How warm are Alcantara seats?
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Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 41
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How warm are Alcantara seats?
While shopping for a CGTS I noted that the Alcantara seats don’t come with seat ventilation. I can understand why the design precludes ventilation, but how warms do the Alcantara seats get in the summer? I found one CGTS with the Alcantara delete option,but the leather seats are not ventilated either.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 448
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From: Canada
William, I love the feel of Alcantara. It’s cool to the touch in the summer and feels warm in the winter. It keeps your derriere nicely centered when applying some lateral acceleration. Our 997 GTS is 8 years old; we travel from Canada to Southern California for 3 to 4 months every winter. We eat, we drink, the dog eats and drinks, we slop some stuff our hands get sticky. The car’s Alcantara cleans up easily and completely and after all these years shows no wear at all.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 983
Likes: 1,199
From: Upstate SC
I've had similar worries on my alcantara bucket seat inserts prior to purchase. But after some long 6+ hour drives in 95+ degree weather, I can safely say that the concerns are unfounded and they are very comfortable in hot weather. Not sure how the new "Sport Tex" (Porsche's new knock-off alcantara replacement) is, but I assume it's just as good.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2020
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Thanks for the feedback on the seats. I can honestly say that searching for a used CGTS is a journey rather than a simple trip. I have tracked down a couple of 2018/2019 CGTS vehicles on the east coast. Negotiated selling prices range from $69K for an original $94K 2018 to $71K for the lightly optioned 2019 I originally asked about. All are non-CPO cars with about 2.5+ years left in original warranty. I plan to take the plunge on one of these by Saturday, but each has it own quirks. Wish me luck!
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 31
Likes: 34
I can’t comment on the alcantara, but I am very pleased with the ventilated seats feature. I normally get a sweaty back in most any car on a hot summer day, especially with tightly bolstered sports seats. However my back stays nice and dry with these ventilated seats. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,899
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From: PA
William, I love the feel of Alcantara. It’s cool to the touch in the summer and feels warm in the winter. It keeps your derriere nicely centered when applying some lateral acceleration. Our 997 GTS is 8 years old; we travel from Canada to Southern California for 3 to 4 months every winter. We eat, we drink, the dog eats and drinks, we slop some stuff our hands get sticky. The car’s Alcantara cleans up easily and completely and after all these years shows no wear at all.
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Three Wheelin'
Joined: Oct 2017
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Having owned both cars with Alcantara and ventilated seats in Texas, I can tell you that Alcantara is acceptable but I like ventilated better. I would not pass up an otherwise well equipped to my preference GTS due to Alcantara. Now if it was leather without ventilation, then that could be an issue as I have one such car still and it's not the most pleasant when it gets hot and humid.