What's your favourite automatic shift controller?

"The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock" (jukesjukesjukes) 01/08/2017 at 22:01 • Filed to: None

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I’m a big fan of Mercedes Benz steering wheel shifter.

It is a well thought out desgin used in a other wise dead space in Mercedes Benz’s.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:04

9

“Oh no it’s starting to rain, better turn on my wipers”

*horrific grinding noise*

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:06

0

B&M Hammer. Because that shit rips hard as fuck, broseph.

wafflesnfalafel > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:08

2

on the floor, right next to the non-electronic ebrake

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 01/08/2017 at 22:08

1

It won’t shift unless it is stopped.

Wobbles the Mind > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:10

0

Now that I’ve used it for almost a year I swear by it.

WilliamsSW > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:11

1

PNDSLR FTW!

Your boy, BJR > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:12

2

It’s not a good use of dead space, it’s an idiotic place that causes a clusterfuck of stalks on the other side. Master race my ass.

404 - User No Longer Available > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:14

7

Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency, that boat throttle.

Because I’m on a boat, motherfucker, this ain’t Seaworld.

crowmolly > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:21

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Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:21

0

This one, from the previous-generation Audi A3. The combination of black leather, aluminum, and red lighting is sexy to me. The PRNDS layout is foolproof, so the shifter is easy to use, and the shifter feels great in one’s hand, especially as it moves through its detents.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:23

0

I don’t have a favourite. I’ll take a big chunky lever attached to a cable that’s physically moving things inside the transmission.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:25

2

BMW’s automatic gear selector thing is the best one of them all in my opinion. It just looks so cool. Especially the sport automatic with the leather shift boot.

Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:30

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Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:46

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The J gate in ‘90s Jags used to make it dangerously easy to forget you’d moved from manual mode back across to auto, and do a “downshift” into reverse.

Fortunately it wouldn’t actually obey (guess how I know). But what it would do instead is go into panic mode, drop into neutral, and refuse to come out until you’d coasted to a stop and turned the car off and back on (or at least the X308 XJR’s Merc box would - dunno what the ZFs in other models did).

REALLY bloody irritating.

not for canada - australian in disguise > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 22:57

2

Because it’s big, clunky, and cumbersome. Like a column shifter should be.

404 - User No Longer Available > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo 01/08/2017 at 23:08

1

Everyone started using it. I think pretty much anything with a ZF 8HP uses a variant of that one.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 23:16

0

Column Shifter. Specifically a 2007+ full size GM shifter. The most satisfying, solid clunk from one position to the next with a big grip. The only column shifter I’ve experienced that’s gotten close to being as satisfying is the previous gen F150.

That recycled wiper stalk in the Benz is just depressing in comparison.

Tazio, Count Fouroff > wafflesnfalafel 01/08/2017 at 23:25

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Totally agree

Enjoy some old-skool Audi Type 43

NojustNo > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/08/2017 at 23:57

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asking that on OPPO is like asking a wine connoisseur what their favorite type of Budweiser is LOL

His Stigness > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 01/09/2017 at 02:48

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If you’re familiar with Mercedes (many are repeat customers*) then you would know that until that gearshift came along, Mercedes always put the control stalks on the left hand side of the steering wheel.

*I have no idea how high Mercedes retention rate is.

His Stigness > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 01/09/2017 at 02:54

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It’s depressing that it’s small and doesn’t block vents or buttons?

Cé hé sin > not for canada - australian in disguise 01/09/2017 at 04:57

1

I’ve only once come across a car with a column gearchange (a Buick something I hired in America).

It was crap. Everytime you tried to go from D to R you ended up in P.

Cé hé sin > Wobbles the Mind 01/09/2017 at 05:02

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Isn’t there a bit of suing going on about that? Allegedly if you put it in P it might not actually be in P because the knob doesn’t directly operate the park pawl but tells the software to do so.

bhtooefr > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/09/2017 at 05:12

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That one’s decent (and Tesla buys their shifters from Mercedes-Benz), but I like having a dedicated wiper stalk on the right.

I’m actually not a fan of conventional column shifters for that reason either - besides, I find it too easy to overshoot in a lot of them - and gated floor shifters take too much space. It’s justifiable use of space if you’ve got a manual version as well (where the manual shifter needs the space, so might as well use it in the automatic), but otherwise...

So, if we’re going to talk about shifters that return to center... I think I’ll go for the general design debuted by the Gen 2 Prius, and used on several other (including non-Toyota) hybrid and EV products, as well as the Lexus LC 500 for a pure ICE application.

The general rule is, in normal operation, pull the shifter towards you. Hold it there for neutral, push it up/towards the front of the car for reverse or pull it down/towards the rear of the car for drive. For improved engine braking, or for the Lexus LC manual mode, do NOT pull the shifter towards you, just pull it towards the rear of the car. Park is a button. (The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV breaks this rule in some LHD models, though, by maintaining the RHD pattern where R, N, and D are towards the right side of the car.)

If you’re going to return to center, making each gear a different motion is the right way to do it. I’m looking at you, ZF.

Gen 2 Toyota Prius:

Nissan Leaf (no B/L selection here):

Honda Fit Sport Hybrid (RHD car, so the pattern’s mirrored):

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (this is actually a LHD car, but the pattern’s mirrored for the RHD configuration anyway - I think new production is fixed, but this was stupid):

Lexus LC 500 (I think this actually is the ICE car, not that the hybrid is any different) - AFAIK, the first implementation of the Toyota hybrid shifter on a non-hybrid, non-EV product:

Note that the non-Toyota applications of it are in designs that have conventional shifters (with the exception of the Leaf, but I think they placed that in the same position as the Versa’s shifter), so the space savings possible with it aren’t realized.

hike > Cé hé sin 01/09/2017 at 07:20

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I have the FCA equivalent in my car, but I have it set so the parking brake comes on automatically. Problem solved. It also prevents the insane amount of movement that occurs after putting in park and taking my foot off the brake.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > His Stigness 01/09/2017 at 08:12

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Don’t shit on mah joke

CB > crowmolly 01/09/2017 at 10:26

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What.

crowmolly > CB 01/09/2017 at 12:16

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Huh?

CB > crowmolly 01/09/2017 at 12:22

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Who thought this was a reasonable design?

crowmolly > CB 01/09/2017 at 12:24

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People with Lencos?

It was only used in the Hurst/Olds in the 80's (in regular production). More of a novelty than anything else, but it was before electronically controlled transmissions. This was one way to have a semi-auto.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/09/2017 at 15:12

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As yes, the potentially dangerous Mercedes column shifter. You can feel like you’re driving a 70's Buick and, if you’re lucky, get the wrong gear and drive into the path of an oncoming train.

http://jalopnik.com/was-mercedes-gearshift-design-to-blame-in-in-fatal-trai-1689604456

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo 01/09/2017 at 15:14

1

I like it in ours. Feels like a joystick on a fighter plane.