Softex vs cloth

I've never had the Softex - but my Limited has the black ventilated leather. I haven't really noticed that the leather gets uncomfortably hot - even with the seat fan off. Has anyone been able to compare the real leather with the Softex? Does the Softex get hotter? I rarely use the seat ventilation - once the A/C cools down the inside I'm fine. I know a lot of people say the seat ventilation system sucks - especially in cooling mode - but I can definitely tell when it is on. It doesn't cool the seats down quickly when you get into a hot car (don't think it was intended to do that) - but if you are cruising down the highway on a sunny day and the A/C has cooled the interior to what is comfortable there is enough airflow coming through the seats to keep my ass from sweating. I don't tend to use the seat ventilator on short trips (~less than 30 min drive) - when I use it is on longer drives on the highway, A/C has cooled the interior to a comfortable temp, but sun is beaming through the windows. Even on the lowest setting I can feel the air moving and it keeps my ass/back from sweating when sitting/driving for long periods. This is the first summer in my Limited and I don't really notice the seats being a lot hotter than the cloth seats in my 2010 Tacoma were when I get in the vehicle after work when it has been parked in full sun all day. Where the ventilated seats do work great is in the winter when it blows heated air through the seats. I don't use this feature at all - but my wife loves it. I like it cooler in the vehicle than she does - and even with the dual climate control she still gets cold when I am comfortable/not sweating - with the heated ventilation on she is fine.

 

I have a good quality ceramic tint on my front side windows. That's a good data point.

 

I’ve got cheap dealer installed tint and it makes a big difference. You can feel the amount of heat it holds back by simply rolling the window down on the direct sun side.

 

I have ceramic on the windows and had the windshield done a week ago. Noticed immediately the windshield and heat on me and seats reduced with the clear windshield while driving around.