[Corinne]

Thank you so much for showing the detailed photos of the alcantara seats. They look lovely. I'm going to order an M235i with those (I'm in Europe) but I do have one doubt. I have a slobbery boxer dog and wonder how easy they are to clean (slobber and hairs). I'll get a seat cover for the back but there's always some dirt that will get past it.

[1ChrisRuck]

Looks great in that material. Yeah wish that was offered to us blokes on this side of the world...

[nachob]

Originally Posted by Corinne

Thank you so much for showing the detailed photos of the alcantara seats. They look lovely. I'm going to order an M235i with those (I'm in Europe) but I do have one doubt. I have a slobbery boxer dog and wonder how easy they are to clean (slobber and hairs). I'll get a seat cover for the back but there's always some dirt that will get past it.

The Alcantara can create a cling effect on hair but it does come off with vacuum and cleaning is done with soapy water by dabbing it. The cloth might hold dirt and require an upholstery shampooing every now and then. You might be a candidate for vinyl or leather as it wipes off better. In the other hand it can be slippery for the dog even with a cover as the the cover can slide a bit and harder to plant paws in leather. Your case is tough. I would still go Alcantara cloth and get covers for other seats bit it's not a slam dunk like in my case where I don't have a dog and love the comfort and performance of it. Best wishes and congrats.

[bladeomatic]

Originally Posted by Corinne

Thank you so much for showing the detailed photos of the alcantara seats. They look lovely. I'm going to order an M235i with those (I'm in Europe) but I do have one doubt. I have a slobbery boxer dog and wonder how easy they are to clean (slobber and hairs). I'll get a seat cover for the back but there's always some dirt that will get past it.

I've had a number of boxers too. Great dogs. Luckily mine have all been "dry" mouthed. :-)

Their short hair is sometimes harder to vacuum up, as it sticks like a barb into fabric seats, where longer fur can pick up easier. Though I love the cloth Alcantara look, you may want to consider the leather or sensatec.

[uberspeed]

BMW has been contacted to request this as an option. Good grass roots effort here!

[nachob]

Originally Posted by uberspeed

BMW has been contacted to request this as an option. Good grass roots effort here!

THANKS!!!!! really thanks for taking the time. I feel like a dork starting this. Everyone just tells me why BMW won't do it instead of pitching in! Very much appreciate it!

[nachob]

Originally Posted by bladeomatic

I've had a number of boxers too. Great dogs. Luckily mine have all been "dry" mouthed. :-)

Their short hair is sometimes harder to vacuum up, as it sticks like a barb into fabric seats, where longer fur can pick up easier. Though I love the cloth Alcantara look, you may want to consider the leather or sensatec.

I would think sensatec is
Probably the best in your case. It is very durable. I have gotten stains on leather that won't come out. My kids dripped a little milk from bottle and it permanently stained it. Drool or other doggie
Fluids might too. Sensatec is the most durable after further analyzing.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Corinne

Thank you so much for showing the detailed photos of the alcantara seats. They look lovely. I'm going to order an M235i with those (I'm in Europe) but I do have one doubt. I have a slobbery boxer dog and wonder how easy they are to clean (slobber and hairs). I'll get a seat cover for the back but there's always some dirt that will get past it.

Alcantara is a man-made fabric that has cleaning and maintenance requirements. For a dog, vinyl is the way to go.

http://www.alcantara.com/en/ordinary...ce/38/index.do

[gaijin]

Alcantara isn't as forgiving. It requires some a cleaning regime unlike those of cloth or Corinthian leather.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by gaijin

Alcantara isn't as forgiving. It requires some a cleaning regime unlike those of cloth or Corinthian leather.

Yes. Vinyl better for carrying dogs but the thread is about asking BMW to offer it in USA for those of us that don't carry dogs and prefer it in sporty cars to leather or vinyl. It's better for spirited driving and hot or very cold climates for many of us and we would like. The choice. Thanks

[jwr0721]

I would have picked this over my real leather ... Not just the fake leather. The texture and detail of that material is phenomenal

[uberspeed]

Originally Posted by nachob

THANKS!!!!! really thanks for taking the time. I feel like a dork starting this. Everyone just tells me why BMW won't do it instead of pitching in! Very much appreciate it!

You're quite welcome and it's something that would benefit us all so thank you for rallying the troops. I also suggested ventilated seats in a separate contact so they don't get confused I'm hoping both of those are options when it comes time for me to order my 228i as SoFla is an area that would really benefit from the choices.

