Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements

HereticHermit · 9th July 2023, 22:08

Sharing the news report
https://www.businessinsider.in/theli.../101600226.cms
I have to say the cup holder or lack of them at convenient place is my biggest pet peeve in a general sense. But i am addressing the wider perspective here and in no way meaning to propagate beer can holders. Proper water bottle holders, map pockets, phone storage and charging solutions, dress hooks, vanity mirror, storage solutions and a little Led to light up boot space and dark areas don't really cost a bomb but car makers only do bare minimum for heck of it on creature comfort and continue to harp on latest tech.

DicKy · 10th July 2023, 10:13

Point on.

This can be seen in economy cars too. Take the present WagonR as an example. Yes, it got the 1.2l engine and more space. But useful places? Nope. It is sad to see that the 3rd gen Indian WagonR doesn't have half the useful storage options of the 1st and 2nd gen Indian WagonRs. The dashboard has just become a useless slab of plastic to hold the touchscreen.

Also IMHO, interior plastic quality of mainstream cars peaked in the 90s to mid '00s. Higher end cars may have still have good quality, but it has been downhill for affordable cars since. (Talking about global models, not just Indian)

And about the door handles. Sorry Anand Mahindra, but this could be very well one small reason for me to reject the XUV700. This is a touch point that all of us use more than even the steering wheel. Add to that the motorised door handles is available only on the topmost variant. Two uncomfortable steps to open a door, than one simple step to open a door. Can frequently see many XUV700s riding around with one or two door handles popped out. Ofcourse, it has waiting period stretching to years and I guess owners tend to get used to them in a few days. So just me nitpicking. Also shows lack of planning, that the XUV700 and ScorpioN loses a cupholder for the rotary knob in higher variants. And which idiot decided to make the centre armrest storage in the ScorpioN shallower to accomodate the rear AC vents???

BTW, before anyone says the Euro POV of 'we need no cupholders when driving ze car' , for us Indians it is more of a bottle holder.

HereticHermit · 10th July 2023, 12:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by DicKy

Point on.
This can be seen in economy cars too. Take the present WagonR as an example. Yes, it got the 1.2l engine and more space. But useful places? Nope. It is sad to see that the 3rd gen Indian WagonR doesn't have half the useful storage options of the 1st and 2nd gen Indian WagonRs. The dashboard has just become a useless slab of plastic to hold the touchscreen.

Actually, economy car suffers from this malady even more so than the upper bracket high end cars. I really wonder, how much special tooling is required to equip a lower end car with a little plastic piece of hook on the rear grab handle? Are people driving economy cars not entitled to hang a spare dress or business suit? To me this is a typical attitude and corporate ego bent upon distinguishing between haves and haves not. Mind you, this is not even creature comfort but a feature of convenience. Many companies make claims about customer satisfaction index, but it is quite patent that not much deep dive has taken place and whatever they are providing is for sake of providing or simply much behind times.

Case in point, if 25 year ago Gypsy had no door pockets and being absolutely utilitarian vehicle, it still needed the map pockets because there was no place to keep topographic sheets folded so we did some 'jugaad' and went on with life. But if same Gypsy launched as Jimny in 2023 with punny map pockets, is pointless because map reading game moved over long ago to navigation display.

This wouldn't have happened if some senior guy responsible for such things was really clued in to provide adequate directions. But what we get in reality is anything goes attitude. That JD Power survey at least pointed out certain things whereas, we don't even have a platform or mechanism to provide feedback. Any independent feedback reaching to manufacture is naturally tossed as it provides little value to their bottom-line.

GTO · 12th July 2023, 10:06

As someone who always has a coffee travel-mug to accompany morning drives, I completely agree with you.

A few manufacturers do cupholders well (usually, international models sold in the USA where customers are big coffee drinkers on the move). But other than that, I have found the cup-holder placement to be off. One media car I test-drove recently (can't remember model name) didn't have a cupholder and I had to place my InstaCuppa travel mug in the damn door pocket! In a few others, the standard-size coffee mug doesn't fit.

Here are two threads that will interest you:

A complicated cupholder (Let’s take a look inside a ridiculously complex cup holder from a BMW 3-Series)

DIY Cupholders (DIY - Cup / Bottle Holders for the Eon)

Altrozed · 12th July 2023, 11:16

All the points mentioned are worth being implemented but at what cost of customer satisfaction is the question comes. Cup holders is a very important aspect but takes of prime real estate where customers now expect to place keys or mobile or get a adjustable hand rest. And yes, market received them almost.

