Better interior storage design than a Ridgeline?

[jimmychoi]

Originally Posted by MikeT

Oh yeah, my youngest played "she loves me, she loves me not" witht he pedals in the back arm rest cup holders $29 and a short lecture and we were back to like new

ha ha ...that's really funny...I can see that being a problem

[tcj]

Originally Posted by MikeT

When I worked in Sweden, I was amazed to see that most cars did not have cup holders. When I asked my Swedish co-worker why, he replied thata vehicle is not a dinning room, makeup room, or conference room.

And how far do they drive in Sweden? In all seriousness, two cupholders up front just doesn't cut it when you have kids. We usually have at least one extra cup than we have a holder for. We can't use the rear center cupholders because that's where the car seat is, and the rear door cupholders are out of our reach in the front and our daughter is two so you can figure that out. There are many times I would give anything to have a cupholder in each front door.

For the most part, yes, the interior design of the RL is pretty smart. It's well designed for carrying lots of things. What it lacks is spots for smaller things that you need to get to quickly - it has two sets of small storage areas that are too far out of reach to be effective in traffic (the bin under the not-an-ashtray and the three open bins above the glove box. Cup holders make great "quick drop" spots for things you don't want to go digging around for later, but if the two cupholders are already filled, you're left with only that thin ledge behind them, which is hard to aim for in a hurry. I'm not really complaining - I have a feeling we'll see some very innovative changes in RL2.0 in 2011 or 2012, and that's about when I'll be ready to upgrade.

[djeaux]

I'll bit on the original question in this thread...

1. Upper and lower door pockets like on the Ody.
2. Rear door pockets.
3. Better designed cupholders. (The rubber "petals" are already showing wear on my truck. They are unlikely to last until I've paid off the note. The rear door cup holders are an invitation to spillage.)
4. The lower cubby in the center dash console is pretty useless. I stuff cellphone chargers in it, because it isn't big enough for much else.
5. The center console is HUGE. They should provide more dividers. Also, the size of the center console does not match a CD case.
6. Under seat slide out drawer like on the Ody would be nice.
7. Switching the 60:40 split on the rear seat so the 60 is on the passenger side would make stowage more logical, too.

[MikeT]

Personal observation here (I know I have posted this before):

Isn't an automobile (Truck, car, bike, ect) meant to be driven? If I want to eat, I stop and eat. If I want to conduct business on my mobile phone, I pull over and devote my attention to the phone call. If I need to go to the bathroom, I stop somewhere that has the appropriate facilities (Yes, I have been known in emergncies to descretely use a tree). If I find a interesting book to read or there's a story in the newspaper that I can not wait to read, I read the story while sitting in a safe place (And not behind the steering wheel). When my children were younger and needed extra attention for sippy cups and such things, either my wife or I sat in the back with them. The drivers seat is just that; a place for the driver who drives the vehicle. This whole subject of needing extra cup holders is amusing / frustrating to me. Especially when I see some twit driving down the road with their I-Phone (Or some derivative) propped up on their steering wheel watching the latest podcast. Or the moron that pased me this morning with a newspaper spread across his arms while driving in excess of 80mph. Or the ladies that like to apply makeup at every stoplight instead of paying attention to what is happening around them...

Monday's sorry for the rant, but some things do get me going.

If there are two people in the front, there should be a maximum of two cup holders. Just my opinion, but in the front, there are more places to put change, cards, crap, ect than I know what to do with. In the back there are four cup holders in an area that holds a maximum of three people.

I believe the Ridgeline and many more vehicles have more than enough cup holders.

Rant is officially over

[djeaux]

I like the fact that within easy reaching distance, I can stow an entire twelve-pack in my wife's Ody

[twincam]

Mike, I am right with you on this one. There are way too many distractions today and nobody pays any attention to driving.

[djeaux]

Originally Posted by twincam

Mike, I am right with you on this one. There are way too many distractions today and nobody pays any attention to driving.

Who can afford to drive. I need drink holders so I can sit in the driveway in my truck!

[MikeT]

Originally Posted by djeaux

Who can afford to drive. I need drink holders so I can sit in the driveway in my truck!

LMAO... I drive 110 mile daily, I SO understand

[eagle22]

Originally Posted by MikeT

I am always amazed at the fact that cupholders are used as a selling feature. Even more so when people want four or more cup holders for the two front seat occupants. When I worked in Sweden, I was amazed to see that most cars did not have cup holders. When I asked my Swedish co-worker why, he replied thata vehicle is not a dinning room, makeup room, or conference room.

Tow cup holders in the front and four in the back aren't enough (For a five person vehicle)?

Edit: Sorry Eagle wasn't picking on you. I was reading the past posts and cam across your after I posted my cup holder rant

Don't worry, I agree. I don't understand why either. Any more than one per person is crazy

[sprite]

i'm impressed with the layout of storage space in my RL, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like a few things to be tweaked

1) removable panel on the bottom-most space in the center of the dash (for cleaning)
2) about 2" more space under the rear seat... hopefully by making the seat itself a bit thinner without sacrificing comfort
3) rid the 'daisy petals' in the front cup-holders.
4) move the hazard switch to make the cubby about 2" wider
5) coin-tray hold too few coins. How 'bout one that holds a full roll of quarters?