Do people not like heated seats?

Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
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38,372
I have a 2012 mk7 Fiesta metal, with heated seat, which on a day such as today was switched on from the moment I sat down. Im looking to change in the next 6 months to a 2 year old car (£11k or so), I like the car just want a bit newer so the mk8 fezza seems a good choice and it has a 6 speed gearbox which I feel it needs.

Now I have looked through about 50 cars online and only 2 (non ST models) have heated seats! I thought this might be an expensive option, but no, on a £16k-£20k fiesta the "comfort pack" is £300 for heated seats and steering wheel. Why would you not spec that when so cheap (for the cost of the car) especially in the UK, I might be a pansy but I have mine on 3 months of the year. I would say £300 is a small price to pay so my bottom stays at its optimum temperature! Do people just not like heated seats???

It's a fiesta. Not a premium brand car.

Both my cars have them as standard for instance. don't need to pay extra for them.

so people buying fiesta's don't spec heated seats? i'm not surprised. it's not exactly the type of car I would expect to have them.
 
Caporegime
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21 Jun 2006
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38,372
My last 7 cars have all had heated seats and unlike @Haze I find they are great, get far warmer than my own body can heat the seat up (which is kind of the point), and certainly in the convertibles it helps get some heat into what can be seats almost down to freezing point in this weather at 6am!

It was -8C here last night in Scotland and -3C the night before.

So heated seats were a god send. Took the car 5-10 mins to heat up to defrost the windows too.
 
Soldato
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18 Oct 2002
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4,898
I'm really missing my PHEV right now. Pre entry climate control warms the car up and puts the heated seats on for a departure time set in the app.

Had to buy a 6 pack of deicer this year now it's gone
 
Soldato
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The land of milk & beans
I have them but rarely use them. Even in this weather, and with leather seats, body heat has warmed it up by the time I've driven down my road. The wife loves them though, and uses it as an excuse to take my car. It's absolutely an option I wouldn't miss in future.
 
Soldato
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Leather was never a good seat material. Always to cold or to hot and not very grippy.

Alcantara is the way. I never need to use my heated seats.
 
Soldato
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9 Mar 2003
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14,056
Cars like Fiestas are just bought off the lot as a lease, pcp, stock car or pre-reg, they come as they come because it’s car cheaper than ordering a specific vehicle.

Very few are built to order so if it doesn’t come as standard on the trim level it’s not delivered.
 
Caporegime
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On the road....
I’ve had heated seats in a few cars and love them, especially with leather!

My truck has them too, great at this time of year.

What I miss the most though is the heated steering wheel in my old 735i, that was something I laughed at the prospect of until I had it.

When I decided to get a Focus I made sure it was a Titanium spec which has heated seats as standard, I suspect it’s not something most buyers would tick on the options list so just find whatever car your after with the trim level that has them.
 
Associate
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31 Aug 2017
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2,209
Yeah they are priceless with leather when its really cold, your butt can only do so much :p and mine has 3 settings so you dont need to burn your cheeks.
I dont really use them much when out with the top down as the MX5s heater is pretty powerful anyway.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Oct 2006
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90,805
Leather was never a good seat material. Always to cold or to hot and not very grippy.

Alcantara is the way. I never need to use my heated seats.

There are some cars (mostly older ones) I'm not that impressed by the leather (you can usually see it doesn't "hang" right on the seats in the first place even) but pretty happy with the leather in my Navara - definitely up there with the best seats I've found in a car so far and one of the reasons I'm not in a hurry to change it.
 
Soldato
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11 Sep 2013
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12,299
If people's body heat is working faster than the heating element in the seat, there must be some seriously shoddy parts being used.
In my Octavia they're hot within a minute or so.
My Octy's ones are the same.
The problem is that, being part of my core, my back and my bum were never cold in the first place. My hands are where the essential activity takes place during driving and they're far more exposed to the cold than any part that touches the seat...
 
Caporegime
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25 Jul 2005
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Canada
It was -8C here last night in Scotland and -3C the night before.

So heated seats were a god send. Took the car 5-10 mins to heat up to defrost the windows too.

Even when it’s -30 my bum still beats the seat up within a minute or so.

They’d make a lot more sense in cars you can precondition before getting in. I have remote start on my car, but rarely use that either. If it was a BEV I’d probably use it more though.
 
Associate
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18 Oct 2002
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723
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Preston
Borrowed the mot testers Mercedes whilst he did the mot on mine and I wish my car had heated seats. If wacked up to setting 3 they tended to get uncomfortably hot but if left on setting 1 or 2 they where grand.
 
Soldato
Joined
22 Nov 2006
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23,300
Yeah they are priceless with leather when its really cold, your butt can only do so much :p and mine has 3 settings so you dont need to burn your cheeks.
I dont really use them much when out with the top down as the MX5s heater is pretty powerful anyway.

Japanese heaters and AC are really good. That includes the ones for buildings too :)
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Oct 2006
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90,805
My Octy's ones are the same.
The problem is that, being part of my core, my back and my bum were never cold in the first place. My hands are where the essential activity takes place during driving and they're far more exposed to the cold than any part that touches the seat...

I just direct one of the vent outlets over the steering wheel area/where my hands are and it does the job fine - not needed a heated steering wheel yet.
 
Associate
Joined
31 Aug 2017
Posts
2,209
Yeah all my jap cars have had good hvac but the 5s seem to have always had a heater for a much bigger car in them .. they get hot quick and blast out a lot of air.
Wish it had cooled seats and a heated wheel though, when the sun is beating down on you with the roof down it can get sticky in there even with the AC - so sitting on a fridge would be nice :D
 
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