Heated rear seats retrofit potential?

[pray2crom]

There is a blank under the climate control panel. Perhaps was reserved for heated seats? Toyota sure love their blanks....

 

[KyLandcruiser]

The heated seat buttons are next to the display. The GX gets them. The landcruiser in foreign markets get them.

 

[SDCruiser]

The Land Cruiser US owner's manual describes heated rear seats "if equipped", so perhaps future model years will include them.

I had an upholstery shop install aftermarket seat heating pads underneath the seat covers in an SUV I previously owned that didn't come with heated seats and they worked great. They weren't very expensive, but the HIGH/OFF/LOW switches didn't look OEM. Presumably the same could be done here.

Since heated rear seats are available in other markets, it may also be the case that heating elements are already installed in the rear seats but aren't connected to a wiring harness and/or switches. Manufacturers sometimes do this to minimize costs by reducing part numbers. Land Rover did this with the Discovery Series II and all it took to activate them was to install OEM switches.
Heated Seat Activation Kit

 

[SDCruiser]

In Australia, the top trim level (Kakadu) of the new Prado will have heated and ventilated rear seats.
2024 Toyota Prado pricing and features: Price rises of up to $12,500 for LandCruiser 250 Series

Presumably the First Edition trim level in the US will end after the 2024 model year, making room for a new high-level trim such as Platinum. The 2025 4Runner Platinum will have heated rear seats, and the Land Cruiser is supposedly positioned above the 4Runner.

 

[TLC]

I’m reviving this thread. Has anyone in the US had any success putting heated seats in the rear?
Also, does anyone else think it’s weird that the $70k+ LC with Premium doesn’t have them?

 

[DuckNuggets]

I was hoping it was part of the premium package but it isn't. My guess is probably due to the hybrid nature of US vehicles. Either the battery takes up too much space, consumes too much power to be efficient... but would love to see if a retrofit is possible.

 

[UtahCruiser]

I had my dealer install them in my LC trim, they work great (negotiated as part of the purchase). We searched for days to find a switch that would fit in that blank, but we couldn't find a double that would work. Aftermarket kit, cost me around $600 installed.

 

[Altitude]

It’s notable that the GX gets them but the LC doesn’t. So Toyota has spent the design, development, and assembly money and, as people say here, heated seats are available on an LC in other markets.

This all tells me that it’s a decision made to differentiate the GX in the US and to drive a certain amount of demand that way.

I used to read about this happening at GM all the time. For example, as recently as 2016, you could not get a Chevy Tahoe with the top line 6.2l engine that came in the GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade.

 

[PACruiser]

It varies by trim level. The GX Overland plus doesn't even have tri-zone HVAC or ceiling vents. Hard to understand the method to the madness sometimes.