Coat hooks ? One needs a survey on this. How many car owners use this coat hook here in Team bhp or outside world ? I didn't use it as it blocks my shoulder view for blind corners.

More than this, a hook on co pax side footwall or in boot is more preferred.

When customers whine for fully automated AC, wipers, headlamps and manufacturer provides them but skips on parcel tray, bootlamp etc.

So, cost isn't a concern but manufacturers are definitely providing what the market demands .

In most cases, we are a small minority who don't understand reality.

JReacher13 · 14th July 2023, 13:33

Completely agree. Not being able to have a coffee/ beverage conveniently without getting distracted due to awkward position of cup holders is real problem.

The positioning of cup holders in Nexon, in the glove box and beneath armrest is very impractical, makes them namesake. I think the retractable design I saw sometime back in top-end dzire is the most practical one.

amitayu · 14th July 2023, 14:24

Some cars place cup holders only to tick off the box without any particular thought about their usefulness or practicality. More often than not, they foul with the gear stick/ hand brake/ hand rest!!

BUt perhaps the worst one's are those designed very near to the electronic ports (charging or USB connect ports for the infotainment system). One spill and you risk damaging your devices and the car system!!!

r24x7 · 15th July 2023, 07:06

Here is where the cup holder placement took precedence over having a rightful front sliding armrest in the Tata Harrier/Safari twins.

Lot of people still keep complaining, "Armrest could have been little further in placement".

Sandegov · 15th July 2023, 07:24

Tata Nexon EV Max doesnt get a single cupholder - oh wait, they do have it inside the glovebox!!

The best I had was the pop out cupholders in BMW

DicKy · 15th July 2023, 10:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by r24x7

Here is where the cup holder placement took precedence over having a rightful front sliding armrest in the Tata Harrier/Safari twins......Lot of people still keep complaining, "Armrest could have been little further in placement".

This is the answer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amitayu

Some cars place cup holders only to tick off the box without any particular thought about their usefulness or practicality. More often than not, they foul with the gear stick/ hand brake/ hand rest!!

Proper planning can have both useful adjustable armrests AND cupholders without fouling with anything. They wasted space with that fancy thrust lever handrake, and even when EPB came they didn't use the space properly.

Gamemaztr · 7th August 2023, 17:33

Very interesting thread. While my 2015 Ertiga had a very nifty retractable cupholder below the passenger AC vent, the 2022 Brezza doesn't feature one which is sort of very disappointing. The two spaces given in the central trim near the handbrake are practically useless.

The OEMs now want us to only focus on driving and not on drinking. (er... Coffee?)

McLaren Rulez · 8th August 2023, 04:15

Never liked the cupholder near the vent designs. Those cupholders are almost always harder to use plus there's plenty of times where one needs a hot drink like tea or coffee but is traveling with the AC on.

Just leave it behind the gear lever like the majority do - there's no need to overcomplicate it.

9th July 2023, 22:08	#1
HereticHermit BHPian Join Date: Nov 2022 Location: Delhi Posts: 60 Thanked: 169 Times	Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements Sharing the news report https://www.businessinsider.in/theli.../101600226.cms I have to say the cup holder or lack of them at convenient place is my biggest pet peeve in a general sense. But i am addressing the wider perspective here and in no way meaning to propagate beer can holders. Proper water bottle holders, map pockets, phone storage and charging solutions, dress hooks, vanity mirror, storage solutions and a little Led to light up boot space and dark areas don't really cost a bomb but car makers only do bare minimum for heck of it on creature comfort and continue to harp on latest tech.
	(5) Thanks

10th July 2023, 10:13	#2
DicKy Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: TVPM Posts: 4,069 Thanked: 13,458 Times	Re: Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements Point on. This can be seen in economy cars too. Take the present WagonR as an example. Yes, it got the 1.2l engine and more space. But useful places? Nope. It is sad to see that the 3rd gen Indian WagonR doesn't have half the useful storage options of the 1st and 2nd gen Indian WagonRs. The dashboard has just become a useless slab of plastic to hold the touchscreen. Also IMHO, interior plastic quality of mainstream cars peaked in the 90s to mid '00s. Higher end cars may have still have good quality, but it has been downhill for affordable cars since. (Talking about global models, not just Indian) And about the door handles. Sorry Anand Mahindra, but this could be very well one small reason for me to reject the XUV700. This is a touch point that all of us use more than even the steering wheel. Add to that the motorised door handles is available only on the topmost variant. Two uncomfortable steps to open a door, than one simple step to open a door. Can frequently see many XUV700s riding around with one or two door handles popped out. Ofcourse, it has waiting period stretching to years and I guess owners tend to get used to them in a few days. So just me nitpicking. Also shows lack of planning, that the XUV700 and ScorpioN loses a cupholder for the rotary knob in higher variants. And which idiot decided to make the centre armrest storage in the ScorpioN shallower to accomodate the rear AC vents??? BTW, before anyone says the Euro POV of 'we need no cupholders when driving ze car' , for us Indians it is more of a bottle holder. Last edited by DicKy : 10th July 2023 at 10:29.
	(18) Thanks

