In my country temperature fluctuates from -25° in February to +35° in July.

 

Therefore, leather seats might not be the best idea, and they don't come as standard in any trim.

 

Also, with cloth upholster the front passenger seat in Karoq can be fully folded down, which makes carrying extremely long items possible.

 

The question is: do such seats require electric heating as much as the leather ones? And has anyone gone without heated seats in Karoq and is not regretting his decision in winter conditions?

 

I would prefer to keep electronic parts to the minimum in my car, but without compromising on comfort where they are absolutely necessary.

 

So, are the heated seats a "must have" or just a "nice to have" with cloth upholster in continental Europe?

 

This is a question from someone who has lived a carless life in a large metropolitan area for the last decade, and is not aware of the standard comfort levels in modern cars.

 

 

 

 

Edited 30 December, 20187 yr by Guest

-25 degrees Celsius!?

 

It was +10 degrees Celsius here in the UK today and I had my heated alcantara seats turned on.

 

I wouldn't have another car without heated seats, they're a must in the winter. I actually think they're better on fabric seats too.

 

If they fail, then just leave them broken.

 

Edited 30 December, 20187 yr by silver1011

Yes, -25 Celsius in early mornings (at 5-6 am), and then -15 Celsius during the day. For a couple of weeks per year.

 

There were not many cars with heated seats 10-15 years ago in my country, since very few people bought them new. And nobody complained, because nobody knew any better.

 

But I should probably get used to modern amenities in 2019.

Edited 30 December, 20187 yr by Guest

How much are they, a few hundred Euro's? Money well spent in temperatures as low as that!

 

I'd even be tempted to get the heated steering wheel too 

Yes, they cost nothing compared to Columbus system.

 

I am just a little bit afraid of all the electronics going crazy one day when I am in the middle of nowhere.

 

The same applies to the digital cockpit.

 

What if the heated seats suddenly start going over the limits with no way to turn them off?

 

What if the digital cockpit suddenly shuts down?

 

And I am not even an old person. It's just such a huge jump.

 

At least with Škoda, I hope that all parts have already been tested in Audi and Volkswagen.

Forget heated seats, in your climate I wouldn't buy a car without an auxiliary diesel heater so everything is nice and toasty before you even get in 

I have also this combination of leather and fabric as an option:

 

 

It looks much more premium than a plain fabric, and might be a bit easier to clean.

 

But I have no idea how durable it is, and haven't seen a single review of Škoda Karoq with it.

Edited 31 December, 20187 yr by Guest

I don't have the leather part but the material on the seats looks the same as I have in my car.

 

I'm waiting for the right day to Scotchgard my seats but a couple of weeks ago I spilt coffee and it came right off no problem. It seems to be more resilient than fabric seats I have had in the past including my 2014 Rapid.

 

Leather suffers from extremes in temperature and I had my heated seats on in my Scirocco almost every day last winter. The fabric ones are less susceptible but we don't get temperatures as cold as you here. I would agree with silver1011 and get a heated steering wheel if it is available

Thanks.

 

It seems that this kind of material might provide the best of all worlds: resistance to spills, resistance to extreme temperatures, and more premium looks.

 

My problem with the optional heated steering wheel: it's in leather.

 

How will it feel like in the middle of summer after being parked next to the Baltic sea for the whole day in +30°?

Edited 31 December, 20187 yr by Guest

Come on. In winter time the heated seats are a comfort factor, as the heated steering wheel. When it is freezing winter time do not forget the auxiliary heater either.

The engine likes to start when it is warm and the driver as well. It is awful to sit down to cold seat and put hands to cold steering wheel and those clothes you have to keep in the freezing steel box, outch.

I'm with silver1011, I would never have a car again without heated seats. Cloth seats actually heat up a lot quicker as I think the leather can act as a bit of a barrier between you and the heating element. Would also go for the heated screen. I've had both in my last 4 or 5 cars and have never had any issues. 

33 minutes ago, Fran57 said:

I'm with silver1011, I would never have a car again without heated seats. Cloth seats actually heat up a lot quicker as I think the leather can act as a bit of a barrier between you and the heating element. Would also go for the heated screen. I've had both in my last 4 or 5 cars and have never had any issues. 

 

Whilst on a test drive in the Karoq I commented to the salesman that the heated fabric seat didn't seem as effective as the one in my Golf.....he assured me the ones in the leather option were far more efficient, heating up quicker and getting noticeably hotter......hmmm, we'll have to wait and see.

 

Either way, after living with heated seats since the late 80's I'd not be without 'em....looking forward to my heated steering wheel with great expectation.......I'm with Silver1011 and Fran57, get the box ticked, there are far greater electrical gremlin issues to worry about on a modern motor.

Now I appreciate this is very subjective.

 

It's likely that the heated seats on my Kodiaq are very similar to those on the Karoq.

 

When they are first turned on they get nice and hot. I tend to leave them on full power (3 LED's) for the duration of the journey, but in my experience their temperature fluctuates.

 

It's almost as if they're self-regulating, a kind of in-built thermostat that modulates their temperature.

