Cupholders have a small convenience with a big impact! If you’re like everyone else, you use cupholders for more than just bottles and cups! While these come in all sizes, we also love to fill our vehicle cupholders with stuff, like mobile devices and loose change. So after conducting research including a Nielsen survey, Ford found what customers want and need from their cupholders and redesigned the 2017 Ford Fusion.
Bottles Win Big In The 2017 Ford Fusion
Watch closely in this short video we shot from the 2016 Edmonton Motor Show and see if you can spot how Ford is able to redesign the cupholders in the 2017 Ford Fusion.
As you can see, the replacement of the traditional shifter with a rotary gear shift dial has freed up space for two newly designed cupholders, both with available ambient lighting.
The new cupholders are one in front of the other, with the front cupholder 6 inches forward from it’s previous 2016 Fusion model. It’s a small move with big effects! By doing so, Ford can also extend the armrest by nearly 3 inches and to expand the armrest centre storage bin by an extra 2 litres! Ford instrument panel and console manager, Jolanta Coffey, says “Being dissatisfied with your cupholders may be a minor annoyance, but it’s a daily one, which over time detracts from the overall car experience. On the other hand, when you like your cupholders, they can make your vehicle feel like home.”
Coffey says, “We set out to develop a beautiful interior, paying attention to the details that make people fall in love and stay in love with their car.” A great cupholder is roomy enough for an extra-large container, yet capable of holding a skinny one without it tipping over. The cupholders are deep enough to hold taller containers, but shallow enough you can easily pluck out a small cup. So now you can enjoy those enormous 52-ounce sodas you can get at gas stations so you and your Big Gulp will look incredibly awesome in the new Fusion!
In total, the 2017 Ford Fusion has up to six cupholders in the console, front door pockets and rear center armrest putting satisfaction within reach, literally!
