Cupholders, no matter the vehicle they’re in, are usually round. Bucking that established trend is Lexus’ three-row TX family hauler, which went with strange looking square cup holders that are removable from the center console. Why would Lexus go and willingly create chaos in what’s supposed to be a family vehicle? Turns out it’s a valid reason: So they could fit Stanley Cups.
While in Vegas for SEMA, I was having dinner and drinks with a Lexus rep and a group of other journalists and content creators when the conversation turned to the Lexus TX. People started to ask specific product questions about it, and at the last minute, the square cup holders popped into my head. Here at Jalopnik we’ve been wondering for months why those cupholders are shaped the way they are, and now was my chance. So I asked, “Why square?”
The Lexus rep explained the designers went with a square shape due to Stanley Cups. Those hugely popular tumblers, specifically the big ones with the handle, are easier to place into the square cup holder than the round ones. Looking closely, you can see they’re designed with a space for a tumbler handle to slot into. The cup holders are also removable, with passengers able to place the holders in the slots in the first and second row as they see fit. I was told that designers wanted passengers to have that interchangeability, a secondary reason for the design.
While this is all well and good for those Stanley Cup owners who will appreciate the designs specifically thinking enough about them, I think it makes for massive downsides for anyone actually wanting to use them as regular cupholders. For one, anything not a tumbler that’s placed in them will wobble around; as our own Andy Kalmowitz pointed out, the holders being removable adds a layer of unsteadiness to them. Then there’s the glaring issue of having no cupholder at all once they’re removed. You’re just left with a space to put… something. Just don’t think about putting a drink there.
Lexus, we get it. You’re a luxury brand that pushes the boundaries of things because designers and engineers think that’s what customers want or come to expect. There are just some things that don’t need to be reinvented, that people expect to be simple in operation and don’t need a ground-up redesign.
Update: Lexus reached out to us with some clarification regarding the design of the TX’s cupholders. While Stanley Cups were a factor in the design, they weren’t the main factor. I was told Lexus designers went for what they’re calling “practical elegance” in the interior design process of the TX. This meant having features that are usable, practical and easily accessible by passengers. The removable cupholders were one of the features designed to do that.
