The MINI-FINI Cup Link System

Rating: 4/5

As MINI owners know there are certain duties that MINIs simply don't perform well at. One of those things is holding any beverage larger than a regular can of soda. The MINI's cup-holders were designed with the original interior design over 5 years ago. A time when BMW's themselves were just starting to show up with rudimentary cup-holders.

So you're probably saying to yourself who cares about cup-holders in a MINI? Well apparently the US buying public. According to this year's J.D. Power survey the top complaint about the MINI was indeed poor cup-holders. Of course this could just be due to very little to complain about – or that the cup-holders are just that bad. Personally I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Regardless the accessories company MINI-FINI set out to make a product that addressed that concern while being versatile and ascetically pleasing. Enter the Cup-Link system, a product that will be sold through participating MINI dealers as a MINI accessory.

The Cup-Link comes with two pieces – a screw on ring that goes around the down-tube under the radio and the snap in cup holder. Installation is so easy it's almost not worth mentioning. Besides the included installation instructions do a pretty good job of walking you through the very short process.

The cup holder itself can pivot directly over the current cup holders, straight out from the down-tube, or at a 90 degree angle towards the passenger door. You'd be best not to twist it to a 45 degree angle towards the shifter as it will impede with 5th gear if you have a manual equipped MINI. MINI-FINI also doesn't recommend installing a cup holder on the driver's side downtube as it may interfere with the work of your right leg on the gas pedal.

One of the great things about the Cup-link system is that the ring could actually act as a mounting point for about anything you can imagine. Furthermore a second ring would allow you to bridge the gap so to speak and attach something to both. In fact MINI-FINI has a couple concepts that do just that – stay tuned.

The MINI-FINI Cup-link system is by far the easiest way to add a usable cupholder and more storage space. The system looks and feels like an OEM solution and is easy to install, remove, and adjust. Simply put it's a great addition to a MINI.