Cougar has really put the competition on notice at this price point with the Hotrod Royal chair. This is a unique and exciting entry to the Gaming Chair market filled with relatively similar products. I am yet to assemble a chair at this price that felt so high quality right out of the box. Although the appearance and design may not be for everyone, I found it to be particularly appealing and handsome for such a racing-inspired chair.

The hard shell plastic frame, with felt spacer inserts for assembly, makes for a really quiet, but unique looking chair. It allows for an exciting aesthetic that is both appealing and very functional. There are lots of spaces/inserts for venting, and the chair really does a good job of feeling both supportive and comfortable. It is not poking your body in odd places, and it feels like Cougar spent a good amount of time ensuring that comfort and ergonomics were a priority in the design.

Every component of the chair feels as though the designers and engineers spent time being thoughtful and thorough with their work. There are no angles where this chair looks bad, and no positions where it feels uncomfortable to sit in. I found myself spending more time investigating little nuances on the chair like the headrest adjustment function, which is done via a simple dimple-in-plastic slider system that seems elegant and durable.

The few low points would include that the Hotrod Royal is generally heavier than most competing chairs, mainly due to the plastic shell frame. I also was not a fan of the armrest shape. The convex top means you are forced to keep your forearm directly in the center, and can't rest on the edges of the armrest. Also, the edge leaning off the outside of the chair feels weird and out of place. Perhaps one stop too far in design there. Otherwise, I found very few negatives relating to this overall excellent chair.

If you find the aesthetic design appealing, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. The chair looks and feels like a model that costs hundreds more, and should last many years.