[330 CSi]

How comfortable are the Sensa Tec seats, particularly in warmer climates? I am having a concerns about paying $90k or more for a car without leather seats.

[mf44]

Originally Posted by 330 CSi

How comfortable are the Sensa Tec seats, particularly in warmer climates? I am having a concerns about paying $90k or more for a car without leather seats.

There is no substitute for seeing and sitting in them yourself. But my experience is that they are great. I’ve had leather in my last few cars and have no qualms about going with sensatec this time around. I will say that the leather does fee softer to the touch when comparing them, but I did not notice any actual difference in comfort.

Also, I personally prefer the stitching pattern on the sensatec seats over the leather pattern. The headrest cutout is also black on the sensatec seats, which I also prefer.

[Road Trip]

Ditto for the visual preference in the stitching pattern of the Sensatec, e.g. its not covering the bolsters and the head rest too.

[Zachp13]

I’m not sure how much they have improved sensatec in the last 10 years but my 3 series had black sensatec and it was ungodly hot in California sun. At the same time I had black leather in an X5 and it was so much cooler. Currently have an X3m with merino and that is a whole lot nicer than the X5 base leather. Personally leather was a deal breaker for me and I have one in order as it seems the dealers outfit most with sensatec.

[Paladin1]

Sensafin is a considerable improvement and I'm not sure why BMW didn't elect to use it in the iX like their other luxury SUVs:

[f82fanatic]

I live in Florida. I elected sensatec.

Absolutely great material. It feels nothing like the sensatec from a few years ago. Texture is different. This material is not stiff as it used to be. Also, very plush, comfortable to sit on. I have the ventilated seats on mine. Had to go sensatec because I wanted the Mocha color. Don’t regret it at all.

The material doesn’t get hot in my experience.

[Pictor]

I'm skeptical of senstec in heat. I've always found real leather to be cooler in the heat. My brother who lives in Miami prefers sensatec so I have to take his word for it.

I've been wanting to see real world measurements of heat differences between the two if anyone in the Seattle area with sensatec is available for 30 minutes on a sunny day to do some measurements, I'll bring a FLIR camera to take readings off the seats.

[Achtung79]

I have Mocha sensatec in Houston. It has been a brutal summer. No issues at all. It remains much cooler than the black leather on my X5

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by 330 CSi

How comfortable are the Sensa Tec seats, particularly in warmer climates? I am having a concerns about paying $90k or more for a car without leather seats.

Then get the leather. It's amazing.

[deutsch100]

We have had iX with SensaTec and iX with Amido leather.

SensaTec pattern/stitching is 1000% better looking and more modern than the 7 Series/S-Class/Bentley diamond stitching the iX leather has.

iX leather is much softer and buttery feeling, compared to the SensaTec.

I am beyond stumped why other BMW models get SensaFin and the iX is stuck with SensaTec.

We recently test drove an X7 and the leather was so soft, smooth and luxurious....only for the sales guy to tell us it was SensaFin :-O

In terms of heat, we find the black SensaTec to be only slightly hotter than the leather. Ventilated seats are a must though!!

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

We have had iX with SensaTec and iX with Amido leather.

SensaTec pattern/stitching is 1000% better looking and more modern than the 7 Series/S-Class/Bentley diamond stitching the iX leather has.

iX leather is much softer and buttery feeling, compared to the SensaTec.

I am beyond stumped why other BMW models get SensaFin and the iX is stuck with SensaTec.

We recently test drove an X7 and the leather was so soft, smooth and luxurious....only for the sales guy to tell us it was SensaFin :-O

SensaFin has had rave reviews by many folks. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person and seeing how it wears vs leather.

[f82fanatic]

Originally Posted by Pictor

I'm skeptical of senstec in heat. I've always found real leather to be cooler in the heat. My brother who lives in Miami prefers sensatec so I have to take his word for it.

I've been wanting to see real world measurements of heat differences between the two if anyone in the Seattle area with sensatec is available for 30 minutes on a sunny day to do some measurements, I'll bring a FLIR camera to take readings off the seats.

I live in Miami. Take my word for it too hehe. They are great. Always cool, even in the brutal summer we are having.

