No rear seat armrest/cup-holder

[Homsyboy]

Does anyone else find it annoying that in the back seats there is no center arm rest or cup holder slots? Is there anything to do about that?

[04RC51]

Did the E9X M's have cupholders? I honestly can't remember and I'm too lazy to go out and look. I guess all this puts me in the "no" category of "does it bother me". Half the people here would complain they didn't get a cupholder cover for the rear cupholders anyway. So if there aren't any, it was a good miss for BMW.

[Vigilant]

Originally Posted by Homsyboy

Does anyone else find it annoying that in the back seats there is no center arm rest or cup holder slots? Is there anything to do about that?

I would not say annoying, but different. At least in this model, they actually positioned real cup holders in the front as opposed to the depressible holders that popped out of the dash in the e9x. Interesting that some folks also are not happy with the new cup holders due to a lack of a "cover".

[jbtco]

All part of the weight saving efforts

[Needsdecaf]

With two kids, he'll yes it's annoying.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by 04RC51

Did the E9X M's have cupholders?

The E90 and E93 did while the E92 did not. The E90 had the same fold down center arm rest with cup holders that the series car had. The E92 and E93 had a strange and often ridiculed pop-out pass-through cover instead. But, the E93 had a pop up cup holder that occupied what would normally be a small storage tray in the rear center console. I believe some folks were able to retrofit this cup holder into the E92 since the two consoles were otherwise the same.

The new M3/M4 specific seats do not provide cup holders for rear passengers. For the F80/F82, there is no fold down armrest so that wasn't an option to accommodate a cup holder. The F80 also does not have a center console obviously, while the F82 center console just has a tray. In theory it should be possible to put a cup holder in that tray but there is no OEM part so it would be custom. With such a solution in mind, it might even be possible to retrofit the F82 console to an F80, though I somewhat doubt it would be doable without major custom work. And would anyone want to give up the center seat for that?

For the F83, it shares its seats with the series car and there is a pop up cup holder in the console as there was with the E93. However, unlike with the E92/E93, the rear center console area in the F82/F83 are not the same, so retrofitting these cup holders to the coupe would not be possible (without custom work).

[RussDC]

I feel the same

[sandwi54]

I feel very annoyed that there are no rear seat cup holders. My wife and I drove 400 miles to Los Angeles with two friends to pick up the car, and on the way back we all got a drink. Then guess what? We found out there were no cup holders for our two friends!

This car is also going to be used for business and I will carry clients in the backseats on a weekly basis. Not having cup holders in the back is a major inconvenience!

[allennsn]

I found this on Amazon, not sure if it fits F80/F82, but I think it should. Looks like this might solve the problem for those in need of cup holders for the rear seats. Can also be stowed away when not needed.

[ss134]

Originally Posted by Homsyboy

Does anyone else find it annoying that in the back seats there is no center arm rest or cup holder slots? Is there anything to do about that?

Not really thought about it. You Americans love your cup holders!

[Noisygriff]

I'd rather have space in the middle for another passenger.

If cup holders are essential for your rear-seat passengers, then get a couple of http://www.amazon.com/Drinker-Beer-S...s=beer+can+hat.

[carsany]

Originally Posted by Noisygriff

I'd rather have space in the middle for another passenger.

If cup holders are essential for your rear-seat passengers, then get a couple of http://www.amazon.com/Drinker-Beer-S...s=beer+can+hat.

[Homsyboy]

Originally Posted by allennsn

I found this on Amazon, not sure if it fits F80/F82, but I think it should. Looks like this might solve the problem for those in need of cup holders for the rear seats. Can also be stowed away when not needed.

That's perfect! Exactly what I've been looking for. Now just a sleeker version and I'll probably get it. Thanks!

[Homsyboy]

Does it bother no one else that the M4 vert has cup holders but the coupe doesn't? Is there a way to add the M4 vert style cup holder to the M4 coupe? Pictures attached.

I searched and I couldn't find this on the M4 coupe anywhere.

[LwaLt]

you're not the only one, it would of been more functional for them to cover that part with leather.

Originally Posted by Homsyboy

Does it bother no one else that the M4 vert has cup holders but the coupe doesn't? Is there a way to add the M4 vert style cup holder to the M4 coupe? Pictures attached.

I searched and I couldn't find this on the M4 coupe anywhere.

[Vectors2final]

I don't think the M3 has one, either.

[Longbow64]

Originally Posted by Vectors2final

I don't think the M3 has one, either.

Nope.

[Rosco P]

I think the vert has the same seats as all the verts. No M specific seating. So they get the cup holders like non M cars.

[mkoesel]

Still losing sleep over this one, eh, Homsyboy?

Originally Posted by Rosco P

I think the vert has the same seats as all the verts. No M specific seating. So they get the cup holders like non M cars.

Yes. In fact, all F8x M3/M4 use the same rear seat bottom cushion configuration as their F3x counterpart. This is what results in the lack of rear cup holders in the F80 and F82, while the F83 has them. You see, the F33 has a much thinner seat back than the F30/F32 because of the required bulkhead to house the roof when it's retracted. As such, there is no room for the bulkier flip down two-section arm rest that the F30/F32 use, which provides space for integrated cup holders as well as the second hinged panel to cordon off the cargo area when the arm rest is in use. In order to avoid having the cargo area exposed in the F33 when occupants wish to use the cupholders (which would be a safety issue), they eliminate the arm rest function completely making the flip down piece really just a pass-through, and therefore they must relocate the cup holders to the console instead.

This is great for the F3x, but the M3 and M4 coupe have their own lightweight seat backs, which use a 60/40 design to save weight. As such, they both lose the flip down arm rest and lose cup holders in the process.

It should not be too tough to come up with an insert for the storage tray in the M4 coupe (and 4 Series coupe for that matter) that has cup holders in it. In fact there is no need for the pop up type as found in the F33/F83 - you really just need a solid piece of plastic with two appropriately-sized circular cutouts. Seems like yet another good project for someone with a 3D printer.

[Homsyboy]

Yes it's driving me crazy!! Hahaha :

[mjcecil]

Originally Posted by ss134

Not really thought about it. You Americans love your cup holders!

In America, the distance between any two cities is generally significantly longer than in Europe. For instance, I work in Washington, DC, but live in New Orleans. that distance is about 1100-1200 miles, which spans the same distance as Lisbon, Portugal through Portugal, then all of Spain, then all of France, then into Belgium.

Obviously, I fly that distance when I need to rather than drive, but the scale is important, and should illustrate that the distance the average American drives is probably significantly higher than the average European.

Point is, it's not generally a 5 minute trip when we go ANYWHERE. So, there is always a consideration for taking refreshment, and cupholders are key to safely holding a bottle of water or soda. Now I realize that we have also created an in-car fast food culture that has us used to bringing food into the car any old time, but I think that's not really the genesis of the need for cupholders.

[mjcecil]

Originally Posted by Homsyboy

Does anyone else find it annoying that in the back seats there is no center arm rest or cup holder slots? Is there anything to do about that?

Yeah, I do. I bought the M3 over the M4 for a couple of reasons, not the least significant of which is that I like to put people in my cars with me, and after eleven years of folding folks into the back of the M3 Coupés, and the subsequent joy of putting them in the M5, I had to have the four doors.

So, to have my passengers ask "where should I put my water?" and to have the only answer be "I'll tell you where you can put your water, smartguy..." is a little frustrating and embarassing.

Wish it were an option, but alas, it's not.

mjc