Black softex seats in Rav4, do they get hot?

[Lsbcal]

We are looking at a Toyota Rav4 hybrid XSE. It has softex (synthetic) seats and this has apparently been used for several years. The only choice of color for the seats is black. Also the two tone compact SUV has a black roof.

Looks sporty and fun to us but do the seats get hot when sitting outside on a hot day? Does anyone here have actual experience with this material in black? I think it is also used in Prius's and Camry's. I have seen some answers that say "not hot" and and a "hot" or two. Naturally it should be compared to other colors like grey softex which are not available on this model.

The sales guy says that with the modern tinted windows it does not get too hot when parked in the sun. Really? I imagine with a white overall SUV that short term parking is not a problem but maybe some hours will warm it up considerably? Someone mentioned he cracks open the moon roof for longer parking times. I read that SofTex is more breathable (then leather) and features a special coating that reflects UV rays and absorbs less heat.

Here is a pic of the car:

 

[Another Reader]

Remember vinyl seats from the 60's and 70's? Nothing has changed. Cloth or leather for me, and leather is hard to find these days. Even Lexus is using vinyl now.

 

[Sunset]

My experience is that on a hot sunny day, all cars get very hot inside.

I do put towels on my seats to protect the seat, and it has the advantage of preventing burns from hot vinyl/leather seats.

 

[Another Reader]

My experience is that on a hot sunny day, all cars get very hot inside.

I do put towels on my seats to protect the seat, and it has the advantage of preventing burns from hot vinyl/leather seats.

Cheap white towels are your friend. I keep them in the car.

 

[ncbill]

And adding aftermarket tint to your state's legal maximum for a few hundred bucks.

 

[JoeWras]

The sales guy says that with the modern tinted windows it does not get too hot when parked in the sun. Really?

No, not really. The sales guy is doing what sales guys do. Sell. He is full of it. Your car will get hot in the summer sun, as will every other car.

Black interiors are hotter than light interiors. It is physics. Albedo.

I have black cloth seats. They get hot. You don't get the "stick to the skin" problem. I think that would be my consideration with any kind of fake vinyl.

But in the long run, I find this problem in general to be just a passing issue for a few months, and then only limited to when you first enter the car for a minute or two. It is not a huge deal. In the winter, I like having the black interior.

 

[Lsbcal]

No, not really. The sales guy is doing what sales guys do. Sell. He is full of it. Your car will get hot in the summer sun, as will every other car.

Black interiors are hotter than light interiors. It is physics. Albedo.

I have black cloth seats. They get hot. You don't get the "stick to the skin" problem. I think that would be my consideration with any kind of fake vinyl.

But in the long run, I find this problem in general to be just a passing issue for a few months, and then only limited to when you first enter the car for a minute or two. It is not a huge deal. In the winter, I like having the black interior.

Thanks to you and others for the thoughts on this.

We were traumatized by our first car which was a Chevy Vega bought in 1972. It had black vinyl but no air conditioning and was awful in a hot drive through the Nevada area during a vacation. Was highly rated in Consumer Reports before the aluminum block engine ran into issues. But we were young and Salvation Army got a good donation.

Anyway, I guess this is a matter of design and how long the car would sit in the sun. Any material will come up in temperature as it sits in the heat. I think the window tints which were evident on our test drive and in my pic above help but that is time dependent. And leaving a crack in the moon roof plus maybe a towel on the seat are good workarounds in extreme heat.

So I am inclined to think this is not an issue for us.

 

[JoeWras]

Thanks to you and others for the thoughts on this.

We were traumatized by our first car which was a Chevy Vega bought in 1972. It had black vinyl but no air conditioning and was awful in a hot drive through the Nevada area during a vacation. Was highly rated in Consumer Reports before the aluminum block engine ran into issues. But we were young and Salvation Army got a good donation.

Anyway, I guess this is a matter of design and how long the car would sit in the sun. Any material will come up in temperature as it sits in the heat. I think the window tints which were evident on our test drive and in my pic above help but that is time dependent. And leaving a crack in the moon roof plus maybe a towel on the seat are good workarounds in extreme heat.

So I am inclined to think this is not an issue for us.

Yeah, a lot depends on context. Some design points help, but a car will still get hot. A 10 degree difference may be worth it for some people. We all have different ideas of what is too hot.

Your point about AC is good. A hot car without AC is miserable. At least today you can grit your teeth for a minute or two until the AC kicks.

BTW, the hottest people I know buy cars with cooled seats. My BIL is so bothered by hot cars, he insists on vented OEM cooled seats.