 

Who knows, but this, plus your trousers  is likely to affect your opinion on the effectiveness of the heated seats on any given day.

2 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

It's almost as if they're self-regulating, a kind of in-built thermostat that modulates their temperature.

 

Who knows, but this, plus your trousers  is likely to affect your opinion on the effectiveness of the heated seats on any given day.

 

Certainly the ones on my Golf have some sort of thermostat and I agree about trousers playing a part in what we perceive as 'hot or not'. My motorcycle is fitted with a heated seat and, not surprisingly, it appears to be designed for Kevlar type pants, thus riding in my jeans tends to set fire (so to speak) to my nether region!

It turns out, that almost all the heating options come as standard in the Style trim of Škoda Karoq in my country.

 

The only optional things I can add are heated rear passenger seats and auxiliary heater.

 

The downside is, that I cannot choose a more premium upholster with the standard seats.

 

And I think the raised boot floor with a fully folding front passenger seat makes a more convenient, lighter, and practical setup for random IKEA runs than Varioflex seats, that don't fold flat and would need to be taken out every single time.

Hot seats every time.

 

I’ve enjoyed them for many years on many cars and wouldn’t be without them now.

 

They come top of the list for “extras” - if not standard.

 

I use them all year round - on and off - for routinely keeping my back happy  :-)

 

Never had a reliability problem with a hot seat.

 

My current wagon included a Hot Wheel as a mandatory add-on to my essential paddles and I’ve learned to enjoy that too.

 

BTW - hot screens are a Given too these days.

For cold or as in this thread very cold weather maybe buy a sheep skin or 2, or more.

And what about the auxiliary heater, which has been mentioned in this thread a few times already?

 

Is it a "must have" in a region with an average temperature of -5° in January, or just a "nice to have"?

 

The more boxes I tick in the specification of Škoda Karoq, the more Volvo XC40 starts to make sense, as it comes with many features as standard.

Edited 31 December, 20187 yr by Guest

If its cold enough for you to feel the need to put heated seats to be on , then it's possible you're not wearing the appropriate clothing for the weather. 

 

What's the point in being all roasty toasty in your car, but freezing your knackers off when you eventually get out, or what appears to be happening more often now, stranded in your vehicle due to inclement weather?

 

I'm sure the parts of your body touching the heated touch points will feel fine, not too sure the rest of it will be happy. 

 

Leather definitely needs heated seats, in my Superb, they are very slow to feel any heat and a bit weak, so not really very effective. So I've resorted to putting a seat pad on mine, the type you can buy for covering hard wooden chair seats.

 

I will never buy a leather seated car again. Cloth seats are far more comfortable and practical, the velour ones in my old Alhambra were particularly great. They were also heated, but didn't really need it and we several times drove it through eastern europe in mid winter at -20c temperatures.

 

Even at -25C, never felt a need for a heated steering wheel.

 

Never had Alcantara, but the beige suede type 3 piece suite we have are a nightmare to keep clean.

14 hours ago, onvo said:

And what about the auxiliary heater, which has been mentioned in this thread a few times already?

 

Is it a "must have" in a region with an average temperature of -5° in January, or just a "nice to have"?

 

The more boxes I tick in the specification of Škoda Karoq, the more Volvo XC40 starts to make sense, as it comes with many features as standard.

Think which is nicer? To sit in car where the temperature is +20 or in car where the temperature is -5?

When it is cold outside and you start the engine, you get cold air inside 10 min or more.

We have auxiliary heater in Octavia and forthcoming Karoq, not any car without it.

In our case the Volvo has 25% higher price tag, not worth to pay (have had three Volvo's in past).

 

Edited 1 January, 20197 yr by Grumpy Finn

On 01/01/2019 at 02:01, xman said:

I will never buy a leather seated car again. Cloth seats are far more comfortable and practical, the velour ones in my old Alhambra were particularly great. [...] Never had Alcantara, but the beige suede type 3 piece suite we have are a nightmare to keep clean.

 

Cloth seats are great in all climates, but they are not resistant to spills and smells, and look a bit cheap in a brand new vehicle in 2019.

 

Leather might be a reasonable choice in the climate of the UK, but not so much in the temperature extremes of Eastern or Nothern Europe, unless it's a very high quality one.

 

Alcantara only looks great in the beginning, and is extremely overpriced to create an image of luxury:

 

 

So, what are we left with?

 

I am still trying to gather more feedback on this Škoda upholstery option:

 

 

Edited 4 January, 20197 yr by Guest

We've had alcantara on our last four Skoda's. We really like it, and with two young kids it is remarkably resilient...

 

 

These ones in our Kodiaq are the first that are heated though. Lovely and hot 

It looks great, but does it remain the same if one keeps the car for at least 5 years?

 

And what are you using to protect Alcantara?

My 2011 Skoda Superb has the same seats, alcantara and leather bolsters.

 

Whilst the leather on the drivers seat is shiny, and starting to crack, the alcantara looks brand new.

 

They're 8 years old and have covered 160,000 miles / 258,000 km's.

 

I haven't treated them with anything, spills are removed with warm water and a soft cloth / sponge.

 

Edited 4 January, 20197 yr by silver1011