New '25 GLS63 owner from G63, ventilated seats are garbage?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,829
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From: NY & FL
MB’s of all kinds.
I have had many MB’s with ventilated seats. They are just that. Ventilated. Had them in E Classes, CLK’s and CL. They are work the same. They just blow the air that is in the cabin into the seat as there is a small fan inside the seat. Do not confuse them with cooled seats like some manufacturers. MB has never advertised it as a cooled seat but a ventilated seat.
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 845
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From: ATL
2017 GLS 550
So there is a misconception for some on how ventilated seats work. @superswiss has it mostly right... the fans pull air through the seat holes that aren't fully blocked, but since your body is sitting on most of the holes, the rest of the seat is acting like a heat sink pulling heat from your body into the seat, and the air flowing from the unblocked holes, across the back of the leather "cools" the seat. basically you won't feel it, the real difference is with it on your back won't get sweaty, with it off your back could get sweaty from the heat buildup from your back and the seat not wicking that heat away. more noticeable on MBTex seats.
The best seats I have ever felt were in a 2015 Lincoln Navigator Rental , They have dedicated A/C Vents under the seats, and they blow air into the seats instead of extract the air from the seats. Set on high on a long road trip, the seat and back almost got uncomfortably cold.
The best seats I have ever felt were in a 2015 Lincoln Navigator Rental , They have dedicated A/C Vents under the seats, and they blow air into the seats instead of extract the air from the seats. Set on high on a long road trip, the seat and back almost got uncomfortably cold.
Last edited by thtguy; Jul 23, 2025 at 09:46 AM.
Member
Joined: Jun 2023
Posts: 93
Likes: 64
From: Saint Louis, MO
2024 GLS450
When I bought my 2024 GLS, the seat ventilation was strong. After the first software update, the seat ventilation power reduced by 50+%. The “auto” air conditioning mode also changed from blowing primarily out the defrost vent to primarily the chest-level vents.
