German cars rarely have cupholders. I think it has to do with the driving culture in Germany. They are more concerned with safety rather than convenience. It wouldn't be very prudent to take one hand off the wheel to sip your Slurpee while driving 100+ MPH on the Autobahn. In the U.S., we need a place to put our drink while we eat a hamburger with one hand and read the paper with the other. Here are a few options:
Passat Cupholder
VW sells an optional cupholder for the Passat that happens to work very well
in many other cars. It is VW P/N 3A1 862 531 and should cost about $28. The
thing just screws into any vertical surface. The pictures below show the
device installed in an A4.
Center Console
Cupholder
You can construct a cupholder of your very own using plastic, wood, and velcro.
Just follow the designs pictured at right provided by Christian Long. It
is basically a frame that sits in the storage space of the center console.
The velcro hooks attach to the fuzzy lining to hold your favorite beverage
between the frame and the front edge of the storage space. The frame can
be moved forward and back depending upon the size of your tasty beverage.
A similar, but easier to construct solution is pictured below. Basically, you just take some open-celled urethane packing foam and carve it into the appropriate shape with a sharp knife. Thanks to Rick Zehr for this one.
Armrest/Cupholder
I wanted a center armrest for my CQ, which didn't come with one from the
factory because of supposed interference with the standard ski-sack. I found
a company called HUSCO Engineering that
makes one for the 90 series. Since it attaches to the trim panel on top of
the driveshaft tunnel and these pieces are identical on the 90 and CQ, it
fits fine. I was able to mount it so that the pad was at the same height
as the armrest on the door. The black vinyl (available in other colors) doesn't
look too bad next to the leather, and it's durable. The whole unit is sturdy
enough to support long items that pass through from the trunk (skis, lumber,
etc.). The pad slides back a couple of inches, so I can still access the
center junk tray. A cupholder frame slides out the front, but it is kinda
flimsy, so I rarely use it. At about $100, this is an expensive accessory,
but it was worth it for me.
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