[Corinne]

Thanks for the advice. I would never consider vinyl - horrible stuff. I think I'd better get a really good doggy cover and maybe a portable vacuum cleaner to suck up all the slobber while still in the mouth of the perp !

[angelbones]

I find this thread to be a little puzzling. I know the original point was to get support to bring alcantara as the standard interior to the BMW. However, in the US, it won't fly. This is my first BMW, and if I had walked in to the dealer and they said well the base is this very nice alcantara, I would've walked out. I don't expect alcantara (with the exception of inserts) to be the standard trim on a BMW, Merc, Audi, Jag, Cadillac, or ANY luxury-brand car. (Forget any arguments about specific models not being luxury or sporty, I'm talking about the brand). Yes, Americans want autos. Yes, they want leather. So, the big luxury brands know this and one way they save money is by offering the fake leather. The great majority of buyers of these cars, would not buy one with cloth, including myself. I understand the argument about it being optional, but that's not how the automakers want to be perceived, fairly or not.

While it may not be the same thing, but I remember all those cloth seats from the 70s and 80s and the way that they would stain and be difficult to maintain, and yes, it has left an impression on me: stay away from cloth or cloth-like materials. Now, I must admit a bias because of my location in FL. Sitting in cloth in summer is like sitting on heated seats and sweating in the summer. Pass. Frankly, for what we pay, the present leather should be standard. If you want to upgrade to a softer leather, that should be the option. Lexus, Infiniti, they do seem to get the American market a little better when it comes to understanding what "most" buyers want (I would say this forum is NOT most buyers).

Now if we could combine German engineering, with Japanese reliability, European luxury, and American over-the-topness, then we'd have a car.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by angelbones

I find this thread to be a little puzzling. I know the original point was to get support to bring alcantara as the standard interior to the BMW. However, in the US, it won't fly. This is my first BMW, and if I had walked in to the dealer and they said well the base is this very nice alcantara, I would've walked out. I don't expect alcantara (with the exception of inserts) to be the standard trim on a BMW, Merc, Audi, Jag, Cadillac, or ANY luxury-brand car. (Forget any arguments about specific models not being luxury or sporty, I'm talking about the brand). Yes, Americans want autos. Yes, they want leather. So, the big luxury brands know this and one way they save money is by offering the fake leather. The great majority of buyers of these cars, would not buy one with cloth, including myself. I understand the argument about it being optional, but that's not how the automakers want to be perceived, fairly or not.

While it may not be the same thing, but I remember all those cloth seats from the 70s and 80s and the way that they would stain and be difficult to maintain, and yes, it has left an impression on me: stay away from cloth or cloth-like materials. Now, I must admit a bias because of my location in FL. Sitting in cloth in summer is like sitting on heated seats and sweating in the summer. Pass. Frankly, for what we pay, the present leather should be standard. If you want to upgrade to a softer leather, that should be the option. Lexus, Infiniti, they do seem to get the American market a little better when it comes to understanding what "most" buyers want (I would say this forum is NOT most buyers).

Now if we could combine German engineering, with Japanese reliability, European luxury, and American over-the-topness, then we'd have a car.

Not sure how vinyl is more premium as a base interior??? Yes I'm puzzled now too. The point is that BMW says they sell the ultimate driving machine. Not ultimate lazy boy. So they offer leather for its virtues but for those that are looking for a true performance interior, this is a better choice. It helps keep you planted in the seat during hard cornering and braking. So you dog carrying people have a choice. Cushy lazy boy people have a choice for leather. People that like to smell leather have a choice. Real harder core enthusiasts don't have a choice. So BMW could add vinyl as a no cost option because to those that are into status could feel like it looks like leather. And they could offer the European interior for the enthusiast! If status is so important Go and look at Ferrari and Audi R8 and many other performance cars that use Alcantara for its function which is to keep your butt in the seat during spirited driving. I don't understand why so many are against giving people choice. We are also speaking in context of M235 which is targeted at guys like me. We are not saying put it in 7 series.

As far as you walking out. That's great. There are a million other cushy cars for you. I had the M235 spec'd on euro site with this interior and passive m suspension and manual seats. When BMW USA rolls their cinfigurator out. Vinyl and evil twin leather were my only choice. Active suspension only choice. Power seats only choice so I put off my purchase to see if things change. I am trying to do that. I have a leather lazy boy at home. I want the more focused performance interior in my car. I hope that unconfuses things a bit.

