[Rexlion]

My old Mercury has leather seats. Though they are a light tan color, they cook the backside in summer. And they hold the sweat in the clothing, too.

My Toyota has cloth seats. Much more comfortable in summer.

I'm looking at a diesel Ltd GC or a (gas, obviously) Laredo E GC. I'd like the diesel. But the Limited has leather, whereas the Laredo has cloth.

How hot and sticky have your GC leather seats made you during the summer?

For those who have the ventilated leather in the luxury II package, how quickly do they cool down after you start the engine? (I'd like to remote start... it's often over 100* in Tulsa summer.) As I understand it, on 4WD the lux pkg is forced in with the diesel, but on 2WD it is not... correct me if I'm wrong. (There really is nothing else in the lux pkg that DW and I want; in fact, we hate sunroofs because of the leaks we have with the one in the Merc.)

Has anyone covered their leather seat with a custom cloth cover? If so, how much did it help with the heat and breathability?

I am in and out of my vehicle 15-20 times a day, and cooking my backside that many times per day is not something I look forward to!

 

[NC4stroker]

LOL, I just posted in another thread, I'll never own another DD vehicle without ventilated seats (if leather equipped).

I sweat year round, and I'll sweat through a dress shirt in a matter of minutes in the summer without ventilated leather.

In the summer, as soon as you get in and turn on the ventilated seats, you can feel it. If you remote start in the summer and get a head start on interior cooling, you'll get even more benefit, though in very hot weather, the AC works much better as the vehicle starts moving.

If you're not going to go with ventilated seats, get cloth. IMO!!

 

[SNUKE]

My Ford sedan has cloth seats, and we have the leather Lux II in our Limited.
We have the Light Frost interior colour. Compared to the black leather in our last SUV, they are slightly cooler to the touch than black if left in the sun.
Unless you have skin on leather, not even remotely hot enough to cause initial discomfort.
With remote start, this would be greatly nullified.

It has been frequently 90F-106F here recently. When getting in after it was sitting in the sun for a couple of hrs recently, it was hot but again, not as bad as the black was.
The ventilation is great, I switch between High and Low depending on conditions and run the climate control at 66F.

I run hot but not sweaty, I never have heated seats on, I never feel the need (we only get down to about 33F at our lowest on a very rare occasion) so I appreciate the ventilation.
I far prefer the ventilated leather to the non-ventilated cloth options of our two cars from a comfort level in the heat, there is no doubt about this.

 

[Rexlion]

Ventilated seats better than cloth... wow. Well, I've never had them before, so I'm glad I asked. Is there a duct that directs cooled air under the seat and through the perforations?

 

[SNUKE]

The lack of ventilation in the cloth means your body heats the seat up, and can become uncomfortable due to lack of air flow.
The actual seats in my Ford are far more comfortable and shaped

There is a pump that sits under the seat that does not have the battery under it. In my case the left hand side passenger seat. Not sure if the battery is switched for RHD vehicles or the same as US ones.
It takes up about ¼ of this space.

 

[YjagetaJeep]

I sweat...plain and simple, and the ventilated seats are fantastic! They don't just blow air through the perforations...they blow cold air! It's the best thing since sliced bread. You feel the cool air within a few minutes, depending on how hot the interior is...just like the A/C.

 

[SNUKE]

Here is the section that drives the seats:

 

[Rexlion]

Thanks for the helpful info. I appreciate it!

Mike

 

[lstowell]

Thanks for the helpful info. I appreciate it!

Mike

On 100+ days, the vented leather seats feel cool as soon as you park yourself in them. Try them in Pahrump or Baker.

You wouldn't want to put anything over them--the owners manual even warns you not to.

In My Non Humble Opinion, they are more comfortable on hot sticky days than even the finest cloth seats. And in the winter time, you can warm that cool posterior which can be another reason to spring for them.

Caution, reports of kids and M&Ms, etc. haven't exactly been pretty.

 

[YjagetaJeep]

They're using the A/C in all sorts of creative ways these days. On my Beemer, you can direct cold air into the console storage to have, in effect, a little refridgerator. It won't chill anything hot, or make ice cubes, but it will keep cold things cold!

 

[Rexlion]

On 100+ days, the vented leather seats feel cool as soon as you park yourself in them. Try them in Pahrump or Baker.

You wouldn't want to put anything over them--the owners manual even warns you not to.

In My Non Humble Opinion, they are more comfortable on hot sticky days than even the finest cloth seats. And in the winter time, you can warm that cool posterior which can be another reason to spring for them.

Caution, reports of kids and M&Ms, etc. haven't exactly been pretty.

I never would put a seat cover over the ventilated seats, but my thought was that a cloth cover over the ordinary leather seats might make them more bearable.

But the vented does sound great. I "only" have to spend 3 grand to get them...

 

[SNUKE]

The last two days it has been 102F when I have gotten in the car at the end of the day.
2 days ago, Ford with cloth seats, today GC with leather.
Not much of a difference to the touch, and absolutely no thought that the leather was hot, so watch out. Of course it would have been better being able to test them side by side, and I might do that on Sunday.

I think the light colour helps a lot more compared to the black, as does the perforated leather instead of just a big fat slab.

 

[Rexlion]

I have a nubuck leather La-Z-Boy recliner at home. It's the softest leather I've ever sat in. There is no heavy finish to interfere with breathability, so it is comfy whether I'm hot & sweaty or I'm cold. Too bad the car companies can't put that really good-quality leather on their seats.

To me, most of the leather they use in automobiles feels not much better than vinyl. It certainly doesn't breathe any better than vinyl (without vent perforations, I mean).