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What is MB Tex Interior? Mercedes Benz Interior Materials Explained

What is MB Tex Interior? Mercedes Benz Interior Materials Explained
MB Tex Interior Explained

Many people have no idea that the brand new $60,000 SUV they just test drove at the Mercedes dealership probably doesn’t have leather seats. Most Mercedes-Benz interiors are upholstered with Mercedes’ proprietary faux leather, a vinyl material called MB Tex. It looks a lot like leather, and is often mistaken for real leather, but is much more durable and lasts, seemingly, forever without cracking or wearing. They’ve been making MB Tex and using it in all kinds of Mercedes since the mid 1960s.

1965-230SL-Mercedes-Market-Dave-Tobin-MB-tex-interior-1

This is the 1965 230 SL I owned several years ago, equipped with its original, 50 year old MB tex, still in pretty good condition.

MB Tex has been the standard interior material for many Mercedes vehicles for many years, at least since the early 1960s. My 1965 230 SL Roadster was equipped with MB Tex interior. 50 years later, that car had its original interior and it was in pretty good condition. Had it been equipped with optional leather there is no doubt it would have cracked and dried out long ago requiring re-upholstery of the interior.

MB Tex has evolved over the years. It’s texture has changed, and changes depending upon the model. Below you will  see various models from the 1960s to present day that are equipped with MB tex interior upholstery with close ups of the seating surfaces.

MB Tex in Modern Mercedes Models

Most recently, say, in the last 15 years, MB tex has been the standard interior material in the C and E class sedans, the GLK, M and GL class SUVs, and now – since they switched the names of all the different ‘classes’ – the GLC, GLE and GLS model SUVs and still, C and E class cars, among other models.. Imagine, an $80,000 GLE SUV, doesn’t come standard with leather interior?! That’s right. Higher end models, like the S class and CLS class as well as SL roadsters come standard with leather.

2012-Mercedes-GLK350-MB-Tex-Interior

My wife has a Mercedes GLK like this one, equipped with MB tex interior, she loves the car.

More durable and easier to care for than leather

If MB tex gets dirty, you can spray it down with most any cleaner and scrub off whatever is on the seat. Leather interior requires regular conditioning to keep it in good shape and is prone to drying out and cracking over time.

Most classifieds I see with used Mercedes for sale, whether dealers or private sellers, wrongly call the interior of the car they’re selling ‘leather’ when it’s really MB tex. They just don’t’ know any better and assume that what they’re looking at is, indeed leather.

There is no shame in having a car with MB tex, in fact, for an everyday car that hauls the family and the necessities of life, it might actually be a better long term choice than leather.

Scroll down for an illustrated study of MB tex interiors over the years.

2012-Mercedes-GLK350 mb tex interior

This is the driver’s seat of my wife’s 2012 GLK 350 showing the MB tex material. It looks fine and is easy to clean.

1965 Mercedes 250S Red MB Tex Interior

This gorgeous, black 1965 Mercedes 250 S sedan belongs to a friend of mine. It has covered approximately 86,000 miles since new, he is the second owner. It is equipped with red MB tex that is in almost perfect condition, see photos below.

1965 Mercedes 250S Red MB tex interior

Close up of the 1965 250 S interior, great looking in red and in excellent condition. Notice the pattern down the middle of the seat while the bolsters remain almost smooth, with a slight leather-like grain on them.

1965 Mercedes 250S Red MB tex interior 1

The rear seating area of the same black 250 S. The red MB tex almost looks new.

1970 Mercedes 280SL Gray with red MB tex Interior

This 1970 280 SL was considered one of the highest end Mercedes models of its day, yet was equipped with MB tex. The interior of this car was restored in the 1990s and reupholstered with factory correct red MB tex (next photo).

1970 Mercedes 280SL - Red MB tex interior

This is the interior of the grey 280 SL from above. Notice the slightly different grain / texture than the 250 S from 1965.

1977 Mercedes 450SL Maple Yellow

Another high end Mercedes model, this time, a 1977 450 SL in Maple Yellow (color code 606G), also equipped with MB tex interior.

1977 Mercedes 450SL Maple Yellow - MB tex

The front seat of the Maple Yellow 450 SL. this car has a little over 115,000 miles and has some rust on its exterior, but that original MB tex on the seats appears in near new condition!

1977 Mercedes 450SL Maple Yellow - MB tex Close up

A close up of the front seat of the Maple Yellow 450 SL. Notice, the pattern / grain has changed since the 1970 280 SL, this pattern is reminiscent of the interior in the 250 S sedan from 1965 above.

2012-mercedes-benz-e350

This 2012 E class brings us up to modern day, even a $60,000+ mid-sized sedan comes equipped standard with MB tex, photo from the Daimler media library.

2012-mercedes-benz-e350 mb tex interior

This is the back seat of the 2012 E class. The MB tex here appears with a very ‘leather-looking’ texture. Many E class owners have no idea they aren’t sitting on leather seats everyday, photo from the Daimler Media library.