[angelbones]

Originally Posted by nachob

Not sure how vinyl is more premium as a base interior??? Yes I'm puzzled now too. The point is that BMW says they sell the ultimate driving machine. Not ultimate lazy boy. So they offer leather for its virtues but for those that are looking for a true performance interior, this is a better choice. It helps keep you planted in the seat during hard cornering and braking. So you dog carrying people have a choice. Cushy lazy boy people have a choice for leather. People that like to smell leather have a choice. Real harder core enthusiasts don't have a choice. So BMW could add vinyl as a no cost option because to those that are into status could feel like it looks like leather. And they could offer the European interior for the enthusiast! If status is so important Go and look at Ferrari and Audi R8 and many other performance cars that use Alcantara for its function which is to keep your butt in the seat during spirited driving. I don't understand why so many are against giving people choice. We are also speaking in context of M235 which is targeted at guys like me. We are not saying put it in 7 series.

As far as you walking out. That's great. There are a million other cushy cars for you. I had the M235 spec'd on euro site with this interior and passive m suspension and manual seats. When BMW USA rolls their cinfigurator out. Vinyl and evil twin leather were my only choice. Active suspension only choice. Power seats only choice so I put off my purchase to see if things change. I am trying to do that. I have a leather lazy boy at home. I want the more focused performance interior in my car. I hope that unconfuses things a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I'm in favor of choice, and yes the alcantara undoubtedly has its advantages over vinyl when sporting around. My point is that if BMW says you can have 3, no 4, no 5, no 6 options of interior, you can have it, then understand the ramifications. In other words, you do realize that that would not be cost effective for BMW. In turn, that will raise the price on every model. More choices=more cost to you. One reason Detroit is reviled by most but loved by some for their "packages" as opposed to individual options is that it keeps their costs down and, in theory, they can pass the savings onto the consumer. For the record, I actually like the way that "cloth" interior looks in the OP, and does not seem out of place outside America. That said, 85%+ of Americans will not consider that a luxury car, and will just go buy a Buick or Ford and save some cash.

There were other discussions about stripper cars and if you want to do that to a 40k car, I think that's great. In fact, that is THE way to go if you're going to race, tune, or do visual mods. But for BMW to keep selling M235s in the US means that you are going to have to sacrifice adding a little bit of extras that the vast majority of people want in order to get to what makes the M235 special: the engine and suspension. As others have pointed out, you can get all those individual bits and pieces added and deleted on other sports cars such as the Porsche Cayman (I car I love), but just be prepared to pay out the wazoo. I've built a Cayman on the Porsche site (their configurator is terrible, IMO), and even if I go with a base model, the options are another 20 grand. That's what makes the M235 so appealing, it's great bang for the buck, and if I have to live without a few things here and there, I will. Otherwise, I'll go buy a Cayman or a Vette or a C63 or an S5, or a . . . .

[nachob]

Originally Posted by angelbones

Don't get me wrong, I'm in favor of choice, and yes the alcantara undoubtedly has its advantages over vinyl when sporting around. My point is that if BMW says you can have 3, no 4, no 5, no 6 options of interior, you can have it, then understand the ramifications. In other words, you do realize that that would not be cost effective for BMW. In turn, that will raise the price on every model. More choices=more cost to you. One reason Detroit is reviled by most but loved by some for their "packages" as opposed to individual options is that it keeps their costs down and, in theory, they can pass the savings onto the consumer. For the record, I actually like the way that "cloth" interior looks in the OP, and does not seem out of place outside America. That said, 85%+ of Americans will not consider that a luxury car, and will just go buy a Buick or Ford and save some cash.

There were other discussions about stripper cars and if you want to do that to a 40k car, I think that's great. In fact, that is THE way to go if you're going to race, tune, or do visual mods. But for BMW to keep selling M235s in the US means that you are going to have to sacrifice adding a little bit of extras that the vast majority of people want in order to get to what makes the M235 special: the engine and suspension. As others have pointed out, you can get all those individual bits and pieces added and deleted on other sports cars such as the Porsche Cayman (I car I love), but just be prepared to pay out the wazoo. I've built a Cayman on the Porsche site (their configurator is terrible, IMO), and even if I go with a base model, the options are another 20 grand. That's what makes the M235 so appealing, it's great bang for the buck, and if I have to live without a few things here and there, I will. Otherwise, I'll go buy a Cayman or a Vette or a C63 or an S5, or a . . . .

