Ventilated seats & Nappa Leather dissapointment

[mntbiker]

We picked up our new 2016 X5 xDrive35i a few weeks ago and have been super happy with it so far. We went with Mocha Nappa leather & the luxury seating package. Since we were already going to order the Multi-Contour seats, the "Ventilated seats" option only added $50 and seemed like a no-brainer.

Upon taking delivery of the car, I realized that the seats were not quite as epic as I was expecting due the the perforations for the ventilated seats. This also extended throughout the rear seats, even though these are not ventilated. I guess this was to make them all look uniform. The Nappa Leather portions of the seat feel amazing and very soft. The perforated sections of the seat do not feel nearly as soft and it makes the seat look and feel a lot cheaper than it really is.

To BMW's credit, this is visible in the configurator but if you aren't paying close attention you might miss it:



The ventilated seats are not really that great, and if I could change one thing about the car I would have not opted for the luxury seating package. I just wanted to post this as an FYI for anyone looking to get this package in the future!




More pics:

View post on imgur.com

[JonM]

We have the Luxury Seating package in our car, but black Dakota leather.

Sometimes I am disappointed in the ventilated seats. I think they don't cool you off that well.

But, when I get back in my M3 without ventilated seats, here in the south, it is hotter than Hades (and sweaty). It is a significantly hotter car to ride in, even though the AC performs about the same. So while the ventilated seats may not feel like they do much, I think they actually do a very nice job.

It does look like the seats you have are partially Nappa and partially the same leather as what is on our Dakota car. Maybe the center leather needs to be thicker than nappa for durability reasons?

[Nonopr01]

I have the same configuration and I think it works Ok not great but does the job.
Same scenario I have with my M4 seat are not ventilated and it makes a big difference here in my weather.

[aw305]

The problem is its just "ventilated" but not cooled. I wish I knew that before I placed my order,if I did I wouldn't have got the ventilated seats

[Nonopr01]

Originally Posted by aw305

The problem is its just "ventilated" but not cooled. I wish I knew that before I placed my order,if I did I wouldn't have got the ventilated seats

I wonder who offers Cooled???Seat. None of the cars I have had in the past had cooled seats just ventilated. Basically they take the cabin air and recirculate thru the seat.

[iconoclast]

The seats in the 4L Q7 cooled very well despite being labeled "Ventilated" however with jeans is hardly noticeable. Suit, shorts, khaki/chino, etc. you can feel the air. The downside is it is much louder than the BMW or RR seats. when you move forward or shift you can hear the blowers. What I noticed with the X5 is that it takes longer for it to reach a cooling point but once it is there it works well.

[aw305]

My 2007 Ford Expedition had cooled seats. To the point it was cold! And my dad's 2014 nissan maxima also has very cold seats

[Nonopr01]

Originally Posted by aw305

My 2007 Ford Expedition had cooled seats. To the point it was cold! And my dad's 2014 nissan maxima also has very cold seats

I checked both those cars specifications and they all have Ventilated and not Cooled.

[iconoclast]

the major annoyance (at least for me) is that the blower automatically reduces itself. i am not sure why but when you set on it three bars it slowly decreases and you have to manually set it back to high again.

[Nonopr01]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

the major annoyance (at least for me) is that the blower automatically reduces itself. i am not sure why but when you set on it three bars it slowly decreases and you have to manually set it back to high again.

Once it reach certain temp it will reduce automatically. Will need to find out what temp and I am sure we can code for it to keep temp.

[iconoclast]

Understood, it should just stay on the setting I set it for until I do not want it at that setting anymore. I thought this was an ECO-Pro feature only but it works in all settings.

[thaddh]

Agreed. I went from a cayenne GTS with ventilated to the 16 x5. The cayenne gets you ice cold on 2 bars and I can't feel the x5 on 3 bars. I would agree with the poster above on if you don't have them it's probably waay hotter. My wife's GMC Acadia cools really well as well.

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by Nonopr01

I checked both those cars specifications and they all have Ventilated and not Cooled.

Lexus had the A/C air pumped into seats on their E350 cars back a few years ago.. not sure if they still do this or not. But Other car manufactures definitely had cooled or cold air blowing out of their perforated seats. I think now days all car manufactures just call it vent'ed seats and only blows ambient temp air.

[iconoclast]

I recall SAAB 9/5 being one of the first or the first when I drove them back in the mid-late 90's.

[athanyel]

All Ford vehicles with "cooled seats" have small Peltier coolers in the seats and are actually cooled rather than just circulating air.

My 2013 Raptor has the cooled seats and will DEFINITELY cool the seats below the cabin temperature if I'm not careful. I've test driven the 2016 Explorer and it's the same deal: the seat will get COLD even when the cabin is only moderately cool.

[iconoclast]

I believe the technology came from Lincoln then trickled down to the rest of the Ford product line. They were the first to offer a "cooled" seat (IIRC, if not the first then one of the first.)

[aw305]

What ever they advertise it as it kept my arse cold lol

[Xpress5]

My previous 2013 911 (991) cab had cooled seats - I really enjoyed them on hot days with the top down

[IndyJer]

My wife's Chevy Tahoe has cooled seats. X5 seats work just fine for me even though only ventilated. You can code the fans in your X5 to run at higher speeds, not sure if you can code them to stay on the high setting.

[MysticBlue]

Originally Posted by JonM

We have the Luxury Seating package in our car, but black Dakota leather.

Sometimes I am disappointed in the ventilated seats. I think they don't cool you off that well.

But, when I get back in my M3 without ventilated seats, here in the south, it is hotter than Hades (and sweaty). It is a significantly hotter car to ride in, even though the AC performs about the same. So while the ventilated seats may not feel like they do much, I think they actually do a very nice job.

It does look like the seats you have are partially Nappa and partially the same leather as what is on our Dakota car. Maybe the center leather needs to be thicker than nappa for durability reasons?

I agree with everything you said. Even though the ventilated seats don't seem to move as much air as you would expect, they are still a lot less sweaty than the non perforated leather in my M3. In fact, even if it wasn't ventilated with a fan, I would still prefer the perforated leather. I think the perforated part is actually what makes it more comfortable when it's hot. The ventilation helps a little, but the perforated leather is what makes the difference.

[BMWMN1971]

I have ventilated seats on my Porsche and they are fantastic. Never ordered those on our last 2 X5 but I was considering to order on the new one but will think twice after reading this post.

[iconoclast]

I have them and would not think twice. They operate as designed and much quieter than the other Marques but take longer to be come as effective.