I Hate the Stupid Dial Shifter: Now With Poll

[Steve Urquell]

I feel like I've given the dial a fair shake and have determined I frikken hate the stupid thing. It is just not intuitive to being able to grab it and put it where you need it to go without deliberately looking down at it.

The Mav is my wife's DD and I drive a manual trans Tacoma or MT Miata and am used to knowing by the feel what gear I'm in. I'm lost in the Maverick with the dial. I have had many, many episodes of going the wrong way with it when trying to turn quickly when turning around.

Today sealed the deal for me and the stupid thing.

Wife and I were driving an old 55 mph 2 lane backroad in Podunk, OK. Idiot 2 cars ahead was running 60mph for most of the time but would drift into a coma (or on the phone) and slow down randomly for no reason to 45mph.

I was getting frustrated being 2 cars back and after about the 15th time flopped my arms down at my sides like "Why, why?". As the lead car sped up I was not accelerating while pushing the gas pedal down.

I looked down and the tach was at 4,000rpms and we were slowing down. I immediately started thinking about reports in here of people's trucks doing this and being stranded with an electronic glitch.

Looked down again and the dial was in "N" neutral. Flipped it to "D" and all was well. Just a random flop of the hands and the truck was inoperable. No locking detent or button to push to make the shift, no click or tactile feel, just a flick and it's in neutral.

I really hate this dial.

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[AzureBlueBill]

Why do you have to look down at it? There is a gearshift readout in your instrument cluster, directly in front of your eyes!

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

And we are off again.

I agree it should have a more solid feel. In other words everything you said.
I tried to simulate a gear shift handle. I realized the space that a handle intrudes upon and it would get in the way of the cups in the holders. I don't care for the dial but I'm learning to live with it.

Or just keep it as is and adjust to it

If they change it to a stick. People will be pissing and moaning about it being in the way.

 

[Steve Urquell]

Why do you have to look down at it? There is a gearshift readout in your instrument cluster, directly in front of your eyes!

You shouldn't have to look at anything. Shifters in most any other car on Earth can be moved forward or back by feel and don't spin all the way around either direction without stops and can't be shifted out of gear with a wrist flick.

If you love it, groovy, dig on it. I hate it.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I feel like I've given the dial a fair shake and have determined I frikken hate the stupid thing. It is just not intuitive to being able to grab it and put it where you need it to go without deliberately looking down at it.

The Mav is my wife's DD and I drive a manual trans Tacoma or MT Miata and am used to knowing by the feel what gear I'm in. I'm lost in the Maverick with the dial. I have had many, many episodes of going the wrong way with it when trying to turn quickly when turning around.

Today sealed the deal for me and the stupid thing.

Wife and I were driving an old 55 mph 2 lane backroad in Podunk, OK. Idiot 2 cars ahead was running 60mph for most of the time but would drift into a coma (or on the phone) and slow down randomly for no reason to 45mph.

I was getting frustrated being 2 cars back and after about the 15th time flopped my arms down at my sides like "Why, why?". As the lead car sped up I was not accelerating while pushing the gas pedal down.

I looked down and the tach was at 4,000rpms and we were slowing down. I immediately started thinking about reports in here of people's trucks doing this and being stranded with an electronic glitch.

Looked down again and the dial was in "N" neutral. Flipped it to "D" and all was well. Just a random flop of the hands and the truck was inoperable. No locking detent or button to push to make the shift, no click or tactile feel, just a flick and it's in neutral.

I really hate this dial.

I find your comments vague and unspecific. Could you elaborate and tell us how you really feel?

 

[Steve Urquell]

I find your comments vague and unspecific. Could you elaborate and tell us how you really feel?

A bit irritated, slightly hungry, fairly comfortable with a blanket on me and dog pressed against my hip. Getting sleepy, might have to pee in a few minutes. Did that cover it?

 

[Chewy]

 

[The Cyber Orange Guy.]

I just wish they move the dial somewhere in the dash and just make a single front seat, that or the capacity to have the center console deleted, for me that's a waste of space. But i know i might be alone on this.

