Come on, McLaren

"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12) 04/28/2019 at 20:22 • Filed to: None

0

23

I don’t use cup holders, I’ve never had them and I low-key resent the oh-so American idea that every car needs them . When I’m driving, I don’t have cups. But how did McLaren mess them up so badly?

In his !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , Doug calls them an afterthought and not the world’s greatest cupholders . This is giving Macca far, far too m uch credit.

They simply are not cup holders. They’re not big enough to hold anything useful (let alone super-duper-sized American fast food beverages), they aren’t cleanable and they’re the wrong material. At best these are weird round storage bins, as worst they’re bait for getting condensation and drinks soaked into your expensive and difficult to clean alcantara. A cupholder only has a small set of design requirements, this satisfies none of them.

And from McLaren! This isn’t some Italian upstart in the ‘80s , lazily adding half-baked features to appease an audience they don’t care for, nor is it a company whose road cars are known for such purity and singularity of purpose that those asking for cupholders need not apply.

This is the company challenging those companies. The one that has only been around only a scant 8 years and prides itself on differentiating from the usual suspects. A turbo’d V8 before it was cool in a supercar, a touch screen before the existing competitors did it, a ride that can be genuinely supple and stiff when you need it, outlandish styling unburdened by a stiff and traditional owner base.

In short, McLaren sets itself apart with unique but well executed designs, and these cupholders are the exact opposite of that.

If I was paying this much for a Mac, I’d be disgusted. I’d rather not have them at all than have them done this badly.

Maxima Speed > Nauraushaun 04/28/2019 at 20:31

7

Cup holders? I’ll pass. Water Bottle holders? Yes please. If I’m taking my Grand Touring car, or Uber sports car on a distance trip I haves to stay hydrated, and unless I’m going to install race car style camel pack thingy, or have a bicycle style support crew to hand me water bottles, drink them and throw them out t he window, bottle holders of some kind are simply a necessity (or at least a feature that it makes no sense to not have). Wow that was a run on sentence.

WilliamsSW > Nauraushaun 04/28/2019 at 20:31

6

Better than these “ cup holders” at least I guess.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Nauraushaun 04/28/2019 at 20:41

0

33 years ago, you mean

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Nauraushaun 04/28/2019 at 21:03

1

This is the cup holder in my Vette. It is utterly useless...

Boxer_4 > Nauraushaun 04/28/2019 at 21:19

4

The bottle holders in the Forester have certainly come in handy...  though I rarely use them to hold a drink...

Sovande > Nauraushaun 04/28/2019 at 21:34

1

I love a good cup holder in my car. I get coffee in the morning and I’m not keeping it in my lap for the ride in to work.

Ash78, voting early and often > Nauraushaun 04/28/2019 at 22:04

1

Me in 1996: Cupholders are for little bitches!

Me now: If my cupholder can’t fit a 32oz Nalgene, I won’t buy the car.

Also, isn’t Macca reserved for McDonald’s down there? Sort of ironic on the topic of large drinks.

for Michigan > Maxima Speed 04/28/2019 at 22:54

2

Thank you. I realize that the stereotypical American 72 oz Big Gulp is repulsive, but anyone who has ever traveled more than one hour in a car should understand the necessity of convenient water bottle access.

Personally, I take 2- hour+ trips at least monthly and the fact that my 1-series has one cupholder (the second one cannot be used in conjunction with the arm rest) is a constant source of frustration. My passenger and I should both have a space for a reasonably-sized water bottle so we don’t arrive at our destination par ched.

Nauraushaun > Sovande 04/28/2019 at 23:08

0

I take a tram to work, driving and parking in the city is hell.

And I have a coffee once I get here ;)

Nauraushaun > Ash78, voting early and often 04/28/2019 at 23:09

0

Maybe I’m happier in my ignorance.

Yes, it is.  And it is sort of ironic.

Nauraushaun > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/28/2019 at 23:09

1

Of ALL the cars, you’d expect the Vette to get it right.

Nauraushaun > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 04/28/2019 at 23:10

0

I’m drawing a line between McLaren F1 McLaren and McLaren MP4-12C and onwards McLaren.

Nauraushaun > WilliamsSW 04/28/2019 at 23:11

1

I’ve seen those...on some car recently. Utterly silly. They don’t hold, they’re more making a quiet suggestion as to where the cup might be

Nauraushaun > Maxima Speed 04/28/2019 at 23:11

0

My MR2 has room behind the seats, I put a bottle there often. Slight gymnastics to get it out I suppose but I don’t need it that often.

WilliamsSW > Nauraushaun 04/28/2019 at 23:17

0

The photo is of an OG minivan - 1984 Dodge Caravan/ Plymouth Voyager. We had one in the family for a long, long time. Those cup holders were * maybe* 1/ 8" deep at most. Utterly useless.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Nauraushaun 04/28/2019 at 23:33

0

Ikr

wkiernan > Nauraushaun 04/29/2019 at 08:36

0

They couldn’t be worse than Miata cup holders. I’ve had an NA, two NBs and an NC, and all their cupholders were terrible; the N C’s are the worst. I went to a Mazda dealership a while back and sat in an ND; it s cupholders were also terrible, but I think they’re marginally less bad than the NC’s.

Wurrwulf > WilliamsSW 04/29/2019 at 15:01

1

1985 Mazda RX-7 had those “cup holders”, but they were molded into the inside of the glove compartment door. So, not only did they not hold anything properly, but your drink would be sitting on a floppy door lid.

WilliamsSW > Wurrwulf 04/29/2019 at 16:29

0

Oh yeah! I’ve seen that in other cars from that time frame too, but I can’t remember what cars or even what manufacturer.

Nauraushaun > wkiernan 04/29/2019 at 20:02

0

Haha. I’ve had 80s and 90s 300ZXs (which are “more premium” than a Miata) and an SW20 MR2 (which is direct competitor to the Miata). None of them had any cupholders at all.

Which is maybe better than shit ones.

wkiernan > Nauraushaun 04/29/2019 at 20:27

0

Really? There are no cupholders at all in a mister two? All right! See, that’s the kind of good sense that epitomizes Toyota; if you’re not going to do something properly, don’t waste resources doing it at all.

O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , M a z d a i s n o t h i n g i f n o t p o l i t e ; “ oh y o u w a n t e d a c u p h o l d e r ? h e r e y o u g o ! [ s m i l e ] ”

I a l w a y s w a n t e d a M r . 2 , the reason being they should be awesome given t h e i r s p e c s a n d their provenance , t h e p r o b l e m b e i n g t h e y ’ r e h a r d t o f i n d u s e d a n d I c a n ’ t a f f o r d a n e w o n e , e v e n i f they’ d ever b o t h e r t o m a k e i t a g a i n .

Nauraushaun > wkiernan 04/29/2019 at 21:21

0

None! Not in the SW20 mister2.

Yep, good on ya Toyota. Not sure what Nissan’s reasoning is but sure. Especially on the Z32, targeted as it was towards Muricans.

It’s great fun and very easy to live with!

daender > wkiernan 05/01/2019 at 19:24

0

The NB2 cup holder design is pretty alright for me. I’ve driven it with both cups occupied by tall ones and the key is to reach the knob like you’re a prize crane...but more accurate and firm. It’s not great but it’s easy for me to adapt to.