Why Are Automakers Removing Center Console Armrests From Sports Cars?

Miami Herald

2 days ago

It's true what they say, "You don't know what you got until it's gone." As automotive enthusiasts, we've grown to appreciate how high-tech modern cars are. Unless you're looking at the base model and very utilitarian 2025 Jeep Gladiator, there's no such thing as a car without power windows, ABS, or a touch screen. They're all vast improvements compared to the cars we all drove in high school. However, one thing I never thought I'd miss was the center console. Many of the new cars I drove to review, like the 2025 Toyota Corolla GR and the 2025 Subaru WRX tS, shocked me when I tried to rest my elbow on… Nothing. Where there's typically a place for my elbow was a flat, plastic surface on the floor. Suddenly, I found myself mourning the loss of something I never truly appreciated since I got my license almost 20 years ago.
It was difficult for me to understand, especially since a center console has so many unappreciated benefits, like added storage space, a place to rest your arm to avoid soreness on a long drive, and a complete aesthetic. I found myself quoting Helen Shirley from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: "Oh, of all the cheap, lousy ways to save a buck." So, I decided to dig a little deeper to see if there were any real benefits to what the industry calls the "center console delete," or if major automakers are pulling a Frank Shirley. So far, I've only found four possible benefits.
Believe it or not, there are a large number of people who are removing the center console from their cars. A center console for some makes the interior feel more crowded, so they remove the center console and replace it with an aftermarket trim piece to complete the look. Members of the Mazda Miata Club on Facebook say a center console delete makes the interior feel more "British" and helps the small interior feel a little bigger.
Marketing jargon for new cars reads as though deleting a center console improves the overall comfort for the rear passengers by opening up the interior for them, as if seeing over the center console was such a comfort-sucking feat. A center console delete reportedly increases legroom for the rear passengers, though that would only make sense in cars or SUVs with massive center consoles, like the Toyota Sienna, which can have a beverage cooler attached to it.
I'm not sure I follow this one, but some cars, mainly SUVs and EVs, are removing the storage space under the armrest of the center console (without removing the armrest altogether) and substituting it for open cargo shelves. This is great if you regularly carry larger items that need homes, like purses, briefcases, or camera gear (speaking from experience), as having the sides, front, or back open helps give bulky items a secure place without being in the trunk or taking up cargo space for rear passengers. However, without a proper cover, those items are definitely not safe from curious eyes. So, you'd have to put those items, which are there for convenience, in the trunk to avoid being burglarized.
Cargo shelves can also help keep rear passengers organized, too. There are some cars, like the Hyundai IONIQ 5, that have an opening in the back of the center storage unit, so rear passengers can place items there, too. It's not much, but it does give them more storage options than the cubby holes in the door.
Shelves like that do technically increase overall cargo space, as shelves are bigger and can store more items than the traditional cargo cave under the armrest. However, a lack of security makes it difficult for those who can't park their car in a safe place, like a garage. With a center storage cavity under the armrest, there are plenty of aftermarket options to make them lockable-I have one in my Jeep and love it. You can't do that with storage shelving.
Those who have driven a manual car daily can confirm that hitting your elbow on the armrest mid-shift is mildly annoying. However, after a while of daily driving, you get used to it. Muscle memory takes over, and you learn how to move your arm in such a way that you don't hit your elbow. When a drink is one of the cupholders, especially a tall one, accommodating for your drink while shifting can be annoying, too. This is another argument for deleting the center console, and while I understand it's frustrating sometimes, I don't think it justifies removing it completely.
For instance, when I reviewed the 2025 Subaru WRX tS, I drove it 5.5 hours from Vancouver, Washington, to Bend, Oregon. Not having a place for my elbow made my right arm sore, and not having a place for my water bottle or energy drink made it easier to shift, yes-but it made it more of a [literal] pain to drive, especially for such a long distance. Therefore, the WRX, which is a fantastic daily driver, isn't great for long distances. You can buy a center console extender for it, but be prepared to spend $210. Does a center console delete translate to more space to shift comfortably? Yes! For a race car. Not for a regular driver or for long-distance driving.
Here's where Helen Shirley comes in, as removing the center console armrest saves on production costs, especially for mass-produced cars. Automakers claim that cars have "limited interior space," despite cars becoming larger and wider with each model year, and deleting the center console armrest helps the "small" interior feel bigger. By saving on production, companies argue that they're able to make vehicles more affordable for customers. The two I've driven that don't have center console armrests, the Corolla GR and the Subaru WRX tS, are both close to $50,000. For that much money, I'd want to be able to drive it daily, so put a dang armrest in it.
Some say that in a side-impact crash, a center console can interfere with the deployment of airbags. I don't buy that argument either, since there are plenty of NHTSA and IIHS Top Safety Picks that have center console armrests in them.
So, instead of just saying, "We're omitting the center console armrest because it makes our CEOs more money and all this marketing mambo-jumbo is just to make you feel like not having one is smarter so you don't question anything," automakers argue it's more attractive, safer, and more comfortable not to have one. After that nearly six-hour drive in the new WRX, I'm here to tell you-they're all wrong.
Don't fall for it. Seriously. Unless the car you're buying is made specifically for the track and you have zero plans to drive it more than a few miles every day, the lack of a place to put your arm created more problems than I realized. When I had the Toyota Corolla GR, I didn't do any long drives. The most I drove was 10 miles in a day, and that was because I was testing the cargo space with a Costco trip. That was fine, but that drive across state lines felt so much longer than five hours. I was incredibly disappointed that a car that was a few thousand short of $50,000 with a premium Harmon Kardon stereo, plush Recaro seats, a large and beautiful touch screen, and crazy cool drive modes didn't have an armrest.
I would have rather sacrificed something like the Alcantara on the A-pillars or used a lower-resolution screen than not have a place to rest my arm on long drives.
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