 

[Steve Urquell]

 

[NeedForSteve]

My dial has solid detents. If I hit it hard enough to brush it into another gear, I can feel I’ve done it.

As for knocking the shifter into N at highway speeds, both my ‘07 Fusion and my wife’s ‘14 Avenger can be bumped into Neutral without pressing anything, just a passing bump of the shifter.

as a wise doctor once said; “Does it hurt when you do that? Really? Then don’t do that!”

 

[Raymundo76]

I feel like I've given the dial a fair shake and have determined I frikken hate the stupid thing. It is just not intuitive to being able to grab it and put it where you need it to go without deliberately looking down at it.

The Mav is my wife's DD and I drive a manual trans Tacoma or MT Miata and am used to knowing by the feel what gear I'm in. I'm lost in the Maverick with the dial. I have had many, many episodes of going the wrong way with it when trying to turn quickly when turning around.

Today sealed the deal for me and the stupid thing.

Wife and I were driving an old 55 mph 2 lane backroad in Podunk, OK. Idiot 2 cars ahead was running 60mph for most of the time but would drift into a coma (or on the phone) and slow down randomly for no reason to 45mph.

I was getting frustrated being 2 cars back and after about the 15th time flopped my arms down at my sides like "Why, why?". As the lead car sped up I was not accelerating while pushing the gas pedal down.

I looked down and the tach was at 4,000rpms and we were slowing down. I immediately started thinking about reports in here of people's trucks doing this and being stranded with an electronic glitch.

Looked down again and the dial was in "N" neutral. Flipped it to "D" and all was well. Just a random flop of the hands and the truck was inoperable. No locking detent or button to push to make the shift, no click or tactile feel, just a flick and it's in neutral.

I really hate this dial.

Grow up!!

 

[asylus]

I just wish they move the dial somewhere in the dash and just make a single front seat, that or the capacity to have the center console deleted, for me that's a waste of space. But i know i might be alone on this.

I would love a bench seat but with the option to flip up the center for some storage.

 

[Aherpa]

Yup, it's the only thing on the truck I can't stand either.

I don't see what 'space' it is saving. There's a couple of inches needlessly spent on the 'suggestion box slot' that could have easily been given over to a 'real' shifter.

It would be interesting, if Ford had offered the Maverick with either a dial or stick shifter (with no cost difference), which one customers would have opted for more. Alias, we will never know because the designers have spoken . . . all hail the Designers.

 

[TheShark]

I honestly don't find an issue with it, you get used to it. It saves space and really most new cars today are going away from the shifter to a dial or push buttons.

 

[V-blue Mav]

I feel like I've given the dial a fair shake and have determined I frikken hate the stupid thing. It is just not intuitive to being able to grab it and put it where you need it to go without deliberately looking down at it.

The Mav is my wife's DD and I drive a manual trans Tacoma or MT Miata and am used to knowing by the feel what gear I'm in. I'm lost in the Maverick with the dial. I have had many, many episodes of going the wrong way with it when trying to turn quickly when turning around.

Today sealed the deal for me and the stupid thing.

Wife and I were driving an old 55 mph 2 lane backroad in Podunk, OK. Idiot 2 cars ahead was running 60mph for most of the time but would drift into a coma (or on the phone) and slow down randomly for no reason to 45mph.

I was getting frustrated being 2 cars back and after about the 15th time flopped my arms down at my sides like "Why, why?". As the lead car sped up I was not accelerating while pushing the gas pedal down.

I looked down and the tach was at 4,000rpms and we were slowing down. I immediately started thinking about reports in here of people's trucks doing this and being stranded with an electronic glitch.

Looked down again and the dial was in "N" neutral. Flipped it to "D" and all was well. Just a random flop of the hands and the truck was inoperable. No locking detent or button to push to make tnhe shift, no click or tactile feel, just a flick and it's in neutral.

I really hate this dial.

I have had the very same thing happen to me not long after I got it (2 years ago). No power, rpms up, anyway it happened when I set my coffee togo cup back in the cupholder. I wonder what happens if you hit reverse at that speed??

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