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It’s not something I require in a car, but it’s nice to have. I currently drive a truck that doesn’t fit in my garage, so the cab is always hot in this weather. The vented seats automatically run if its 80+ outside. Heated seats and steering wheel are nice to have in winter, no more worrying about gloves I can safely drive in. I had massage seats on my last vehicle and they were great, definitely missing those.
Thanks to everyone for the input/opinions/info/links/etc...
Am reading all. My GF is also car shopping and we test drove a used Lexus RX-350 the other day on a hot/humid day. I was a passenger and switched on the seat cooling to #2 out of 3 settings. Like folks say it is more ventilation than cooling, but it definitely improved the comfort level. The AC was set to about 65 degrees in the cabin.
Haven't tried it in a truck yet. Will have to consider massage and heated steering wheel, up to now I didn't even know they existed.
Seems a sellers market so far in truck shopping, but the good news is trim levels depreciate right along with the make/model as years go by. So that Tundra Limited or F-150 Limited/Lariat/Platinum, etc is a real bargain compared to what it would be new measuring against new base models.
Heated seats and steering wheel take the edge off nearly instantly instead of waiting 5-10 minutes for the heat to come up. This is especially nice when the temps are sub-freezing and your commute is 15 minutes long (where you really don't have heat in the car until you're almost there). But they also are nice in a convertible on a brisk spring or fall evening with the top down.
And for an EV, heated seats mean warmth without using any range (resistive heaters use up a LOT of power)
I won't even buy a daily driver that doesn't have them now.
Same with a sunroof/moonroof or whatever you want to call it. If I can't have a convertible with the top down, I want to be able to open up the sunroof and let the sky in. Even going so far as to install a Webasto power sunroof in my '13 Volt (that was never offered with one).
I don't doubt that heated seats and steering wheels work for some. My car heats up to a good temperature within a minute of turning the heat, so it's never really been an issue for me.
We live in southern California where neither heater nor cooled seats are necessary, but they sure are nice to have. We've only had heated seats in our more recently acquired cars and are more useful since these cars have electric motors. It is more energy-efficient and range-friendly to use the heated seats as means of warmth rather than using the resistance heater in the HVAC system to heat the air.
Cooled seats would be nice for me, but it's not a must-have feature for me. I also wouldn't pay more than a $500 premium to have them.
Thanks to everyone for the input/opinions/info/links/etc...
Seems a sellers market so far in truck shopping, but the good news is trim levels depreciate right along with the make/model as years go by. So that Tundra Limited or F-150 Limited/Lariat/Platinum, etc is a real bargain compared to what it would be new measuring against new base models.
I shopped a Tundra Platinum specifically because of the cooled seats, dealer didn't have one.......I left.
My wife’s Audi has heated, cooled and massaging seats. Amazing especially on longer drives. My BMW has none of these (doesn’t have the cold weather package) and aside from the coldest days or hottest days it’s not an issue. None of the cars I had growing up had it and I somehow survived.
Keep in mind, in many (but not all) cars, the "cooled" seats are only "vented" seats. There's a fan that will bring colder air from under the seat (because hot air rises) and blow that through the seats with a fan. It helps a little, particularly if you are sweating or something, just the air blowing is nice, but it won't make a massive difference. Some actually run the air through a cooler of some sort first. Understand which one your car has and set expectations accordingly.
Ventilated seats draw ambient air from the vehicle cabin into the seat trim cover. Ventilated seats do not blow air. Cooled seats blow cool air upward/outward from the seat toward the occupant. For maximum efficiency with vented seats, you need to have the vehicle windows closed and the vehicle A/C on high.
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