swttsx007

Hi All,

So, this RDX is my first vehicle that has the front ventilated/cooled seats. However, when I turn it on, it doesn't really seem like it does much. Do these seats just have a fan blowing through the perforated leather, or is it connected to the AC system?

Anyway, just wondering how many of you use this feature, and if so, do you notice a big difference on a hot day?

Thanks much!

JB in AZ

Just fresh air from the cabin.

swttsx007

Do you use this feature often living in AZ? If so, do you notice a difference?

Vince D

The ventilated front seats are one of the many features I truly enjoy. I usually have my climate control system set to Auto, so on a hot day above 75 degrees (hey - it's the Pac NW not the Southwest) it's a nice treat to feel the cooled air coming from the back of the seats. It does not feel like a big fan on your back, but just enough of that air-conditioned cooling that you can feel. I also like the automatic strength-setting feature that gets reduced as the interior environment starts to cool.

EFR

I'll have to go with JB because I don't really know ventilated vs cooled. However, and this is the first car I have owned with cooled seats of any type, and now living in Las Vegas, with black seats, I am extremely happy with them and always leave them on 'Auto' setting. If they are 'ventilated' as opposed to 'cooled, cooled must really be something....I wonder what cars have actual cooled seats? This is also the first car I have ever owned with heated seats and steering wheel, which when we lived in Reno was pretty terrific.

markAZ

They do work and we use them all the time. Good to have when the temp gets above 100F. One of the nicer features of the car, IMO.

swttsx007

Awesome! I will have to finally try out the seats today after work (82 degrees out).

As far as the "auto" setting for the heated/cooled seats goes, do you just permanently leave it on Auto and then it adjusts the seating temps (heated/cooled) automatically depending on the temperature and ambient air in the cabin?

Thanks much!

EFR

I believe that is correct for the 'auto' setting. We really don't drive the RDX that much for me to have everything dialed in yet....when we hit 3 years (soon) it will be around 8000 miles total. But I prefer 'auto' for general purposes (heat or cool), my wife feels compelled to adjust them on her own, all the time. We intend to buy another car soon, 2022 model year, and I will be curious to see what, if any, cars actually have cooled seats. When you live in the southwest you need every little bit of help you can get. I wasn't convinced when we lived in Reno that the A/C on the RDX was going to be up to the task, but it seems to be handling the Vegas temps well so far. This morning was a record 'high' low at 82, and todays high should hit around 109 or so...yikes.

JB in AZ

Yes, I had it set to Auto..it does help, Heated seats or cooled seats... as determined by Acura! LOL

Vince D

[QUOTE=swttsx007;16725445 As far as the "auto" setting for the heated/cooled seats goes, do you just permanently leave it on Auto and then it adjusts the seating temps (heated/cooled) automatically depending on the temperature and ambient air in the cabin?[/QUOTE]

Correct and... the strength of the ventilated air also depends on what temperature setting you manually set for the cabin. The lower the temperature you set for the cabin, the higher the intensity of the seat vents. Manually move the cabin temp up, you'll start to see the lights flicker down from three green lights, then to two, then one...it's been very intuitive so far and like I said, it's one of the most enjoyable aspects of the cabin environment.

leomio2.0

Yea, I never get an, "oooh, my butt is ice cold" when using it, but it feels like a nice fan blowing on my back. This is especially nice when coming home from the gym. But, that's basically all it is, a gentle breeze up your arse and lower back. If you're not wearing breathable clothes, you may feel little to no difference.

JB in AZ

You mean like a leather jacket?

NooYawkuh

I don't feel much through a pair of jeans but through slacks or light cargo shorts it makes a big difference on a hot day. It doesn't blow much it just ventilates the cushion. It usually takes a few minutes before you feel it.

I can hear the fans when the cabin is quiet enough. They're probably just muffin fans.

leomio2.0

LoL, I suppose, but then why are you using ventilated seats? As NooYawkuh pointed out, even jeans will be more obstructive to feeling any airflow compared to something like gym attire.

This kind of has me thinking. If you fart while the ventilated seats are going, will it mask the smell or simply spread it through the cabin faster?

hans471

My wife, who spend her life devoid of any thoughts or feelings for features on a car changed after we got the RDX. Now she does not want a car that doesn't have Auto Climate control and heated and cooled seats. Also, she wants a car with "bird's eye view" camera system. She lived her entire life without ever giving any such features a thought before we got the RDX Advance. Now she just loves that feeling of cool air on her back on a hot day. And yes, even in jeans you know that seat is being cooled......

rdx4me?

I had cooled vented seats on my IS350. I replaced that with an Audi Q5 that didn't have the vented/cooled seats. REALLY missed them. Keeps the back and bum dry and cool in the summer. RDX has them..made sure of that based on the Lexus and Audi personal experience...Just set to auto and it's good!

swttsx007

So, I've been using the ventilated cooled seats on the 'Auto' setting, and I am really impressed with them. They're definitely an option I would want in future vehicles, too!

jmhumr

Ventilated seats was one of my “must have” features after we had them in a rental Buick when we went to the Grand Canyon. I believe those were “cooled” (AC air) because they got ice cold, but the “ventilated” RDX seats are cool enough imo.

Funz51

rdx seats are cooled by ac also. They just didn’t outfit the car with a great ac unit.

Leaf 68

Check the specs…Ventilated only.

JB in AZ

I respectfully, disagree. Well, it is cooled by AC, the AC just has to cool the car first, then your butt gets that same cooler air via the fans in the seat.

tecwerks

Our 2010 Lexus RX350 have actual ac cooled ventilated seats, the RDX ones are shit like JB said.

leomio2.0

Turn your S/O's ventilated seats on in the winter when they're not paying attention for some fun shenanigans.