12th July 2023, 10:06	#4
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 71,730 Thanked: 311,424 Times View My Garage	Re: Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements As someone who always has a coffee travel-mug to accompany morning drives, I completely agree with you. A few manufacturers do cupholders well (usually, international models sold in the USA where customers are big coffee drinkers on the move). But other than that, I have found the cup-holder placement to be off. One media car I test-drove recently (can't remember model name) didn't have a cupholder and I had to place my InstaCuppa travel mug in the damn door pocket! In a few others, the standard-size coffee mug doesn't fit. Here are two threads that will interest you: A complicated cupholder (Let’s take a look inside a ridiculously complex cup holder from a BMW 3-Series) DIY Cupholders (DIY - Cup / Bottle Holders for the Eon)
	(4) Thanks

12th July 2023, 11:16	#5
Altrozed BANNED Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 221 Thanked: 741 Times	Re: Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements All the points mentioned are worth being implemented but at what cost of customer satisfaction is the question comes. Cup holders is a very important aspect but takes of prime real estate where customers now expect to place keys or mobile or get a adjustable hand rest. And yes, market received them almost. Coat hooks ? One needs a survey on this. How many car owners use this coat hook here in Team bhp or outside world ? I didn't use it as it blocks my shoulder view for blind corners. More than this, a hook on co pax side footwall or in boot is more preferred. When customers whine for fully automated AC, wipers, headlamps and manufacturer provides them but skips on parcel tray, bootlamp etc. So, cost isn't a concern but manufacturers are definitely providing what the market demands . In most cases, we are a small minority who don't understand reality.
	() Thanks

14th July 2023, 13:33	#6
JReacher13 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2021 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 57 Thanked: 184 Times	Re: Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements Completely agree. Not being able to have a coffee/ beverage conveniently without getting distracted due to awkward position of cup holders is real problem. The positioning of cup holders in Nexon, in the glove box and beneath armrest is very impractical, makes them namesake. I think the retractable design I saw sometime back in top-end dzire is the most practical one.
	() Thanks

14th July 2023, 14:24	#7
amitayu BHPian Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Kolkata Posts: 427 Thanked: 529 Times	Re: Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements Some cars place cup holders only to tick off the box without any particular thought about their usefulness or practicality. More often than not, they foul with the gear stick/ hand brake/ hand rest!! BUt perhaps the worst one's are those designed very near to the electronic ports (charging or USB connect ports for the infotainment system). One spill and you risk damaging your devices and the car system!!!
	(1) Thanks

15th July 2023, 07:06	#8
r24x7 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2021 Location: TN02 KA51 Posts: 251 Thanked: 482 Times	Re: Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements Here is where the cup holder placement took precedence over having a rightful front sliding armrest in the Tata Harrier/Safari twins. Lot of people still keep complaining, "Armrest could have been little further in placement".
	() Thanks

15th July 2023, 07:24	#9
Sandegov BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 344 Thanked: 799 Times	Re: Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements Tata Nexon EV Max doesnt get a single cupholder - oh wait, they do have it inside the glovebox!! The best I had was the pop out cupholders in BMW
	(1) Thanks

7th August 2023, 17:33	#11
Gamemaztr BHPian Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Mumbai Posts: 72 Thanked: 122 Times	Re: Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements Very interesting thread. While my 2015 Ertiga had a very nifty retractable cupholder below the passenger AC vent, the 2022 Brezza doesn't feature one which is sort of very disappointing. The two spaces given in the central trim near the handbrake are practically useless. The OEMs now want us to only focus on driving and not on drinking. (er... Coffee?)
	() Thanks

8th August 2023, 04:15	#12
McLaren Rulez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mysore Posts: 3,421 Thanked: 5,285 Times	Re: Pet peeve about the lack of cupholders, or their inconvenient placements Never liked the cupholder near the vent designs. Those cupholders are almost always harder to use plus there's plenty of times where one needs a hot drink like tea or coffee but is traveling with the AC on. Just leave it behind the gear lever like the majority do - there's no need to overcomplicate it.
	() Thanks