[Carnut12]

Originally Posted by Gizmo 335i

Bit of a rant here. For the record I am not a fan of alcantara. To me it's akin to cheap polyester clothing from the '70's. Or material you'd see in a shaggin' wagon from the '70s. In other words, tacky and cheap-looking unbefitting any vehicle priced more than $35,000. Having to go aftermarket to get proper leather shifter and e-brake boots is disappointing. I understand alcantara on steering wheels of real track/race cars. But standard commuter cars?

OK, rant off. I feel better now. Although, the old-fashioned might have helped

Agree 100% I’ve never liked it, to me it looks cheap.

[Ejones4541]

I suppose it's a better alternative to repurposed yoga pants.

[YKIGI]

Is thread really for real?? The comments are ridiculous. Alcantara has been used in race cars for decades. It doesn’t heat up. It’s grippy so hands and bodies don’t slip under hard Gs. It’s light. It lasts compared to other materials. It disperses moisture and humidity. I mean, that’s just to name a few.

People put it in road cars for the look, heritage, and tribute to racing.

[BMWCCA1]

It's just Ultrasuede under another name. A synthetic suede material developed for the fashion industry by a Japanese company. Alcantara is another trade-mark name for a similar product originally from the same company, often made flame-retardant for use in automobiles and race car applications.

I find it a superior material where it is used in headliners and I very much would like use it to replace the headliner in my E34 some day. Not such a fan where it comes in contact with the body or hands. Great for those who dump their cars every three-years. Not so much for those of us who keep ours for decades.

[dreamingat30fps]

Hate it. A big part of the reason I did not go with the ZL1 when I bought my C7 is because the ZL1 is full of that crap. Maybe it's lighter, maybe it's grippier... but I'm sure that's not why they use it 99% of the time. It's just the cool thing to do right now it seems. Same with carbon fiber. Sure they use it on some cars to save weight etc, that's not why you vinyl wrapped your trim in cf though.

Leather or cloth for me. The pleather on the Model 3 is actually quite nice. I like it a lot. I don't know if that's the current state of pleather tech, but back when I had VWs and even our 1 series has some pleather that was just hard nasty shit!

[jmg]

Originally Posted by YKIGI

Is thread really for real?? The comments are ridiculous. Alcantara has been used in race cars for decades. It doesn’t heat up. It’s grippy so hands and bodies don’t slip under hard Gs. It’s light. It lasts compared to other materials. It disperses moisture and humidity. I mean, that’s just to name a few.

People put it in road cars for the look, heritage, and tribute to racing.

I like it on my steering wheel because it feels nice and I like the extra grip on the track, especially when I wear gloves. I wish it was on my side bolsters so I could get some more grip.

I don't think it looks "cheap" at all. Who cares how much it costs or if it's natural? It's functional.

[/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/2heuE1g]

[mmic77]

For me it doesn‘t look cheap. It‘s highly functional and I like it in the right car. Love it in my GT4 (seats and steering wheel).

[No Boost]

Big fan. The more, the merrier.

[Matt 335is]

Originally Posted by mmic77

For me it doesn‘t look cheap. It‘s highly functional and I like it in the right car. Love it in my GT4 (seats and steering wheel).

Agreed. Alcantara looks more premium than leather when used properly. Porsche is the master. Doesn't get much better than your GT4:

[MystroX5]

I have had a lot of cars with Alcantara. It’s a synthetic suede that breaths and can be cleaned. It holds you in like Velcro. It’s also a beautiful trim material for headliners, etc that has good sound absorbing qualities. It can pill up easily and not wear nearly as good as genuine leather. A sweater shaver will work wonders on the pilling and a Mr Clean white magic eraser will get most stains and grime off of light color alcantara. I did a workshop on alcantara care for PCA years back.

[mmic77]

Unfortunately I haven‘t the extended alcantara option. Car was displayed as it was at my dealership and I couldn‘t say no to it .

[YKIGI]

Originally Posted by mmic77

Unfortunately I haven‘t the extended alcantara option. Car was displayed as it was at my dealership and I couldn‘t say no to it .

Beautiful car man! Congrats and enjoy 😊

[mmic77]

@YKIGI: Thank you . Car is even better than expected.

[HeelToeShift]

Originally Posted by mmic77

Unfortunately I haven‘t the extended alcantara option. Car was displayed as it was at my dealership and I couldn‘t say no to it .

Congrats! Here is mine.