Just checked out a '99 A4 and I have got to say that the cupholders are even worse than before. My Nissan coffee tumbler fits fairly well in a '98, where the cup holders are out in front of the armrest. With the '99's I wouldn't even be able to put the tumbler in the cupholder. Why? The armrest doesn't go all the way down with it there - and this is a pretty common travel mug size. What gives? Do I need to buy a Subaru Outback to get a decent cupholder?<p>Dan Stedman<br>future owner of an A4 Avant if Audi would give me a decent place to put my coffee

I hope you were kidding about your tag line.<p>I have both an A4 and an Outback and Koushik is right about the holders, they work well but hinder access to the stereo (according to my wife). I'm not sure how well the A4 holders work because I'm having too much fun driving than to worry about drinking.<p>My advice, drink your coffee at home and buy the A4 & enjoy the drive.

My dealer was kind enough to provide an Audi coffee mug with my '99-fits the cupholder and allows the armrest to go down!

I agree that neither cupholder design for the A4 is very good, but I think the ones that are on the dash, often above the stereo or climate controls, are even worse. (Like the A6's) Can't imagine the damage possible by spilling coffee over the stereo...<p>Tom<br>

Why all of the griping over cupholders. The ones in my 98 2.8 work just fine. They won't hold a big gulp but you shouldn't be drinking them in the car anyway. I use a plastic Dunkin' Donuts coffee mug with a closed lid. It fits perfectly and I've never spilled a drop, and it only obstructs shifting slightly.<p>Mick

nt<br>

It's no wonder traffic sucks!<br>Obviously, the volume of cars on the road is cause for congestion, but all of those other things just contribute to the problem and perpetuate the lack of discipline in driving on American roads.<br>Road Rage - whatever! When I'm following a guy with coffee in one hand, his phone in the other, a cigarette in his mouth, the newspaper on the dash, driving with his wrist or knee at 10 mph less than everyone else, and I know there are 10 million other people just like him, I get pretty damn impatient.<p>Rob O<br>-sorry, I think the Germans have the right idea -- NO CUPHOLDERS.

<br>Try a Honda.

:)

I mean if you're a real driver, you don't want ANY distractions from the task at hand. <p>German engineers don't seem to have a problem with designing a functional ashtray. Hey, look at that - check out those _serious_ drivers blasting down the Autobahn at 120 mph with lighted incendiary devices. Ya, they got that serious driver thing down, all right.<p>Suggest that the lack of functional cupholders in A4 isn't so much resistance to "that silly American cupholder need" as engineering incompetence (by trying to be too clever). Plenty of cupholders in other German cars are well enough designed. Actually, the Passat cupholder "retrofit" from the FAQ is great. So even VW can do it right.<p>Erik<p> <p>

The original message here was about how useful the cupholders are, not how appropriate they are in a car. Everytime someone mentions cupholders here, a chorus of people chime in with "you shouldn't drink while you drive". People, it happens. It's going to happen again.<p>I'd like to point out that the cupholders have a fairly simple job, to hold a cup and keep it from spilling. I would like a good functional cupholder. However, do not infer from that that I intend to drink while I drive. I buy a cup of coffee in the morning from a 7-Eleven store, and then drive to work. I don't drink any of the coffee until I get to my desk. Is it too much to ask to have a useful cupholder to hold my coffee while I drive to work? That would surely be better than me holding the coffee while I drive, don't you think?<p>Sometimes I get fast food to go. I drive home and then eat the food. During the drive home, I'd like a good cupholder so that I can concentrate on driving and not whether my drink is going to spill. Here again is a good reason to have a good cupholder and this has nothing to do with drinking while I am driving.<p>I hope I have made my point. "qt4lddht", I am not singling you out, your post was just an appropriate one for this reply.<p>Drew S.<br>

Would you prefer that I hold the drink to keep it from spilling, or that the car has an adequate cupholder to hold my drink until I get there?<p>Assume that avoiding the drive-thru is not an option.<p>If I need to get food in a hurry, and don't plan to drink in the car, then can you please understand the need for a good cupholder now??<p>Having cupholders DOES NOT necessarily mean drinking in the car. These are two separate arguments.<br>