guxu

My 17 is pretty warm. But I will call steering wheel lukewarm.

Cocal

People living in cold climates do not find the seats warm, only lukewarm. I can only compare them to my previous cars which all had a warmer setting.
In the RX350 the seats work in conjunction with the cabin temperature. But neither they nor the steering wheel can be called warm, really.

17RX350F

Me too, I think they get pretty warm and I live in PA. I do understand what you mean as I think my 07 is350 was hotter and my GF Ford focus gets really hot seats but I think they get hit enough.

Semi off topic but my 17 cooled seats are great but had an 18 loaner and couldn't feel the cold at all? 18 was a hybrid and 17 Fsport, did they change something for the cooled seats?

mikemu30

Cooled seats in our 17 RX are delightful other than the jet engine noise when on high😁 Havent tried them yet in my 19 ES FSport as its still a bit chilly here this time of year😉

golferjack

I will jump on the comments with a view that I believe hybrids in general produce heat faster. I have had many non-hybrids and they worked well, but it took time for them to build up the heat. My wife’s 2016 Rav H astounded me when we first used the seat warmers. We could feel the heat within a block of the house, and the heat got too hot fast. The same is true of our RX. We cannot leave them on Hi for very long. The steering wheel gets hot fast too, but in just the two places. Yesterday, it was -15 and we had 5 miles to drive to dinner. We turned the seats down mid way. We were at dinner for a couple of hours, and when I started the Rx to go home the steering wheel was still luke warm. The non hybrids are making heat at 12 volts, while making electricity for all other needs. The hybrids are running at 200 volts and may be using a 40 volt electrical system—big difference in power available for components. In the vehicle settings our seats are set to mid range.

JDR76

I recently had a 2019 RX350 loaner and was shocked by how ineffective the heated steering wheel was. I couldn't even tell it was on. No complaints about the seat heating, though.

On my Highlander, the steering wheel gets so warm I have to turn it off. It was perfect on my 2015 GS. It's not quite as warm on my 2019 GS, but good enough.

mikemu30

Clearly not much consistently among the various models with regard to the heated seats and steering wheel. Very odd.

deusex

2018 450H-F no issues with heating steering wheel or seats.

Cocal

Same here, it seems so odd to have such a disparity of opinions as if the voltage wasn't the same. I only know that on mine it's about 50% less warm than in the Benz.

golferjack

The voltage is not the same between the hybrids and the non-hybrids

Cocal

So maybe those who are satisfied are driving hybrids. Still love the car even with these little peccadillos.

JSracer

I saw where you said the 450 has what, a 40v electrical system?? lol
It does not, crazy you could think that, for accessories and everything. The starting battery would be what voltage, window switches, climate control, wiper moter, everything would be what, 40v??

JSracer

So after driving the vehicle a few miles and parking it for a few hours, in - 15 the wheel was warm?? Did you have a few drinks so your hands were warm? I live in Minnesota, so a bit familiar with cold.
Had to highlight your 40v theory

golferjack

I miss- typed the 40 should have been 48 volts. But I am not sure about whether all systems have been converted to 48 or remain at 12 volts. The hybrid system runs, I think, at 200 volts. The small 12 volt battery runs some sensors, computers, security system, clock and other small items. The balance of the power needs are fed off the hybrid electrical system. Probably at this point in the Toyota hybrid technology they are not on 48 volts, but that is on the way. So you are correct, but my point was that the 12 volt requirements, other than those mentioned above, are provided by the hybrid system, which can provide the maximum amount of 12 volt power needed beyond what a typical car alternator can provide in a non-hybrid system. This is why the seats, for example can get hotter faster.By the way, I was not drinking that night, but maybe I should have been. The wheel really was still warm.

Cocal

Parasitic draw?