Cars, SUVs with ventilated seats under Rs 12 lakh: Tata Nexon, Kylaq and more

Rising temperatures across many parts of India have made summer driving increasingly uncomfortable, particularly for commuters who spend long hours in traffic. In several cities, daytime temperatures have already crossed 35°C, and cars parked under the sun can quickly heat up, making cabin comfort a concern for many drivers. While air conditioning remains the main way to cool the cabin, many newer cars now offer ventilated seats, a feature previously found mainly in premium vehicles. The system uses small fans integrated into the seat cushion and backrest to circulate air, helping reduce sweat and improve comfort for occupants. In this article, let’s take a look at affordable cars and SUVs with ventilated seats under Rs 12 lakh (ex-showroom).Renault Kiger First on the list is the Renault Kiger facelift, which gets ventilated seats in the top-spec emotion trim priced at Rs 8.35 lakh (ex-showroom). The Emotion trim is offered with two engine options: a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, NA petrol engine that puts out 72hp and 96Nm. Another engine is the 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, turbo petrol, which puts out 100hp and 160Nm. The NA engine gets a 5-speed AMT or a 5-speed manual. The turbo-petrol engine gets a CVT gearbox along with a 5-speed manual. Kia Sonet Next is the Kia Sonet sub-compact SUV, which gets ventilated seats on the top-spec HTX, GTX+ and X-Line variants priced from Rs 10.8 lakh (ex-showroom). These top-of-the-line variants are offered with two engine options - a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbo petrol or a 1.5-litre turbo diesel. The lower spec variants additionally get a 1.2-litre NA petrol. Skoda KylaqNext is the Skoda Kylaq subcompact SUV, which gets ventilated seats on top-spec Prestige and Prestige+ trims priced from Rs 11.7 lakh (ex-showroom). The Skoda Kylaq is offered with a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, turbo petrol engine with 115 hp of power and 178 nm of torque. Gearbox options will include a 6-speed torque converter and a 6-speed manual gearbox. The same engine also does the duty in the Skoda Kushaq, Slavia, VW Virtus and Taigun. Hyundai Venue Next is the second-generation Hyundai Venue, which gets ventilated seats on the top-spec HX8 and HX10 trims priced from Rs 11.91 lakh (ex-showroom). These top-spec variants are offered with two engine options - a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbo petrol or a 1.5-litre turbo diesel. The lower spec variants additionally get a 1.2-litre NA petrol. There's also sportier N-line trim, and it gets ventilated seats in the N10 variant. Citroen Basalt Next on the list is the Citroen Basalt coupe SUV, which gets a ventilated seat on the top-of-the-line Max trim priced at Rs 12 lakh (ex-showroom). This trim is offered only with a 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine paired with either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed torque converter automatic. Lower variants are powered by an 82 hp, 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine, which is offered only with a 5-speed manual gearbox. Kia Syros Another Kia model on the list is the Kia Syros, which not only features front ventilated seats, but also segment-first rear ventilation. Ventilated front seats are available in the HTX and HTX+ variants as well as the range-topping HTX+ (O) trim. The ventilated rear bench, which also features a segment-first slide and recline function, is limited to the top-spec HTX+ (O) variant. Prices start from Rs 12 lakh (ex-showroom), and do note that the rear seats cool only the seat base and not the backrest. Engine options include a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbo petrol or a 1.5-litre turbo diesel.Tata Nexon Next is Tata Nexon, which features ventilated seats on top-spec Fearless plus PS priced a little over 12 lakh (ex-showroom). The Tata Nexon gets two engine options - a 120hp 1.2-litre turbo-petrol, a 100hp CNG version of the same three-cylinder turbocharged unit, and a 115hp 1.5-litre diesel engine. In the top variant, the petrol engine is available with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, while the diesel is paired with a 6-speed manual or an AMT gearbox.