[hassmaschine]

Originally Posted by Bufalo

Some would argue that even WITH the pull out ones, we don't actually have cupholders (of any value). Fits a soda can, but spills my coffee everywhere!

You just need to have the right mug. Mine fits just fine. Ironically, it's BMW branded (was a thoughtful gift) - but there are many other similar mugs that are identical other than the logo.

Also, yes - it's heinous. Like AWD, automatic "M3's". But that ship has long since sailed away...

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by AllBlackBimmer

Germans don’t believe in cup holders. Cars are for driving, not for eating or drinking.
If it wasn’t for us Americans, German cars still wouldn’t have cup holders!
Haha.
More seriously, I have never seen that option on a e9x model.

From the Washington Post on the subject:

Already, there have been national studies showing a correlation between the increased use of cellular phones in cars and vehicle crashes. Auto industry analysts say that there are no known studies showing a relationship between spilled drinks and car collisions. But such accidents have occurred, according to officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"Safety is a real issue," said Jeff Cohen, brand manager for GM's GMC Trucks division, and a devotee of the Home-Stuff theory.

"We are trying to balance creature comforts with the driver's ability to safely operate the vehicle while using another piece of apparatus," Cohen said. As a result, GM spends lots of time and money studying "ergonomics" -- the proper fit between human and machine -- making sure, for example, that cup holders can be reached with minimum visual distraction.

"Over the years, because of customer demand, we've developed a need to make our vehicles both meal-friendly and user-friendly," Cohen said. Capitulation

There was a time when European automakers, especially the Germans and the Swedes, sniffed at the very idea of cup holders. For example, a reporter visiting BMW's headquarters in Munich several years ago produced gales of laughter when he asked a member of the company's design staff about the possibility of installing cup holders.

"Cup holders!?," the staffer exclaimed. "You want to drink coffee while driving on the Autobahn? Cupholders!? Oh, you Americans!"

Today, BMW installs cup holders in the cars it sells in the United States. Ditto Volvo and Mercedes-Benz.

"The market {in the United States} taught us that you can drink a beverage and drive," said Stuart Schorr, Washington regional spokesman for Mercedes-Benz.

It was not so much that engineers in Germany opposed cup holders. "It was just that the German consumer didn't have the habit of drinking a beverage while driving. They got out of their cars to drink coffee, or eat. So, no one in the German automobile industry thought about putting cup holders in cars," Schorr said.

[ryan stewart]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

You just need to have the right mug. Mine fits just fine. Ironically, it's BMW branded (was a thoughtful gift) - but there are many other similar mugs that are identical other than the logo.

Also, yes - it's heinous. Like AWD, automatic "M3's". But that ship has long since sailed away...

Ive never had an issue. But i honestly only use them on road trips (of which there are considerably longer ones here than in Europe). But bottled water has been fine, mugs I got free from work have been fine, medium fast food cups are fine, small nalgenes, etc.

But Im def not one of those "big covfefe mugs on the way to work" kind of people . And my previous bmw only had a factory option cup holder that clipped onto the console and otherwise stayed in the glove box.

[sjb0922]

Cala :
Did you retrofit the cup holders? I was wondering if any forum member was able to sucessfully retrofit a Z4 (E89) cup holder to the passenger side of the center console.

[Nando_e90]

Originally Posted by sjb0922

Cala :
Did you retrofit the cup holders? I was wondering if any forum member was able to sucessfully retrofit a Z4 (E89) cup holder to the passenger side of the center console.

No. I did't want to take the risk of ruining my dashboard, jaja. I might consider it later since I need to remove it to check a not working blend door, but for now I drive holding the coffee on the center console.