[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Can this be a deal breaker for you?

I drive my father's Ecosport S version which does not have this feature. However, the Aircon is a chiller

No, I definitely do not include this in my list of must have features. I would rather have a powerful and effective AC. Both our cars, the Ecosport S and the City, have ACs which are powerful enough to tide me over with Bangalore summers (which are pretty bad in recent years), never felt the need for ventilated seats really.

[Kosfactor]

2017 Verna test drive - ventilated seats were - WOW! You are floating. That was the first experience with it, love it.

If you have leather \ synthetic leather seats - this thing is a must, the difference it makes is remarkable.

The SX model came with fabric seats, so decided to buy that instead for our friend.

[vinu_h]

Ventilated seats is for the portion where AC cannot reach, so no contest. Interesting fact - I was running thru the manual of a Skoda Superb. They recommend a temperature setting of no more or less than 5 degrees of the ambient temperature.

[jothishX]

Not a necessity, but once you start using it, will get used to the extra comfort of cooled back and bums. I sweat like a pig, so even when driving with chilled ac for long hours, the back would be damp. With the ventilated seats on, I don't even need to keep the air con too low, because of the overall 360 degree cooling

[lsjey]

I voted yes. But, the poll question should be more direct IMHO. It should have been:

Do you consider ventilated seats as an essential feature in your new car? With options to answer Yes/No/Not Sure etc.

I consider Ventilated seats essential. After experiencing the leather seats in Honda City ZX in Chennai, I'm fully convinced it is very much needed.

Regards,
lsjey

[GTO]

Nice thread, but removed the poll as it was a bit confusing.

To answer the question in the thread title, no, ventilated seats aren't a necessity. We were already past the "necessity" stage 5 years back in the Indian car scene, and all the new features since have been nice-to-have, not must-have (sunroofs, DRLs, Android Auto, wireless phone chargers etc.).

That said, ventilated seats are a really, really nice-to-have feature. We recently bought a car with this feature and I can tell you it's a BOON in the hot Indian summers. However cold your car's air-con is, it will never reach the area where your back sticks to the seat. This is felt all the more with leather seats. Ventilated seats lead to a more all-rounded cooling experience.

If I buy an expensive car, I would feel shortchanged if it didn't have ventilated seats.

Originally Posted by kkr2k2

If I remember correctly, Hyundai offered cooled/ventilated rear seats back in 2012 with Hyundai Sonata. I still wonder why this did not catch the fancy of Indian car market

Because the Sonata itself didn't catch the fancy of Indian customers. Only 2 people bought it (and one of them was a Hyundai employee).

[RD150]

Father in law got himself a creta recently. Accompanied him to couple of family visits and I turned seat ventilation on. After some moments, why are the seats cold too he asked. Explained him the feature and he was mighty impressed. Before every drive he makes sure it's on. My point here is it's definitely a much usable feature than the fancy sunroof.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by GTO

Because the Sonata itself didn't catch the fancy of Indian customers. Only 2 people bought it (and one of them was a Hyundai employee).

, are you saying this in jest or are you serious! Believe me, I myself have seen 2 Sonata's of the latest shape.

[TrackDay]

It is nice to have ventilated seats after having experienced them, although never have been in a situation where it would have been a deal breaker. Usually additional features can be a headache in the long run since it is just another component that could fail. But in this case, if I am right, the cold air is supplied from the main aircon system itself. So no worries there. However I don't think most cars have cooling in the rear seat especially in the segment where this feature starts.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by TrackDay

But in this case, if I am right, the cold air is supplied from the main aircon system itself. So no worries there. However I don't think most cars have cooling in the rear seat especially in the segment where this feature starts.

In that case, doesn't the cooling effectiveness from the main Aircon affected once you turn on the VS?

[JishD]

Anyone who has faced the embarrassment of landing up at a customer meeting with a sweaty back during hot Indian summers will concur that ventilated seats is indeed a necessity !

Issue is not so much with fabric seats , but these faux leather seats really absorb heat and don't easily give it up.

[kkr2k2]

Originally Posted by GTO

......

Because the Sonata itself didn't catch the fancy of Indian customers. Only 2 people bought it (and one of them was a Hyundai employee).

By this, what I intended was cooled/ventilated rear seats not the Sonata itself. Or may be the market didn't think about it as it never was/is a feature in more popular cars.

Originally Posted by 07CR

, are you saying this in jest or are you serious! Believe me, I myself have seen 2 Sonata's of the latest shape.

And I have seen 2 Sonatas for sale in OLX. May be we three are talking about the same 2 Sonatas

[Axe77]

Great to have features are funny. If you’ve never used them you don’t miss them. Once you have experienced the convenience, its usually difficult to turn back.

Which is why its always harder to go down the ladder on whatever you’re used to, whether its salary, kind of car, housing etc. whatsoever.

Above philosophical note aside, this is not a feature I have ever paid attention to, purely because I have never experienced it. Reading these posts, I’m now sure that if my next car has this feature, I’ll be missing it when I drive my 3GT which doesn’t have it (if the GT does have ventilated seats then I just spent 5 years never discovering it!!) LOL.

[oxymoron]

Definitely, it is a nice to have feature in a tropical climate. It provides comfort in the areas where normally ACs wont reach. if you happen to park your car under sunlight then it eases the process of settling, having lived in Delhi for 2 decades, fabric seats would get so hot in summer days rendering AC useless for a 30 minutes commute. I experienced VS in 2016 and since then no looking back!

[docprashant]

Ventilated Seats is one of the major plus points in my ride (Elantra 2017 SX(O) VTVT), something I miss the most in my 2021 Baleno. As many contributors mentioned, it is something you need to experience, and trust me there's no going back. In a typical calendar year in Delhi, sunroof might be used ~10-20 days in a year, but the VS will definitely be used 80% of the times.

Benefits have been highlighted by many, personal experience says:
1. Ohh that feeling of cool air permeating your back and nethers ;-)
2. Anger management
3. Cool party trick (used to be, now it's mainstream)

Hyundai has done good work in trickling it down to mainstream cars and deserve applaud for the same. Next stop definitely has to be a ventilated rear bench as well (Sonata had it before). It would be indeed be of advantage in our climate conditions.