The KitchenAid KRQC506MPS is a mid-range 36-inch wide counter-depth 4-door refrigerator. It has an ice maker in the freezer but no ice or water dispenser. It uses a single variable-speed, inverter-controlled compressor with a single evaporator. The fridge has a full-width pull-out tray and the usual shelves, crisper drawers, and door bins. There are two independent compartments in the freezer section, with the right compartment a Custom Freeze Zone where you can set the temperature separately from the left compartment. Each freezer section has a pull-out tray and two deep pull-out drawers.
We've recently started testing refrigerators. We purchase each unit independently from major retailers, just like you, to keep our reviews free of manufacturer influence. Each refrigerator undergoes the same tests to measure objective metrics such as temperature uniformity, produce preservation, and actual storage capacity, so you can easily compare results.
Want to learn more about how we operate? Check out our About Us page.
Our Verdict
The KitchenAid KRQC506MPS is a decent choice for everyday use. It has excellent temperature uniformity, with very little temperature variation throughout the refrigerator section. It has superb temperature uniformity in the freezer and maintains a consistently even temperature throughout. The freezer temperature hardly varies at all as the variable-speed compressor cycles. This fridge offers decent capacity, especially considering it's a shallow counter-depth model and has an abundance of space-consuming drawers, trays, and dividers in the freezer. Produce preservation is just fair; since the crisper drawers don't retain moisture well, you'll find wilted lettuce, soft celery, and shrunken cucumbers in short order.
Fantastic temperature uniformity in the freezer.
Great temperature uniformity in the fridge.
Minimal temperature swings in the freezer due to the inverter compressor.
Produce bin doesn't retain moisture well, leading to dried-out produce fairly quickly.
Counter-depth design leads to a shallow fridge compartment.
The KitchenAid KRQC506MPS is adequate at preserving produce. Its crisper drawers retain humidity slightly better than other, less high-end models. Still, its single evaporator leads to low humidity in the fridge section, and the crisper drawers can only do so much. Produce dries out fairly quickly, leading to wilted leafy greens and dried-out, shriveled vegetables in a few days.
Produce bin doesn't retain moisture well, leading to dried-out produce fairly quickly.
The KitchenAid KRQC506MPS offers reasonable refrigerator capacity, given its shallow, counter-depth design. You can store wide items like pizza boxes side-by-side on the fridge shelves and tall items like gallon milk jugs if you move the middle shelf down to its lower position. You can adjust the height on two of the six deep door bins, and the bottom bins have dividers to keep small items like condiment bottles contained.
Full-width shelves in the fridge make storing wide items easy.
Deep door bins, some height-adjustable, which can accommodate taller items.
Counter-depth design leads to a shallow fridge compartment.
The KitchenAid KRQC506MPS delivers decent freezer capacity, though space is limited since this counter-depth fridge has only drawers and trays in the two separate freezer sections. The divider, trays, and drawers occupy some space but offer easy accessibility, and the separate freezer sections allow you to keep frozen food items at a different temperature than the rest of the freezer, perfect for soft ice cream, gelato, or shaved ice dishes. However, the divider limits width, so storing wide items like extra-large pizza boxes or family-sized lasagna trays will be difficult.
Two separate freezer sections keep items organized and separated.
Counter-depth design leads to a shallow freezer compartment.
Divided freezer section limits width and total freezer space.
The KitchenAid KRQC506MPS has excellent temperature uniformity throughout the fridge and freezer. The refrigerator section has impressive temperature uniformity, with minimal variation between the shelves and the door bins. The freezer's temperature uniformity is remarkable; it remains consistently uniform throughout the freezer, with hardly any temperature swing as the variable-speed compressor cycles. You can keep temperature-sensitive foods, such as butter and ice cream, in excellent condition regardless of where you store them.
Fantastic temperature uniformity in the freezer.
Great temperature uniformity in the fridge.
Minimal temperature swings in the freezer due to the inverter compressor.
The KitchenAid KRQC506MPS' ice-making performance is decent. The twist-tray ice maker makes enough ice for a small family gathering each day, but not enough for a large party. The ice tray can store a little over a day's worth of ice, so you still won't have enough ice for a very large event, but there should be enough ice for a small family's needs.
Produces enough ice each day for a small family's needs.
Small ice tray stores a little over a day's worth of ice.
Performance Usages
Changelog
-
Updated Jan 19, 2026:
We've updated the text in this review to reflect new tests added with version 1.1 of our test bench.
- Updated Jan 19, 2026: Version 1.1 of our refrigerator test bench provides new information regarding authorized service provider coverage for different manufacturers, the availability of replacement parts, and operating noise. For a more detailed breakdown of the changes made, see our full changelog.
- Updated Oct 08, 2025: Review published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
There's only one variant of the KitchenAid KRQC506MPS refrigerator, which we tested. You can see a photo of its label here. It's available in a fingerprint-resistant stainless steel finish. Whirlpool, the parent company of KitchenAid, sells the Whirlpool WRQA59CNKZ, which is nearly identical but has more mainstream interior finishes and fewer features.
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll add it to our review.
Popular Refrigerator Comparisons
The KitchenAid KRQC506MPS is a high-end counter-depth refrigerator. Its 4-door configuration doesn't present many on-paper advantages over more conventionally-designed counter-depth French-door fridges, with this model offering less interior space in its fridge cabinet than the Bosch 800 Series B36CT80SNS, not to mention less interior flexibility due to its full-width shelving. If you're looking for more freezer space, the side-by-side KitchenAid KRSC703HPS is worth a look, though it has even less fridge space. The KRQC506MPS has a relatively basic cooling system for a unit at this high a price point, too, with the aforementioned KRSC703HPS featuring separate evaporators for the fridge and freezer to extend the lifespan of fresh produce. The Bosch goes a step beyond that with separate compressors for more precise temperature regulation. The one area where the KRQC506MPS stands out is its impressive temperature uniformity, though it isn't as though its rivals are slouches in that respect either.
The Samsung Bespoke RM80F23VMR is a better-performing 4-door fridge than the KitchenAid KRQC506MPS. The Samsung offers more room in its fridge and freezer cabinets and does a better job of keeping produce crisp and fresh. If you're interested in extra features, the Samsung has more to offer as well, with its in-door Beverage Center and separate ice maker for making sphere-shaped ice for chilling cocktails.
The KitchenAid KRQC506MPS and Samsung Bespoke RF24BB6600QL are differently-designed 36-inch counter-depth fridges, with the former being a four-door model and the latter being a French-door unit. The KitchenAid has a smaller refrigerator cabinet, but offers more total space in its freezer cabinets, though it is worth noting that these compartments are partitioned, which makes it harder to fit really large boxed items. The KitchenAid also does a better job of maintaining uniform temperatures in its freezer and fridge cabinets, especially in the latter compartment's door bins. That said, the Samsung's dual-evaporator design results in noticeably better produce preservation performance, so delicate greens like lettuce or celery will last longer.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
