Passenger Seat Heated and Cooled

[fun2drive]

We looked at the new Genesis and will buy one as soon as they get the cooled seat for the passenger seat.
Anyone else feel like we do? Having been driving a car that has them for both front seats (heated and cooled) this seems like an omission that I would guess they would correct soon.

Even my dealer salesperson said that it was a mistake and that they (the dealer) could not understand why it was not available.

 

[BaywayRic]

Even my dealer salesperson said that it was a mistake and that they (the dealer) could not understand why it was not available.

I hope they didn't think Hyundai voluntarily removed a perfectly functional system from the passenger seat of the Korean version so they could increase sales in the US. You can thank your federal government for that! Hyundai had to remove the cooling unit from the Korean version so your US version can tell the difference between an adult, a child, and a pile of laundry on the front seat, and handle the air bag accordingly. When the re-design/re-engineering of the cooling unit is complete, it will be back.

 

[PriorityHyundaiVA]

if thats your reason why you holding on, thats a bit disturbing.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

BaywayRic. That's very interesting.. I didn't know that!

PriorityHyundaiVA - it's not disturbing to me. There are plenty of nice full-size luxury vehicles to choose from on the market. If having no cooled passenger seat bothers somebody enough to purchase another vehicle, than it's disturbing to me that Hyundai didn't figure out how to make this work before they sold the car. You don't think fun2drive is the only one.. Do you?

Little things like the feel of a vehicle's leather can sway my purchase decision. People shopping in this segment are very picky. Get used to it.

Fun2drive.. I have a feeling everything is in the car to make this work except for what's inside the seat itself.. I have a feeling that if you really wanted, you could probably have a seat shipped to you from South Korea. I'm sure the install is very easy. I haven't verified this yet but someone is bound to look into it sooner or another - as the South Korea version has both seats heated and cooled...

 

[PriorityHyundaiVA]

oh, im clueless to why they left that off as well. its just a hard reason for me to understand of why not to buy it because its not an essential everyday use feature. thats all. see, me being a salesperson i like to know peoples exact reasoning behind not buying or to buy and that doesnt seem like a decision point, thats just my opinion, whether or not i was in sales or not and i respect his for sure.

and by the way im used to people in this segment, we just dont carry hyundai's we carry acura too. thanks and im a high line owner as well so i got a clue.

 

[Stormy]

I'm sure you'll see it in the 2010 model, so you probably only need to wait 1 year :-O

Thanks for sharing that info BayWayRic. That makes complete sense and I can understand why they might have to change the design to comply with federal laws in the US.

In the "bad-old" days when 1st generation airbags were "always on" and didn't adjust the force of the airbag depending on the type of passenger, I heard some kids were killed by airbags that deployed too forcefully. All it takes is a couple deaths before the federal government cracks down pretty hard. Yeah, it sucks because it drives the price of our vehicles up, but on the other hand, getting killed by an airbag would suck too.

 

[fun2drive]

The reason that the cooled seat is essential is this. Leather is not comfortable in Florida in the summer and cloth is. If my wife can't get cloth then leather with a cooling seat is something that is a deal breaker.
I can buy a new Avalon with cooled and heated seats and if the 2010 comes with it in the Genesis then I will wait.

If you can't understand this then you have not been married for 34 years like I have.

 

[netmag]

While the passenger sensor thing makes sense it still doesn't completely get Hyundai off the hook because:

1.) cooled seats isn't brand new technology and other car makers don't seem to have have an issue with passenger sensing.

2.) After spending 1/2 billion dollars on R&D for the Genesis, I find it difficult to believe they did not know this would be an issue. Also, they've been making cars to fit US standards for quite some time so I'm sure they also knew that they'd have to have passenger sensors.

I suppose it's possible they just ran into some unforeseen issues with the sensors at the end but it's unfortunate for them because it sticks out a bit in people's minds and makes it look like they were trying to save money which is not the impression you want to give for a luxury car.

I don't think it's a deal breaker though. It just stands out as an odd disparity.

 

[PINGGOLF]

cooled seats are the bomb...if I can just get over the feeling of a WET DIAPER!!! HA!

 

[fun2drive]

My wife actually likes this car and is willing to wait for a cooled seat. To give you some perspective she has not been happy with any car she had since her 1973 Cuda so this is a real plus for me.
Waiting for the 2010 model with a cooled passenger seat is not for me, it is for her and she wants to wait. Nothing like sweating in a leather seat to make you not want a car.

I think this was a marketing miss and not a technical problem. If you can accomplish the feat for the drivers seat you can for the passenger seat. Most likely a cost cutting measure and my guess is when they did their market surveys the passenger side fell short and they focused on the driver's side and opinions.

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[netmag]

Waiting for the 2010 model with a cooled passenger seat is not for me, it is for her and she wants to wait.

Has anyone confirmed that there will be a cooled passenger seat in 2010?

I know several people here have mentioned that it will almost certainly be something they'll do in the future, but has Hyundai actually commented on it at all?

 

[Sal Collaziano]

No confirmation that I know of yet.. Sorry..

Even Chevy vehicles, the lowest of the low in GM, have heated and cooled seats. As much as I'd like to get on the "oh, it's no big deal" bandwagon, I'm not...

 

[mkaresh]

Thanks for the info, Baywayric. This sort of thing happens from time to time. They think a system will pass a certain test, then it doesn't.

 

[aktiveradio]

Screw the passenger, it all about the driver

 

[GS300rich]

Screw the passenger, it all about the driver

Great info baywayric. The cooled seat is the greatest feature, especially here in FL. Too bad Im usually the passenger and dont get to use it

 

[BigElm]

Great info baywayric. The cooled seat is the greatest feature, especially here in FL. Too bad Im usually the passenger and dont get to use it

Nothing dry ice can't take care of

 

[GenFan]

The non-cooled passenger seat is one of the reasons I went with the M45 vs. the Genesis.

 

[mkaresh]

FWIW, the 2009 Nissan Maxima also offers cooling on only the driver side. I assume in that case they're trying to keep the cost low, but the weight sensor could also have been a factor.

 

[hot rod genesis]

I agree 100%. The dealer tried to tell me that the already were until I showed him he was mistaken.

 

[YEH]

I think this was a marketing miss and not a technical problem. If you can accomplish the feat for the drivers seat you can for the passenger seat. Most likely a cost cutting measure and my guess is when they did their market surveys the passenger side fell short and they focused on the driver's side and opinions.

Nope - BaywayRic is correct, it was a technical issue (there isn't the problem w/ cooling systems and airbag sensors for children sitting in the driver's seat while the car is moving).

Basically, it came down to Hyundai delaying the launch of the Genesis in the States or offer it w/o the passenger cooled-seat.