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Did you know that having heated and cooled seats are more than just a comfortable and luxurious feature for some? People have also been known to use the heating in their seats as a type of relief from back pain and stiffness.
You learn something new every day.
The Toyota Rav4 offers a standard option or an additional feature option of heated and cooled seats in some of its models. Heating in the front driver and passenger seats have been available with the Rav4 since its second-generation release and cooling was introduced in 2021, with the fifth generation.
What better way to enjoy a frosty morning with heated seats or a scorching hot day with cooled seats to help you adjust to the temperature outside? Features like heated and cooled seats are a luxury in vehicles today and one that we love.
Read up on the much-loved Rav4 below and find out which models and trims have heated and cooled seating options.
Does the Toyota Rav4 Have Heated Seats?
Yes, the Toyota Rav4 has heated seats, but not all of the Rav4 models do and if you want this warm feature in your car, you need to check which trim you’re buying first.
Toyota introduced heated seats in the Rav4 in its second generation, with the ability to upgrade the upper trim levels for heated front passenger and driver seats.
Voted highly reliable and great on fuel efficiency as reviewed by drivers in Cars.com, the Rav4 officially introduced heated seating as an optional feature for an additional price to its second generation Rav4 models in 2005. This was the last model to be released before the third generation came onto the car market.
Does the Toyota Rav4 Have Cooled Seats?
Also known as ventilated seating, Toyota introduced this feature as an optional upgrade for an extra price in the Rav4 in 2019.
Ventilated seating works by blowing cool air into the chambers under the seat by using fans inside the seat to circulate air through the material. Another popular way of cooling the seats is by including chillers under the layers of the seat that reduce the air temperature.
Numerous other brands of vehicles have now introduced cooling in their seats, Ford, Honda, GMC, BMW, and Audi, to name a few, and cooled seats are becoming more popular with every new car released on the market today.
Brief History of Heated and Cooled Seats
For those interested in how heating and cooling came about in vehicle seats, we have a brief history lesson for you!
Heated seats were originally patented in 1955, by Robert Ballad who worked for General Motors and came up with the idea in 1951. We like Robert, thank you Robert for this wonderful invention for those of us who live in colder climates and really appreciate the extra comfort and warmth on the way to work on frosty mornings.
Unfortunately for Mr. Ballad, the actual first car to have heated seating was a 1966 Cadillac DeVille where heated seats were offered as an additional option and Saab was the first to offer heated seats as a standard feature.
Now, years later, drivers around the world, especially in the US, seek heated seating as either a standard or an optional feature when purchasing a new car!
The first person to patent the climate-control cooling seat option was Rick Weisbart, President of the Irwindale-based Amerigon Inc. But the first vehicle to introduce cooling in their seats was Saab in 1997.
Which Toyota Rav4 Has Heated and Cooled Seats?
The first generation of the Toyota Rav4 was released in America in 1996 and had some pretty cool features for its time. The Rav4 was the first mini-SUV released on the market and has been a popular make of vehicle since, being one of the best-selling SUVs on the market today.
The first generation Rav4 did not offer heated seating options, but a few years down the track, when the second generation Rav4 was released in the year 2000, heated front seats were a welcome accessory.
Here are the Rav4 trims, from its first year of luxurious heated seats, that offer heating and ventilation for cooling in their seats:
· Second Generation 2000 – 2005 XA20 Series
While lower trim levels come standard as front-wheel drive (FWD), the upper trims come equipped with standard all-wheel drive (AWD) and the wonderful addition of heated front seats.
Heated front seats were introduced to the Rav4 as an optional feature in the 2005 model release for buyers of the Sport or the L package.
· Third Generation 2006 – 2012 XA30
The Toyota Rav4 was the original compact utility SUV and it started to fall behind its competitors until the release of the third generation Rav4.
Along with numerous and varied new features in safety and technology design, front seat heaters can be purchased for an additional price on most Rav4 trim levels.
· Fourth Generation 2013 – 2018 Crossover SUV
The LE and XLE models of the all-new fourth-generation Toyota Rav4 can have heated seats if purchased as an additional feature.
The Rav4 Limited version, however, has an 8-way heated drivers’ seat and a 6-way heated front passenger seat.
· Fifth Generation 2019 – Present
2019 offers front seat heating as a standard option in all of its trim levels and ventilated (cooled) seating is offered in the trails and limited models of the Rav4.
The 2019 Limited Hybrid Rav4 has heating and cooling seats.
2020 Adventure and Limited Rav4 models come with heated and ventilated seating in the passenger and drivers’ seats, while the Limited trim also offers heating in the rear seats.
2021 Toyota Rav4 continues the growing movement for heated and cooled seats, and you can read which trims offer this additional comfort feature below.
Does the Rav4 2021 Crossover Have Heated and Cooled Seats?
Keeping up with the times and Toyota’s high standards, the Rav4 has ventilated and heated seats in the upper trims for pristine comfort for the driver, and in some trims, also for the passengers.
In a study conducted by Auto Pacific, research shows that heated seats, whether standard or an additional upgrade, are the favorite feature demand on vehicles on the market today. Moving through the 21st century, heated seats were the number one highest demanded feature on vehicles in 2020 and 2021 with 66% of vehicle owners having heated seats on their wish list.
Toyota doesn’t like to disappoint their customer and here are the 2021 Toyota Rav4 models with heated and cooled seating options:
- XLE – Heated front seats available
- XLE Hybrid – Heated front seats available
- XLE Premium – Standard heated front seats
- XLE Premium Hybrid – Standard heated front seats
- Adventure – Heated and ventilated (cooled) front seats available
- TRD Off-Road – Heated and ventilated (cooled) front seats available
- XSE Hybrid – Standard heated front seats
- Limited Hybrid – Standard heated front seats with the option to upgrade with ventilated front seats and heated rear passenger seats
Conclusion
Heated and cooled seats allow the driver to control their level of comfort according to their own temperature or the temperature outside.
Heated and cooled seats were once a luxury in vehicles and were first offered as an optional feature until vehicle manufacturers realized how popular they were becoming.
The Toyota Rav4 has had heated seating options and standard heating seats available in their feature lineup since 2005 and introduced cooled seating in 2019. Toyota is a favorite brand all over the world and continues to make some of the most reliable and comfortable cars on our roads today, especially when adding comfort features like heated and cooled seats.