[akin67]

Originally Posted by mf44

There is no substitute for seeing and sitting in them yourself. But my experience is that they are great. I’ve had leather in my last few cars and have no qualms about going with sensatec this time around. I will say that the leather does fee softer to the touch when comparing them, but I did not notice any actual difference in comfort.

Also, I personally prefer the stitching pattern on the sensatec seats over the leather pattern. The headrest cutout is also black on the sensatec seats, which I also prefer.

Historically I always ordered tbe best grade leather available. However, this time I ordered Sensatec for the exact same reasons.

[330 CSi]

Thanks for these responses. Does the Sensatec breathe well?

[f82fanatic]

Originally Posted by 330 CSi

Thanks for these responses. Does the Sensatec breathe well?

Mine does! It’s excellent, but it has ventilated seats. Not sure how it would if did not have that feature.

Are you planning on adding it?

[ilya4min]

+1 for the stitching pattern: the leather looks a touch outdated, while Sensatec looks cool and modern.

I would love to get Sensafin instead of Sensatec, but since it was not an option, I went with Sensatec. It's not as soft or smooth as the leather, but judging by Amido, it was designed for comfort and not durability. I'm considering keeping my car after the lease, and don't think the leather will age well without proper maintenance. Sensatec will outlast the rest of the car, and even if something goes wrong, won't be too expensive to fix/replace.

[mf44]

Originally Posted by ilya4min

+1 for the stitching pattern: the leather looks a touch outdated, while Sensatec looks cool and modern.

I would love to get Sensafin instead of Sensatec, but since it was not an option, I went with Sensatec. It's not as soft or smooth as the leather, but judging by Amido, it was designed for comfort and not durability. I'm considering keeping my car after the lease, and don't think the leather will age well without proper maintenance. Sensatec will outlast the rest of the car, and even if something goes wrong, won't be too expensive to fix/replace.

This is a good point re: durability. The leather did seem less durable in feel at least. I would imagine for a lease either would be OK, but it’s worth thinking about if you are keeping it for longer.

[Road Trip]

Originally Posted by ilya4min

+1 for the stitching pattern: the leather looks a touch outdated, while Sensatec looks cool and modern.

Two votes in agreement with you there….

When my wife and I went iX hunting at a dealership that had quite a few interior options in both, after opening several doors my wife quickly said she really did not like the leather with its patterning on every inch of the seats including the headrests. Conversely she thought the limited patterning of the Sensatec on only the center sections of bottom and back looked terrific. Once limited to Sensatec, she was next all in on the Mocha though liked the black as her second choice (and living in the cooler Pacific Northwest both will work well for us). My color choice which I held back until she voiced hers, was Mocha also. {Whew, both our decisions being the same went particularly well.}

[SGiXers]

Sensatec in tropical Singapore and humid too. No ventilated seats but bum and back rest stays cool. Love it. Less is more?

[Pawtato]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

iX leather is much softer and buttery feeling, compared to the SensaTec.

This is the same as what I found when I drove a loaner with SensaTec for a week. I like to drive with my right arm rested on the center storage and I couldn't stop noticing how much rougher the SensaTec felt to the touch compared to the Amido leather on my car.

Its headrest, or the lack of one, is nowhere as comfortable as my wife's G wagon though, but that's another topic along with the missing thigh side bolster and extension 😢.

[bmwix1]

The leather also smells different. Maybe it's the oliver tanning treatment causing the refreshing smell. I still wish BMW offers merino leather option like x5/i5. Only time will tell its durability since it's relatively new material. All my other cars are old with leather. Besides some wringles on the surface, they all survived the testing of time, climate, gravity and friction.

[Paladin1]

Adding perspective, leather is historically a very durable upholstery material. Like any natural product however, it requires periodic maintenance to keep looking (and feeling) new. Leather is generally softer and more comfortable than plastic. And plastic is not maintenance-free - it's easier to surface-clean (when new), but is still subject to wear, scratches and cracking over time, and needs a periodic refresh of the plasticizers. And unlike tanned leather, you can't restore the surface of plastic upholstery. Many vintage (over 50 y/o) automobiles are still sporting leather seats (if properly maintained), that retained their softness and sheen over decades. There's a reason saddles aren't made of plastic....