The problem is that all those little choices away from performance to luxury add up. I'm already willing to deal with idrive and maybe even power seats but to have such a great performance interior and not give Americans the choice is just wrong. It's like the Germans are saying. Americans are all fat and lazy so let's just give them luxurious looking interiors and comfort suspensions and motorized folding mirrors because they just drag race between fast food stops. So some of us are saying. Just give us the choice! That is we are asking for just choice. Yes M235i has good value but the VW gti is a better value but I'm not shopping value per se. I am shopping for ultimate driving machine and Alcantara for me is the ultimate driving material . So we are just a lowly group of grass root enthusiasts asking for an option that we feel is important. You are part of the majority and every car is tailored to your preference. Can't you just let a few of us who love BMWs have the choice to configure them closer to the way we want?

My apologies and gratitude to those that have helped by asking BMW to offer this!

[nike001]

Originally Posted by angelbones

I find this thread to be a little puzzling. I know the original point was to get support to bring alcantara as the standard interior to the BMW. However, in the US, it won't fly. This is my first BMW, and if I had walked in to the dealer and they said well the base is this very nice alcantara, I would've walked out. I don't expect alcantara (with the exception of inserts) to be the standard trim on a BMW, Merc, Audi, Jag, Cadillac, or ANY luxury-brand car. (Forget any arguments about specific models not being luxury or sporty, I'm talking about the brand). Yes, Americans want autos. Yes, they want leather. So, the big luxury brands know this and one way they save money is by offering the fake leather. The great majority of buyers of these cars, would not buy one with cloth, including myself. I understand the argument about it being optional, but that's not how the automakers want to be perceived, fairly or not.

While it may not be the same thing, but I remember all those cloth seats from the 70s and 80s and the way that they would stain and be difficult to maintain, and yes, it has left an impression on me: stay away from cloth or cloth-like materials. Now, I must admit a bias because of my location in FL. Sitting in cloth in summer is like sitting on heated seats and sweating in the summer. Pass. Frankly, for what we pay, the present leather should be standard. If you want to upgrade to a softer leather, that should be the option. Lexus, Infiniti, they do seem to get the American market a little better when it comes to understanding what "most" buyers want (I would say this forum is NOT most buyers).

Now if we could combine German engineering, with Japanese reliability, European luxury, and American over-the-topness, then we'd have a car.

You seem to misunderstand the auto industry as a whole. Alcantara is not "cloth" or anything like it. It IS a premium fabric and isn't what you'd get in a base Cobalt. Your post is why BMW won't put Alcantara in US cars, people don't understand what it is, so therefore it is labeled "cloth" and indicates that BMW is selling junk. American ignorance at it's finest.

When looking for my current ZHP (that WAS available with an alcantara interior), I basically chose leather because I have sloppy friends and I'd be absolutely sick of answering why I have a "cloth interior in a bmw" and then trying to explain that alcantara is a high quality fabric that brands like Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc use.

Also, you'll never get German engineering to match with Japanese reliability. For example, BMW makes new engines (among many other new things from scratch) to stay on the brink of technology (one of the reasons the brand demands the price premium on each car's sticker), whereas the Japanese basically use the same thing for years and years and just make subtle tweaks to it.

I'm fine with what BMW does, and if there was an Alcantara option (or standard equipment), my ordered car would have alcantara.

[hoppy6698]

Originally Posted by jwr0721

I would have picked this over my real leather ... Not just the fake leather. The texture and detail of that material is phenomenal

Same here. If this wasn't our base option, I would have gladly paid to switch to this over the premium leather. The colors and stitching would have matched the EB so awesomely! :P

[uberspeed]

IMHO due to the American market and the ignorance within (harsh but true) BMW should simply keep offering the sensatec as the default option and alcantara to those that would have it in their vehicle with sporting intentions or simply for climate concerns.

[MichaelL]

I would have ordered this interior rather than the leather if I could have.... Too bad it isn't offered in the US.

[Sportstick]

http://jalopnik.com/what-the-hell-is...way-1604799947

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-alcantara.htm

http://beverlyhillsporsche.blogspot....-clean-it.html

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cloth

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fabric?s=t

Cloth = fabric and fabric = cloth

Gotta love that polyester and polyurethane! The power of marketing!!

But, agree that more choices are better!