4 ms·
I have that shifter on my Jeep Grand Cherokee. It's been recalled but I actually love it. Maybe I'm an outlier but it's not that dissimilar from electronic shif
by pxlpshr 10y ago
I have that shifter on my Jeep Grand Cherokee. It's been recalled but I actually love it. Maybe I'm an outlier but it's not that dissimilar from electronic shifters in BMWs and Mercedes. My girlfriend's Mercedes acts like a turn signal on the steering column and it's 10x more confusing to operate. I hate it. The primary safety difference is that it auto-parks itself when the door is opened. Chrysler's recall adds the same self-parking functionality.
I don't agree that shifters should work the way they've always worked. They warrant a redesign because long throwing shifters eat up a bunch of precious center console space. An area where stuff is often over-packed by the driver or co-pilot; phones, cups, coins, paperwork, keys, wallet. Most of this demands short-term, easy access storage.
If better safety mechanisms were considered in the Chrysler, I doubt we'd be talking about this shifter as a failure. Nobody is criticizing Mercedes' exceptionally poor design – unless you read car enthusiast forums – because they added better safety processes.
- astrocat 10y agoI know the BMW shifters you're talking about, but there is one significant difference: the mechanism for entering Park is not like the rest of the gear selection options (Drive, Neutral, Reverse). It's a button on the top of the shifter. As such, when you want to put the car in park, you push a button, you don't move the shifter. I'm not saying this is a great shifter design overall, but it DOES mean that you quickly learn a completely different routine for putting the car in park. Basically: "If I want the car to be moving, then move the shifter. If I want the car to stop moving, push the button."
- kpil 10y agoIt's like that on Mitsubishi Outlander Phev. There is a separate Park button, and I think there is no risk of confusion. I have actually occasionally powered down the car when I just wanted to put it in park, but there is no real danger in that. It automatically engages "Park" when powering down, but not when exiting the car, but maybe it should as long as the car is not moving when the door is opened. Actually, as the car is aware of that no one is sitting in the drivers seat, it would be trivial for Mitsubishi to program it to prevent the car from moving, or at least starting to move from a stand still using the ordinary brakes. I guess that would be true for all cars with airbags, which would be every car sold, at least in in USA and EU. Maybe it should be mandatory.
- WalterBright 10y agoHow are you going to push or tow the car, then?
- kwhitefoot 10y agoYou just have a feature to override it just the same as you can override the passenger side airbag.
- kpil 10y agoActually, even now the car can not be towed if it is out of power. To tow, you need at least a booster battery to boot the 12v systems in the car. Or you need to lift it. Not a problem for an road assistance service, but potentially irritating if you are on your own. The traction battery does not have to be online though.
- douche 10y agoAn automatic gearshift doesn't belong in the center console, it belongs on the steering column. I've driven Ford trucks and SUVs too long for me to think otherwise.
- frandroid 10y agoGet off your high mechanical horse. Most cars have a center console shifter nowadays.
- douche 10y agohaha, I know, and I don't like it... If you're going to occupy the pumpkin, at least have a real, manual gearshift.
- mplewis 10y agoSteering column shifters have worse feedback re: what gear you're in than center console shifters. Neither one is as bad as a monostable shifter though.