Playing around with my new infrared thermometer (tres cool!), I decided to check out how hot my heated seats get. I took an initial cold reading of the car. Turned turned on the heat of both seats, and drove to work. To get better readings, I didn't turn on the heat or blowers.

Cold Temperature: 45.7 degrees.

After driving for about 15-20 minutes (making sure the seats were heated the entire time).

Control temp check of non-heated surfaces (dash, door...etc): 53.3 degrees.

Passenger seat: Bouncing all around from 80 - 73 degrees. Didn't matter whether I was checking the seat back or bottom, I got the same.

Driver Seat: Seat back ~88 degrees. Seat bottom: All the way up to 103. Warmest spot being towards where my thighs were.

 

my MINI's heated seats warm up real quick to almost toasty, then goes
back down to the warm sustained temp. i like that.

 

I actually wish low was a little cooler. High is great when you want to get tosty. But I like to drive with the heated seats on low in the winter and like to be warm, not sweating. In my previous car, when the car warmed up and the seat was on low, I would get a warm fuzzy feeling inside. With the MINI, even on low I get hot (but still get the warm fuzzy feeling inside from driving )

 

I like how the seats warm up quickly, but I don't keep the warmers on after I'm toasty. I think it would be too much of a drain on the battery. The "low" setting for me is kinda pointless most of the time, but I'm glad it's there. Two years ago I drove up North to Alaska and experienced temps of minus 40!! in my X-terra. Even with the heat on high alll the time, it was damn cold! Heated seats would have taken the edge off it.