) with leatherette. BMW knows people want this. Therefore, they won't let you do it :) So, you must get leather if you want the other features in the premium package.

For me, the dimming mirrors were a non-negotiable on a vehicle in this class. It's a shame BMW forces you to get leather for this. I guess you could retrofit some stuff but that's just annoying when you are paying this much for the vehicle.

There isn't anything inherently wrong with the leather... it just requires a tad more TLC. YMMV on wear and tear but if you take care of it, it should last you.

haha, in Canada BMW makes its custommers pay an additional $2000 for leather and that is after spending $4000 on the premium package. I skipped the rear view camera because it was $700 and it's a stock feature on KIA/Hyundai/Honda.

I've come to the conclusion BMW isn't really a premium brand although it has a premium driving experience.

I have leather in both of my cars and constantly clean\condition the seats even though they are leases.
The BMW packages stink, its a shame I cant do tech without having to add premium.

It is not only BMW that forces certain options.