What’s crazy is looking at the gti configurator (thinking about the gtd) the heated seats are not included on that, a 35k top of the range car! They USED to be included, like you say they are more like bmw these days charge extra for everything.
All of the major German manufacturer’s do it Ian – VW, BMW, Audi and Mercedes. I’m not bothered about cars that ‘park themselves’ or glass roofs, electric adjustable seats with massage function or 10-speaker sound systems. MINI started this whole business (owned by BMW of course). When I ordered a Cooper a few years back, MINI’s website let you add each individual option you wanted as a stand-alone option. It was bloody complicated at the time but you could add what you personally wanted. People complained that it was too complicated – so MINI made everything into ‘packs’. Since then, all of the German makers have followed suit. It’s expensive and it’s bloody annoying!