This is where vented seats come into play; Cars they are the ideal remedy for comfortable cooling, especially in the scorching climatic conditions that the majority of India suffers throughout the summer. As time goes on, an increasing number of automakers are equipping their vehicles sold in India with this capability. And happily, using technique won’t cost you a lot of money to purchase a car.
A 1966 Cadillac Fleetwood was the first vehicle with temperature-controlled seats available, however it only provided the option of heating rather than cooling the seats. In actuality, it took more than 20 years, with the first vehicle to ever have ventilated seats being the 1998 Saab 9-5. It utilized two fans, one on the seat squab and the other on the bottom of the backrest, as well as perforated leather covers to draw hot air away and provide a cooling sensation for the user.
Even though there are now two different types of ventilated seats in use, the system hasn’t altered much since then. One uses fans to draw hot air away from the occupant’s body, making them feel cooler, much like the Saab method discussed above. The other technology, which uses fans and a mini-condenser unit, is more complicated and expensive. In contrast to the prior system, which pulled air away, the condenser cools the air similarly to an automobile’s air conditioning system, while the fans force the air through the seat fabric. This device enables precise temperature adjustments and the ability to chill and heat the seat.
Aside from this system’s evident ability to increase comfort, ventilated seats can also increase fuel efficiency and cut emissions. This is so that the primary A/C system’s temperature may be kept at a more constant level, which lowers the load on the engine and increases fuel efficiency and lowers pollutants. Let’s examine each vehicle with this function that costs less than Rs 15 lakh (ex-showroom).
Tata Nexon
Seats that can be ventilated: XZ Plus Premium (including Dark Edition and Kaziranga Edition)
Price: Starting at Rs. 11.75 lakh (ex-showroom)
In February 2022, this function was added to the well-liked small SUV from Tata, making it the most reasonably priced vehicle in India to do so. There are four potential drivetrains for the feature, which is exclusively available for the front two seats of the Nexon’s ZX Plus Premium Dark Edition and Kaziranga Edition models.
Kia Sonnet
variants: HTX Plus and GTX Plus with ventilated seats.
Price: Starting at Rs. 12,095,000 (ex-showroom)
When it was introduced in 2020, the Kia Sonnet was the first vehicle in the compact market to be equipped with ventilated seats. This made the Sonnet a very sought-after device, in addition to many other industry-first features. Only the two front seats are ventilated in this situation. With the exception of the 1.2-liter gasoline motor paired with the five-speed manual transmission, the feature is available with all Sonnet drivetrains.
Maruti Suzuki XL6
Alpha Plus variants with ventilated seats
Price: Starting at Rs. 12.89 lakh (ex-showroom)
The first item in the lineup to provide this comfort-improving innovation is Maruti Suzuki’s newest model. You must spend a minimum of Rs 12.89 lakh, ex-showroom, to take use of this option, which is only offered in the top-tier Alpha Plus model with both manual and automatic transmissions. once more, only the front two seats are included.
Hyundai Verna
Seats that are ventilated: SX (O)
Price: starting at Rs. 12.98 lakh
Before the Kia Sonnet was introduced, the Verna held the title for being the cheapest vehicle with ventilated seats. Before the Skoda Slavia was introduced, it was the only sedan in its class to have this feature. Despite the Verna’s dated style, this feature, among others, gives the Verna good value for the money.
Skoda Slavia
Seats with ventilation options:
Price: starting at Rs. 13.59 lakh
In the top-tier Style specification, the entry-level car from Skoda is equipped with ventilated front seats. Though the fans are excessively noisy at speeds higher than the first of the three options, the system’s efficacy is not outstanding.