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18 comments

Options Explained: 2013 Mercedes SL 550 Options, Option Packages and Colors SL Class - Mercedes Market December 28, 2017 - 2:17 pm

[…] comes standard with leather interior, as opposed to MB tex, found on the E class, M class SUVs, etc. (Learn about Mercedes’ proprietary faux leather – ‘MB tex’ – and its …. Standard Leather Interior Choices for the 2013 SL […]

Reply
Options Explained: 2014 Mercedes GLK Class Options – Option Packages for the GLK 350 and GLK 250 BlueTEC Diesel - Mercedes Market December 30, 2017 - 1:35 pm

[…] is actually quite rare. I’ve only ever seen it on TWO examples, almost all have MB tex (want to learn all about Mercedes’ proprietary faux leather material, see this article on Merce…). There were three MB tex options and three leather options. Notice the slightly different stitch […]

Reply
Collectible Mercedes at Gooding and Company Scottsdale 2018 Day 1 - Friday, January 19 - Mercedes Market January 4, 2018 - 10:43 pm

[…] Green MB tex interior […]

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Collectible Mercedes at Gooding and Company Scottsdale 2018 Day 2 – Saturday, January 20 - Mercedes Market January 5, 2018 - 11:16 pm

[…] Cognac MB-Tex interior […]

Reply
2009 Mercedes SL 550 the Face Lifted R230 - Options Explained - Mercedes Market November 20, 2018 - 11:36 pm

[…] SL 550s came with standard leather interior, MB Tex (Mercedes’ proprietary vinyl material), was not an option. The “Trim Package” […]

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deborah christensen February 14, 2019 - 8:32 pm

I have the MB tex. I was talked out of the leather. Big mistake!! 43k miles and its cracked, dealer said too bad not under warranty. I’m 125 pounds, it has tinted windows and is garaged. My 20 yr, 300k mile pontaic leather seats are in better condition. Regretting my Mercedes purchase!

Reply
mercmkt February 17, 2019 - 4:35 pm

That’s bizarre Deborah, I’ve never heard of such a thing… you must have bought a new car, recently? Even with Mercedes… the saying ‘they don’t make them like they used to’ is true. In my opinion, the Mercedes made in the last 5 or so years just don’t have the build quality or quality materials that will allow them to last for 40 0r 50 years like the Mercedes of the 60s and 70s had. Sad reality of our ‘disposable’ world.

Reply
Koda February 5, 2020 - 3:19 am

I feel you on that, all the e class e350s I look at, have a deep split in the middle of the seat, Even my brothers has the split. I wanted a e550 because I figured it was real leather, now I don’t know what to believe. My cousin has a c250 and his leather seat is ripped where he sits… Benz has to do better.

Reply
Bob July 15, 2019 - 4:46 am

I have had an MBZ C230 1999 since 1999 with MBZ Tex and it still looks great.

Reply
mercmkt July 16, 2019 - 4:15 pm

I’ve seen 30+ year old cars with MB tex and it was still going strong. Enjoy that ’99 C class!

Reply
Ralph J Pettorossi July 16, 2019 - 12:26 pm

I recently purchased a Certified Pre-Owned 2014 GLK 350, 70,000 miles with MB-Tex seats and they re in perfect, factory-new condition. There is absolutely no wrinkling or tearing at the seams on the left-side driver’s seat, as would be expected with a 5-yr old car with 70K. All nine of my other cars started to show wear at between 25-40K. I’ve very impressed with the MB-Tex.

Reply
mercmkt July 16, 2019 - 4:14 pm

Glad to hear it Ralph. The stuff is tough, but still looks and feels good in a daily driver.

Reply
merclover August 8, 2019 - 9:41 pm

who makes mb-tex for mercedes?

Reply
mercmkt August 13, 2019 - 4:44 pm

A good question… one that I don’t know the answer to. Sorry.

Reply
Mercedes Certified Pre Owned Program Explained - Mercedes Market April 15, 2020 - 8:38 pm

[…] Mercedes C 300 4matic Sedan Polar White w/ black MB Tex interior (read my article about MB tex if you’re not sure what it is) 22,780 miles Options include: Sport Package, P1 Package, Panorama Sunroof Selling Dealer: Sears […]

Reply
JMY June 18, 2020 - 2:09 am

My 190E 16-valve has the factory-original genuine leather seats in them (one of the few Mercedes I’ve been in with legitimate leather), while my mom’s W204 C300 has MB-tex upholstery. It is hardly the fairest comparison because my car is over 30 years old and my mom’s car is less than 10 years old. But I do think MB-tex has been improved to the point that I can’t tell it apart from real leather. While the leather inside of my car is undoubtedly high quality stuff, I do want to have it professionally detailed sometime soon. The stitching on the driver’s seat is coming apart a little bit and it bothers me to see that every time I drive it because the rest of the car is in amazing condition. And because it is a low mileage car, I have a strong incentive in keeping it as close to perfect as possible. I sincerely doubt my mom will have to worry about things like this in her own car 20-30 years down the road.

IMO, the only modern-day cars worth having leather interiors in are British cars like Land Rovers and Jaguars, because the British seem to take leather interiors the most seriously in the entire car business.

Reply
Andrea Saboor July 14, 2020 - 12:06 pm

I have been a MB owner since 1999 and was quite satusfied until I purchased a 2008 E350 and later found out that my seats were not Leather! Poor quality, severe cracks and unrepairable! I have not been able to find the material to repair my front seat. Corporate recommended purchasing a NEW car or purchasing a new seat for $900 from MBUSA which is an absolute rip off!

Reply
mercmkt July 19, 2020 - 4:43 pm

Hi Andrea. There is replacement material for MB tex seats that need repair. The dealership where I used to work routinely repairs C and E class seats, usually the driver’s side outboard seat bolster that cracks over time. I would think your local dealer could have their reconditioning department do it for you, they do it all the time on the used cars and trade ins that they get and they clean up / recondition to sell again as used cars.

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