10 New Cars With Ventilated Seats Under $50,000
You don't have to sweat over a big price tag when shopping for a new vehicle with cooled seats.
Buick
Car shoppers take all sorts of things into consideration when shopping for a new car, truck, or SUV. Major deciding factors include everything from horsepower to fuel economy, safety features, cargo space, warranty coverage, and passenger space. Yet sometimes, the smaller indulgences, such as the cooling comfort of air-conditioned seats, help seal the deal.
Not long ago, ventilated and air-conditioned seats, while different, were limited to high-end luxury cars from Bentley, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, though they actually debuted on the 1999 Saab 9-5. Today, this perspiration-focused feature can be found on an increasing number of mainstream vehicles from Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, and Toyota.
To help prevent you from breaking a sweat while shopping for budget-friendly vehicles with ventilated and air-conditioned seats, we've compiled a list of 10 vehicles with these features. All have a starting price below $50,000, even when it's necessary to climb to higher trims for the added pleasure and refinement of cooled front seats.
2023 Buick Envision
The 2023 Buick Envision is a five-passenger luxury compact SUV powered by a 228-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with a nine-speed automatic. Envision buyers get front-wheel drive (FWD) in the Avenir trim. The around $1,900 Comfort & Convenience Package that includes air-conditioned front seats can be added for a total price of about $35,000.
Chevrolet
2023 Chevrolet Equinox
If tech features are as vital as keeping you cool and comfy when behind the wheel, know that the 2023 Chevrolet Equinox boasts a user-friendly infotainment system offered in a compact SUV. Standard features include wireless smartphone connectivity, four USB outlets, satellite radio, Bluetooth, and an onboard Wi-Fi hot spot. Ventilated front seats are offered as optional on the highest Premier FWD and AWD trims, which costs around $35,000-$37,000.
Honda
2022 Honda Passport
With two rows of spacious seating and an expansive cargo hold, the 2022 Honda Passport is a midsize SUV that aims to please. The AWD Honda is a great choice for long road trips, and the Passport's impressive lineup of standard features makes it a solid value. With a starting price of about $47,000, the top Elite trim adds a hands-free power tailgate, 20-inch alloy wheels — and, as you probably guessed — heated and air-conditioned front seats.
Hyundai
2022 Hyundai Kona Electric
Let's start with a small SUV that offers air-conditioned seats well below our budget cap and will never require a single drop of gasoline. The 2022 Kona Electric delivers 258 miles of driving range and comes standard with niceties like wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Available in two trims, the upscale Limited starts at about $44,000 and adds leather seating with heated and cooled front seats.
Jeep
2022 Jeep Cherokee
The 2022 Jeep Cherokee compact SUV can handle anything from an arduous daily commute to serious off-road adventuring when equipped with its optional four-wheel drive hardware. To add cooled front seats to all your rock-crawling escapades, head to the Jeep's top Trailhawk trim and tick the option box for the $1,395 Premium Leather package (plus the mandatory $1,095 Comfort and Convenience group). A stout 271-hp V6 adds power to this well-equipped Cherokee, starting at just under $42,000.
Kia
2023 Kia Forte
The 2023 Kia Forte compact sedan proves you don't need to spend lots of cash to enjoy air-conditioned seats. Its size and agility make it ideal for city driving. And you'll remain refreshed while dicing with traffic because the mid-range GT-Line trim offers ventilated front seats as part of a $1,000 Sport Premium Package (plus the mandatory $1,700 Premium Package). This trim also features blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, 17-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, LED exterior lighting, and more heavily contoured sport front seats. With all this factored in, this Kia's price still falls just under $26,000.
Mazda
2023 Mazda CX-5
Compact SUV shoppers yearning for a vehicle that's more than a four-wheeled conveyance for hauling people and cargo should take a moment to consider the fun-loving 2023 Mazda CX-5. The Mazda comes standard with AWD and has sharp steering reflexes that give it a truly playful nature. At around $37,000, the Mazda's 2.5 S Premium Plus trim comes standard with a vast range of comfort touches, including those all-important heated and ventilated front seats.
Subaru
2023 Subaru Outback
Fresh from a refresh for the 2023 model year, the Subaru Outback midsize wagon/SUV comes standard with AWD and has even more off-road capability thanks to the newly added Wilderness trim. It comes with outdoorsy gear, including a raised suspension, all-terrain tires, black plastic cladding around the wheels, fixed roof rails, and even water-repellent upholstery. To get ventilated front seats, however, target the posh Touring trim. At approximately $41,000, they are fitted as standard, along with Nappa leather seating, a power moonroof, and a heated steering wheel.
Toyota
2023 Toyota Camry
Among family-friendly midsize sedans, the 2023 Toyota Camry exemplifies the level of comfort, cabin space, safety, and reliability car shoppers demand in this segment. Relaxing to drive and available in no fewer than 13 trims, when fully optioned, a Toyota can rival many luxury cars in terms of its feature content. It's the mid-range, FWD XLE trim where ventilated seats are initially offered in the Camry, as part of the $4,600 Navigation Package to bring the total to around $37,000.
Volkswagen
2023 Volkswagen Tiguan
The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan compact SUV competes against a long lineup of worthy rivals, but unlike the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4, the VW has optional third-row seating. Other highlights include the VW's fuel-conscious turbocharged four-cylinder and roomy cargo hold. You'll want the top-of-the-line Tiguan SEL R-Line for air-conditioned front seats. Starting at just under $39,000, this trim has them fitted as standard.
All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Nick KurczewskiNick Kurczewski is a freelance automotive journalist based in the New York metro area. With approximately 20 years of experience, he has covered all aspects of the car world, from the pit lane at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, to car shows around the world, and a Zamboni lesson in Lower Manhattan. He’s also adept at providing helpful car advice and steering people towards the ideal car, truck, or SUV for their driving needs.
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