I really miss the Gear Shift Lever

[armoredsaint]

i had an escalade and hated the column shifter, i'm okay with the ford rotary knob - but once in a while i find myself wanting to place my hand on top of a lever.

eta: a couple of times when i was doing a 3-point illegal u-turn in a tight road, switching from D to R, sometimes I turn too far and it goes to P

 

[Zig10]

3 point turns, parking my boat trailer, tight parking lots...they all suck with the rotary shifter. I do appreciate the extra room, but miss the functionality of a shifter, console or column...

 

[techdude99]

I find the dial adds a couple if seconds to a 3 point turn or backing up with a trailer but I'll take it for the extra console space.

Ask me again after an emergency situation where I had to take my eyes off the road...

 

[aggiegrad05]

There’s benefits and drawback. I do miss my column shifter but with tech today there’s no reason for a big console shifter taking up all that real estate in the center console. That being said, I don’t know that the Ford rotary saves THAT much room as it still occupies a good bit of space...the Navi shifter keys are the business as they are up and out of the way. Merc’s stalk shifter is also good.

 

[Artie]

I find the dial adds a couple if seconds to a 3 point turn or backing up with a trailer but I'll take it for the extra console space.

Ask me again after an emergency situation where I had to take my eyes off the road...

Those old muscle memory traits are hard to break when it comes to the emergency maneuvers... from time to time I’ve found myself pounding the dead pedal looking for the clutch.

 

[JExpedition07]

Mine has the center console shifter, I’d rather a column shifter. Easiest to operate and takes up no space. Maybe it’s because I’m always reaching for the column shift thats not there lol.

 

[TheDoug]

I like the rotary knob compared to some of the other electronic shifter options.

Had an Acura with the push buttons and that was pretty annoying.

My wife's Mercedes is pretty annoying with the shifter on the column.

All in all I think it's what you get used to.

 

[Going_Going_Gone]

A year plus into it and I still miss having a shift lever. My biggest gripe has been when maneuvering back-and-forth in tight quarters or backing up a trailer, when I've intended to shift from reverse to drive but turned the shift knob the wrong way and slammed it into park. I'd probably get better with repetition, but this being our "new vehicle," we take my wife's older car more often than this one. Hers already has every one of her aluminum wheels enhanced with curb rash.

 

[bushpilot]

I would gladly give up the rotating knob <crap> for additional console storage...I rarely used the sliding cup adapters on our '17 F350 but loved the fact that I could adapt the 2 cup holders (closer to the passenger side) to nearly any size cup...AND I had additional/optional storage/cup holders where the EXPY mode/4x4 & trans selector are.

 

[Rancidlunchmeat]

The only thing that irritates me about it is have the two dials right on top of each other and having to look down then to make sure I'm selecting the drive settings and not the gear selector.

 

[bushpilot]

The only thing that irritates me about it is have the two dials right on top of each other and having to look down then to make sure I'm selecting the drive settings and not the gear selector.

the knobs are significant different in size, it would have been nice to have STACKED dial/selectors (the lawyers probably blocked the accountants from doing that).

 

[armoredsaint]

The drive mode selector I usually turn the wrong way for sport

 

[Deadman]

I tried swapping to sport the other day on the highway and I turned the wrong knob and tried to put it in park at 80 mph. Luckily the babysitter wouldn't allow it....

 

[larryjb]

There’s benefits and drawback. I do miss my column shifter but with tech today there’s no reason for a big console shifter taking up all that real estate in the center console. That being said, I don’t know that the Ford rotary saves THAT much room as it still occupies a good bit of space...the Navi shifter keys are the business as they are up and out of the way. Merc’s stalk shifter is also good.

Why do so many people hate the column shifter so much? Is it because it's so "old"? If it's because the concept doesn't work well with 10 speed transmissions, I believe I've seen shifters with P, N, D, L, where L will go to the lowest gear possible safely. Of all the shifters, I find the column the most practical.

I haven't actually tried a rotary shifter, but I can see how frustrating it would be when backing up a trailer.

 

[JExpedition07]

Why do so many people hate the column shifter so much? Is it because it's so "old"? If it's because the concept doesn't work well with 10 speed transmissions, I believe I've seen shifters with P, N, D, L, where L will go to the lowest gear possible safely. Of all the shifters, I find the column the most practical.

I haven't actually tried a rotary shifter, but I can see how frustrating it would be when backing up a trailer.

Column shift is the most user friendly, you don’t have to look down and also more stylish leather wrapped etc. Console shift takes up a lot of space. Dial still takes up some space but better use of it.

Column wins for when you are yelling at the kids and slap in into park. Shut me right up growing up lol.

 

[Deadman]

I'm sick of the knob, I still have to look at it to be sure I'm actually in a gear vs twisting the mode knob....
Give me the column shift and my key back!

 

[aggiegrad05]

Why do so many people hate the column shifter so much? Is it because it's so "old"? If it's because the concept doesn't work well with 10 speed transmissions, I believe I've seen shifters with P, N, D, L, where L will go to the lowest gear possible safely. Of all the shifters, I find the column the most practical.

I haven't actually tried a rotary shifter, but I can see how frustrating it would be when backing up a trailer.

I love a column shifter and miss mine, but the rotary is ok.

It’s the console that’s a waste...not only does it take up a lot of real estate in the center console, it also sticks right up in the middle of everything. It’s simply a holdover from manual transmissions; now that we’re not physically shifting gears when we “shift” into D or R, there’s absolutely no reason to have a giant lever sticking out of the middle of the center console taking up room and getting in the way of everything.

It’d be like if the first jet airplane had a propeller on the front because, well, we’ve always put one there before.

 

[Artie]

I rarely have to use the knob since the only one in the Navigator is for the drive modes. The piano keys are, in my opinion, a killer alternative to a physical shifter. I can see how the ambiguity of the knob would be annoying for changing gears.

 

[RPS99SHO]

I rarely have to use the knob since the only one in the Navigator is for the drive modes. The piano keys are, in my opinion, a killer alternative to a physical shifter. I can see how the ambiguity of the knob would be annoying for changing gears.

This. If I can’t have a physical connection, buttons are preferable to the rotary thing.

 

[aggiegrad05]

This. If I can’t have a physical connection, buttons are preferable to the rotary thing.

Agree. If you’re going to get rid of a physical lever make it as unobtrusive as possible.