# Center console (automobile) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Center_console_(automobile) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Center_console_(automobile).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_console_(automobile) > Source revision: 1354867594 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Control-bearing surface facing a car's front seats This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Center console" automobile – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) The center console of a [Volkswagen Passat](/source/Volkswagen_Passat) featuring a floor mounted gear selector. The center console of a [Tesla Model X](/source/Tesla_Model_X) featuring a [touch screen](/source/Touch_screen) display. The **center console** ([American English](/source/American_English)) or **centre console** ([Commonwealth English](/source/Commonwealth_English)) in an [automobile](/source/Car) consists of the control-bearing surfaces in the center of the front of the vehicle interior. The term is applied to the area beginning in the [dashboard](/source/Dashboard) and continuing beneath it, and often merging with the [transmission tunnel](/source/Transmission_tunnel) which runs between the front driver's and passenger's [seats](/source/Car_seat) of many vehicles. Traditionally, vehicles with a [gear stick](/source/Gear_stick) have placed this control where the two areas of console and tunnel merge, or at the rear-most end of the console in [front-wheel-drive](/source/Front-wheel-drive) vehicles without transmission tunnels.[1] In some modern vehicles – particularly vans – the [gear stick](/source/Gear_stick) is mounted in the front, more vertical part of the center console to be within better reach of the driver without requiring a long stalk mounted on the steering column. Increasingly, center consoles include a wide variety of storage compartments and [cupholders](/source/Cupholder), some of them (such as the Ford Flex Platinum Edition) with a [refrigerator](/source/Refrigerator), in addition to the more traditional use as purely a surface for [instrumentation](/source/Instrumentation) and controls. ## Armrest console The term "center console" (often Median console) often extends, as well, to the armrest between the driver's and passenger's seats, which in some vehicles (such as a [Toyota RAV4](/source/Toyota_RAV4)) features one or more storage compartments under the armrest.[2] ## Rear center console Some cars include additional rear center console, which commonly includes entertainment and climate system controls (and possibly display screens and air vents), auxiliary power outlets, and sometimes window controls when these are not in the doors (for example, in the [Ford Sierra](/source/Ford_Sierra)). Another element is an [ashtray](/source/Ashtray), though this is now less common. On some cars and SUVs, the center console has heater vents for the comfort of rear passengers. ## See also - [Automotive navigation system](/source/Automotive_navigation_system) - [Drop Stop](/source/Drop_Stop) - [Head unit](/source/Head_unit) - [In car entertainment](/source/In_car_entertainment) - [List of auto parts](/source/List_of_auto_parts) - [Trip computer](/source/Trip_computer) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Cropley, Steve (1984). ["Finding Out, part two: Boxer vs Countach vs 911 Turbo vs Aston Vantage"](https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/comparison/2016/finding-out-part-two-boxer-vs-countach-vs-911-turbo-vs-aston-vantage-car-archive-1984/). *CAR Magazine*. Retrieved 2023-03-23. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["My Center Console"](https://www.toyota.com/rav4/ebrochure&ved=0ahUKEwjs1rvditTUAhUF7D4KHT2wBvM4ChAWCJEBMAU&usg=AFQjCNGYehNT2h9s6wcZbzjjmpUAn8hZQg). *Toyota.com*.[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] v t e Car interior Part of a series of articles on cars Instruments Automotive navigation system Automotive night vision Backup camera Blind spot monitor Boost gauge Buzzer Carputer Check engine light Electronic instrument cluster Fuel gauge Head-up display Odometer Parking sensor Radar detector Speedometer Tachometer Telematics Tell-tale Trip computer Controls Bowden cable Brake Clutch Cruise control Electronic throttle control Gear stick Manettino dial Parking brake Power steering Steering wheel Anti-theft Alarm Automatic vehicle location Immobiliser Power door locks Remote keyless system Smart key VIN etching Safety Seating Airbag Armrest Bench seat Bucket seat Child safety lock Rearview mirror Rumble seat Seat belt Other elements Boot liner Center console Dashboard Glove compartment Molded carpet Sun visor Vehicle mat Convenience Audio Automobile auxiliary power outlet Cup holder Car phone Category Commons Portal This article about an automotive part or component is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Automotive-part-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AAutomotive-part-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Automotive-part-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Center console (automobile)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_console_(automobile)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_console_(automobile)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.