Funz51

the ac turns on when you hit the switch, try turning the ac off in the car, then turn on the seat. The ac compressor comes on.

tecwerks

No matter, I feel zero cooling on my ass even though its set to high. In our Lexus my ass will freeze on high. I have filed the ventilated seat issue in the same area in my head as the buggy Infotainment system.

Trek

I'm so glad I read your post. I didn't know the temperature setting for the cabin affects the ventilated seats. I always have the cabin at 70. The ventilated seats are my only complaint about the interior of my PMC. I barely feel anything. My wife's former GMC Acadia Denali had ventilated/cooled seats that would leave ice on your back and your azz. It was awesome in blazing hot weather. I'll crank the cabin temp way down and see if that doesn't help the RDX "ventilated" seats to actually cool the driver like other cars do. I want to feel ice on my azz again.

swttsx007

you won’t, I already tried it!

leomio2.0

Yea, the problem is, the RDX's A/C is already kinda weak to begin with. It's not going to freeze your bum off unless it's already temperate outside. In really scorching weather, the cabin barely gets comfortable even on Lo, especially if the car's been sitting out in the sun for a bit. One of the biggest reasons I bought a sunshade. I usually find a shady spot (don't mind walking), but sometimes it's not an option. Thankfully, there haven't been too many of those days yet ... but it's still early in the summer.

EFR

"Yea, the problem is, the RDX's A/C is already kinda weak to begin with"
Agree. I took mine back to the dealer when I lived in Reno to have it checked. It was not even close to our 2003 Accord in performance. And of course...it was 'operating within normal parameters'...per the dealer. Now that we have moved back to Vegas, and the heat is really getting up there, it's shortcomings are even more so. I'm am glad to have the cooled seats, and it does make a difference, but overall, cooling in the RDX is so-so.

JB in AZ

I thought the cooling on my RDX was fine, until it got replaced with the Lincoln Corsair in April.. We have had temperatures of 110+F here for the last 10 days or so, and the Lincoln gets so cold so quickly, it is amazing. Even after sitting out in the sun for several hours in this heat, it cools down the interior very fast. The ventilated seats in the Lincoln are also only ventilated, just circulating the cabin air.

Trek

These are the weakest "ventilated" seats I've ever had. I will have to refer to them from now on as "so-called ventilated seats." But my gosh, I love the stereo in this car. I'm referring to the sound quality, not its useability.

Ludepower

RDX...AC and ventilated seats is lackluster and disappointing. I need the AC to be on full blast low for 5 minutes before the cabin becomes bearable. The ventilated seats just circulates air when I much prefer it blowing AC air to my sweaty bum.

ATL28

Disappointing to hear about the seats and AC system. Is it at least an improvement over my 2007 Acura TL? Looking to buy the 2019 RDX A-Spec.

EFR

It's not terrible, and it's probably the least effective AC I have had for the last several cars. It does do the job, but the job is also dependent on where you live (110/115 degree NV and AZ?), the tint on your windows, where you park, etc. besides our 2019 RDX, we also have a 2003 Accord and (had) a 2006 LR3. The AC on thoses blew a lot colder. Buying another RDX would be dependent on having better AC (it would be dependent on adding touch screen infotainment though.)

ATL28

Makes sense. I'd assume the panoramic roof without the shade being used would make a huge difference as well in the RDX. Is that a power shade? I'm watching all the reviews but have seen little mention on how that works.

I have had 0 complaints with the '07 TL and never need it on high. And I've never serviced the AC from 77k to 140k miles (today)

I can tell on the highway that the TL leaks enough air to keep the AC on a higher level vs idle. And the small sunroof shade in the TL makes a difference as well. So maybe the panoramic roof is part of the problem...

Out of my year of research, I'm not sure there's a better car out there than the RDX at it's price point, so it's likely not a deal breaker.

EFR

Yes. We pretty much never have the shade or the panoramic roof open. The shade and the glass roof have separate buttons for open and close, and shade is power. I have never had cooled ventilated seats before so my opinion is nothing but positive on this feature. Some say they are 'ventilated', and not AC cooled, so if true, maybe the AC cooled version on some cars is even better. Also, I have seen some post about tinting the panoramic roof. Seems reasonable, but some have said it's not a good idea, for whatever reason. Yes, the price makes it a compelling choice. Everybody has an opinion, but I have just never grown used to the infotainment tru-touch thing, and made worse by its differentiated way of operation between Apple CarPlay and the regular Acura functioning. We intend to get rid op our ancient Accord by year end, or next year, and the tru-touch will be the thing that makes us move on, as well as gas mileage that is below what were anticipating. Also, I have not been overly impressed with Acuras efforts to fix problems. I don't blame for problems, but i do for lackadaisical fixing of them. But, I really do enjoy driving the car, handles nice.

fogdoctor

Relative to our other cars, the AC and ventilated seats are weak in the RDX. That said, they work well enough for me because my car is garaged at home and in a garage at work. I mostly use the auto setting for the seats but use max when I feel like it. I get around the weak AC issue by opening all windows and the roof for several minutes while driving before turning on the AC. Basically venting the cabin if it is super hot before using the AC seems to do the trick for me.

My son has a Subaru Legacy that blows AC so cold that it can get uncomfortably cold pretty quickly.

Trek

I have no complaints about the AC. My complaint is about the ventilated seats. The ventilation is WEAK! W. E. A. K. My wife's Hyundai instantly cools your back no matter how hot the weather and her seats are black. Hyundai.

ross7777

If it makes you feel any better the ventilated seats in my Lexus are a joke. They just blow air around.

fogdoctor

Hyundai lane keep assist, infotainment, ventilated seats, and AC, we’re better than Acura. All of those things except AC were better than Lexus as well IMO.