Giga vs. Tera - Dash Material

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vonschaper

New member
Joined
May 10, 2018
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3
Does anyone know if the Giga models have a leather wrapped dashboard like the Tera?

The lease is almost up on my '15 Tera and I have to special order the i3s anyway so I would prefer the light interior of the Giga - if the dash is also wrapped in leather. I know this is random but it's just one of those small details that make the car feel so much nicer than most other cars.

Thanks all for any help! :)
 
BMW only uses the dark leather in the i3, so the lighter tone in the i3 uses synthetic, harder materials on the dash except for the wooden trim. If you want a leather wrapped dash, you have to buy the Terra (at least for now) unless you could get someone to do it for you aftermarket, and that, I think, would be quite costly and probably not come out as well. It may be in keeping with their green theme...getting consistent lighter leather probably would take some toxic chemicals to bleach and dye it whereas it's easier to use natural ones to get the darker color.
 
vonschaper said:
Does anyone know if the Giga models have a leather wrapped dashboard like the Tera?)
The only leather in a Giga are accents in its seats and door panels. As you can see from this photo of a Giga interior, the dashboard isn't covered with tan leather but by a light synthetic material.

bmw-i3-interior-design-01.jpg
 
The Giga world gray steering wheel is also leather. At least mine most definitely is!
 
i3Alan said:
The Giga world gray steering wheel is also leather. At least mine most definitely is!
Unfortunately, ours is also. The gray dye (paint?) on this leather doesn't seem to be very durable and can wear through more quickly than it should. I would have preferred a dark faux leather cover whose color isn't painted on.
 
Sorry to disagree but previous answers are incorrect. I had a 2014 Giga and now have a 2017 Tera. Both include the leather wrapped dash. (It’s one of my favorite features; I don’t think it’s acknowledged enough.) The Giga comes in a light grey, the same as the steering wheel. You can tell, even in the photo above, because BMW uses actual stitching at the seams. The light grey leather has a smooth grain identical to the dark brown leather in the Tera. My 2014 showed the telltale random variation in the grain that distinguishes leather from synthetic. In contrast, the medium brown inserts on the Giga seats and doors have an exaggerated pebbling that’s probably created with a process similar to embossing. I’ve also seen BMW spec sheets that state the Giga has the leather-wrapped dash.
 
stumbledotcom said:
Sorry to disagree but previous answers are incorrect.
I'll defer to stumbledotcom. Despite having our Giga BEV for 3 ½ years, I haven't paid attention to the dashboard covering. Interior trim materials just aren't particularly important to me other than their longevity. I would prefer a durable synthetic material to leather that's either painted or dyed and subject to early degradation.
 
While we are talking about interior fit and finish. Are there any other differences in the worlds beyond materials? I read on the worldwide FB page that the Deka doesn't have any of the courtesy lights under the dash or in the back seats. I like the aesthetic of the dark cloth with the blue accent best. What would I be sacrificing in the way of other interior features? I will get the tech package, but can't seem to find any info on these little details. I'm in the US market and the dealer hasn't had a Deka yet or hasn't bothered to read up.
 
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