French-door refrigerators are the newest and fastest-growing configuration in home refrigeration, combining the best features of side-by-sides and bottom mounts. Leading the pack in unit volume for the past year, according to The NPD Group, is Maytag with its MFI2568AES, a 24.9-cubic-foot, stainless-steel behemoth that extends the Whirlpool division’s Ice20 external ice- and water-dispensing platform. Indeed, Maytag boasts that the unit — also available in white, black and bisque — was the industry’s first French-door fridge with external ice and water dispensing. That, plus Maytag’s claim to fame of offering the largest fresh-food capacity available among leading brands of refrigerators, helped make the model a chart topper for the period. Suggested retail is $2,549 for the stainless finish and $300 less in white, black and bisque.
Top 10 French-Door Refrigerators
Unit volume share at retail
June 2006 – May 2007
