Will 2005 R53 seats (front and rear) work in a 2005 R52? I have opportunity to buy nice red/black leather coupe seats to replace my cloth Cabriolet seats.

 

Seats are not interchangeable between R52 and R53. The rear seat is narrower in the R52 to accommodate the roof mechanism at the sides, and the front seats have different airbags because the hardtop has side curtain airbags but the R52 doesn't.

 

Yep, the front have a side airbag that fires more upwards to compensate for no hardtop airbag.

 

Reviving this thread as an r52 owner that scored a really nice seat of heated r53 lounge leather fronts. If I put them in will it throw any airbag lights (provided I disconnect battery during replacement) or is the compatibility concern strictly safety-related? :D