Even though most compact SUVs offer ventilated seats, it is always with top-spec trim, unlike Honda’s accessories compatible with base variant too
The compact SUV segment is currently one of the most overcrowded with recent additions from Honda Elevate and Citroen C3 Aircross. Except for MG Astor and Citroen C3 Aircross, all nine of the compact SUV contenders offer ventilated seat features. Only, Honda Elevate offers it as a Rs. 6,000 accessory which also has a massaging function built in.
Rs. 6K Honda Elevate Ventilated And Massaging Seat Accessory
Ventilated seat function is an absolute Godsend for those who live in hot and sunny areas, which is close to 90% of India’s climatic conditions. Seven of the compact SUVs among nine, offer it in their top-spec trims.
When Honda launched Elevate SUV in India, it raised quite some eyebrows for lack of features that rivals offered. One of them was ventilated seats. However, Honda indeed offered it as an optional OEM genuine accessory that can be bought and installed even in the base variant.
Yeah! Ventilated and massaging seat accessory in the base variant of a compact SUV costing just Rs. 6,000 for one seat. Icing on the cake, is this accessory bundle massaging seat function too, something that none of the contenders in compact SUV segment and a couple of segments above offer.
So, what’s the catch? Yash9W YouTube channel has detailed this OEM accessory in one of their videos. As we can see in the video above, Honda Elevate ventilated and massaging seat accessory is placed on driver’s seat. It definitely looks tacked on, and not as elegant as implementations in rivals. Also, makes a constant sound that is more audible than in OEM implementations.
Can this accessory fit any car and any seat?
For starters, this accessory is strapped to the seat and it has a low-profile fan built in, suspended at front of the seat. This fan pushes air through channels that eventually exit through pores across the available surface area. There are three speed levels to this fan and it draws power from a 12V socket for rear seat passengers.
So, that is one 12V socket used for one ventilated and massaging seat accessory. If there is a need for a second accessory, for front passenger seat perhaps, the front 12V socket can be used. For the massaging part, there is only one intensity level. Effectiveness of both seat ventilation and massage has to be personally experienced at your nearest Honda dealer.
So, can this accessory fit any seat in any car? Theoretically, yes. It is an accessory capable of running on any functioning 12V socket. These might work on rear seats too. As of now, carmakers are offering sunroofs in lower and mid-spec trims that don’t have a real functional use case, especially in sunny, dry and dusty Indian conditions.
We hope there is a paradigm shift in trends and more carmakers offer ventilated seats in lower trims, at least as an option. Even though we wish it would be more seamless, kudos to Honda for thinking out of the box with Elevate’s ventilated seat function as it can be installed in base variants too.
