Is the plastic holder under the rear bench seat suppose to be a cooler? The dealer told me that is was not, but I have no idea what else it would be used for.

it would get too hot from the engine and may not support the weight of drinks and ice. Your better of storing something else is there. Towels, etc

I've used it as a cooler. no problem supporting ice and drinks. I does get warm from the engine though.

it is suppose to be dry storage, ie keep your clothes and towels dry, but we use it as a cooler on our '03 x-2, you might want to try putting foam or insulation around it to keep the engine heat out of it

mine has from the factory or dealer one, foam insulation wrapped around the bottom of the "cooler" dry storage area. We use it as a cooler but we also bring a cooler along with us. If you find one of those new Cube coolers from igloo they fit perfectly behind the drivers seat and hold plenty of beverages.

We have a 03 X2 and use it to put the empty's in.

Wow..If i used that for a cooler i wouldn't of gone further than 5 min after bringing down the boat before i would be throwing a fit about not having more drinks. Also using it to put empty's, not even one person's empty can fit there on a long day at the lake. But hey it can be used as a little extra storage..