Caroline and Donna are our resident heated seat experts around here, gladly toasting themselves to bring you reviews on the latest in heated seat advancements. Caroline seemed to be impressed by the Traverse's seat heaters.
I, however, would gladly trade bun warmers for butt coolers.
I first remember hearing about cooled seats in a Saab, with Mercedes and Lexus picking up the pace thereafter. Nowadays, though, it's GM, Kia and Ford that seem to be running with the feature in non-luxury models like our long-term Traverse.
Technically speaking, the Traverse has cooled seats as it blows refrigerated air through the perforated leather seats. They do the job, but can make you feel like you've sat in some water. Ventilated seats, like those used by Mercedes-Benz, circulates air to more subtly keep you cool. I prefer the latter, but either is just fantastic.
I'm Canadian, I like being cold. But really, who likes swamp ass?
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
mercedesfan says:
10:05 AM, 10/19/10
I couldn't agree more. When I first got me car I didn't really know if I would use the ventilated seats. They were standard so it's not like I gave them much thought during the purchasing process, but I have probably used them more than any other feature on the car. Perhaps its because I have a black-on-black car and live on the surface of the sun (aka San Jose in the summer), but I sure have appreciated them over the last 4.5 years.
santiagofdz says:
10:33 AM, 10/19/10
Living in the desert, I was sorta bummed I couldn't get any cooled seats for a reasonable price. Why they don't push the feature more over here I have no idea. I wouldn't likely spend money on a nav system, or some designer crap, but I'd pay top coin for a feature like this.
carguy622 says:
11:00 AM, 10/19/10
I would love cooled seats. I think I'd use them way more than heated seats even in NY. I'm always hot. Not offered on my car though, and I don't pull down nearly enough money (yet) to buy another vehicle.
old_volvo says:
11:21 AM, 10/19/10
Count me as one who loves cooled seats, even if the result does feel a little like sitting on a outhouse seat in December.
I was first introduced to these in a Cadillac dts I rented for work. I walked into that client meeting after a long drive feeling pretty good, and have been missing them (the cooled seats) ever since.
bodyblue says:
11:42 AM, 10/19/10
Look at that dash...three different textures with mis-aligned pieces and a some parts that were not trimmed of when it came out of the mold. That looks like crap. Cooled seats are a great feature in California however
cello_one says:
12:36 PM, 10/19/10
Heee - swamp A$$. And I really hate that. My old Buick Regal GS (leather std) really was good for making swamp A$$.
firstwagon says:
01:15 PM, 10/19/10
I really hate "swamp A$$" too. That's why I'll never go back to leather.
Just wondering... I know running the AC cuts my mileage a noticeable amount, I wonder what effect cooling (or heating) has on mileage.
clarkma5 says:
03:30 PM, 10/19/10
Ventilated seats are easily my favorite luxury feature, they are so so nice in warm environments like most of California. I'd trade heated seats for ventilated seats any day of the week.
misterfusion says:
03:47 PM, 10/19/10
It looks like we have a consensus on Inside Line -- a rarity akin to the Harmonic Convergence.
I would also pay a good amount of money for this feature as a stand-alone option, but it was not offered in any of the vehicles I recently shopped. Here in L.A., I would probably use it 8 months out of the year. On the other hand, I've never felt the need for a seat heater, even when visiting family in Santa Fe during the winter.
stovt001 says:
09:48 PM, 10/19/10
I'd kill for cooled seats. I sweat a lot anyway, and get swamp ass too. (By the way, my wife said she never heard that term until she met me, and she still knows no one else who uses it. And I'm not Canadian either...). Even my Miata's cloth seats leave leave me sweating.
And to keep up the rare consensus, I'll even agree with bodyblue. I generally like the Traverse, but his criticisms of the interior in this picture are dead on.