porsche vented , mercedes vented -----excellent

 

the vented seats in my 991 was great. not too humid around here, but on a hot day and I'm wearing shorts it felt great (w/ windows down). for thick pants like jeans I don't think it made that big of a difference.

 

Also true on my wife's Escalade ESV. It is better than nothing though, and I do wish it was available on the F-type. It is on the XK though. Maybe someone will chime in on whether Jag's vented seats do anything.

 

I drove about 25 miles yesterday, much of it with the windows down even on the freeway. I hit around 90 at times, and while it was windy it wasn't crazy. The only time I put the windows up was when I was stopped in traffic and needed the AC so I wouldn't melt.

It was a very enjoyable ride, with the roof shade open and the skies grey with clouds.

 

Oh it works, but the airflow is imperceptible, at least to me. I was hoping for something where I could actually feel a cool breeze from behind and underneath, not just something that keeps the air moving enough to reduce or eliminate sweat.

I could see having a sweat problem in the Jag, especially if you're in a coupe with limited air flow. Hasn't been a problem for me yet.

 

Venting works pretty well on my XF SC. Had the occasional compliant from ladies in skirts though.

 

Vented seats on '13 Q7 were good. It was part of a $4000 package on our Maserati so it didn't make the cut.

 

Interestingly enough, the ventilated seat in the XF (and presumably the XJ) is actually one of the very few actively cooled seats left on the market. They use Peltier effect thermoelectric coolers that chill the air before it gets blown on you. Most others just recycle cabin air. So Jag has the tech in house for a highly effective setup. Either it doesn't fit in the F Type seats or it was a financial or cost decision.

We have traditional venting on our Q7, and despite being imperceptible in terms of breeze, it is noticeably better than my 335 that doesn't have venting.

 

My wife also has a Q7 with vented seats. They're not super strong, but do give a decent amount of cooling. I definitely miss not having them on the F Type!

 

Took the coupe out on the freeway today to figure out where the turbulence occurs. With both windows all the way down there is surprisingly little buffeting up to 75 mph (maybe more). All of the turbulence occurs about 3 or 4 inches behind the the occupants heads. I drive with the windows down all the time and as mentioned before, the AC is plenty vigorous to keep you comfortable in the coupe in high heat and humidity.

 

I'm surprised by the number of people who drive with the windows down and the air conditioning on. This must be hard on the car, or fuel consumption...or something. To me it seems like opening all of the doors to the house in July with the thermostat at 65.

 

A/C decreases MPG, but not really "hard" on the car. This isn't a 80 HP car struggle for power...under most conditions running A/C full blast is fine.

 

Righto no picking on F-Typical about his 1/2" windows. He's right it's freezing in England (poor buggers don't know any better). That's way Poms spend so much time in the allotment shed, inventing stuff like ..... Jaguar.

 

Regarding active ventilated seats, I would guess this also might be a weight issue?

The F-type is a sportscar, but is heavy enough as is with plenty of weight contributing "lux-details" for this kind of car.

I guess they needed to draw a line somewhere?

 

While I would love a "lightweight" version of the F-Type, which is far more stripped down than even the base, I am in the distinct minority. This forum provides ample evidence that the vast majority want almost every option. Along with increasing safety requirements, it's consumer demand driving the dramatic weight gain in modern automobiles.

Lightweight is only appealing to the most die-hard performance enthusiast, and most of them are usually focused upon horsepower and torque numbers. Lotus and Porsche do a great job of demonstrating one can go faster around a track with less power coupled with significantly reduced weight. Only Porsche has been commercially successful with that formula (but largely because of Cayenne sales), with Lotus barely clinging to survival.

A 3000 lbs. F-Type with the 380HP V6 would have close to the same power-to-weight ratio as the R. It would likely be much quicker around a track because it would be far more nimble and corner much better.

 

I have cooled (and heated) front and rear seats on my XJ and the cooling is very effective.

 

Once saw a lotus hit a telephone pole. There wasn't anything left. I'm ok with more weight if it equates to structural integrity and keeping me alive.

 

There's not much left when anything hits a telephone pole at high speed. More weight moving at a given speed equates to more crush energy . . . laws of physics.

 

lightweight doesn't have to be stripped down. If you look at the 991 and C7 curb weights they are **significantly** lighter than the F-Type. So it's not really these little features/options. It's probably inherent to the car (chassis construction, engine, suspension, etc.) not so much an electronic lift gate or vented seats.

 

Could not agree more. Even a heavily optioned 911 is much lighter than a base F Type. It's in the construction, not the options.