I Hate the Stupid Dial Shifter: Now With Poll

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

For some reason this makes me think of "Bop it, twist it, pull it!"

Or the Cha Cha Slide:
"To the left
Take it back now, y'all
One hop this time
Right foot, let's stomp
Left foot, let's stomp
Cha cha real smooth"

Or

You put the clutch pedal in
You let the clutch pedal out
You put the clutch pedal in
and you shake the shifter 'bout
You slide it into first gear
give it gas and ease clutch out
and that's what it's all about

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[CD_SM]

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!”

I once bumped my dad's 77 Impala wagon into neutral (and I was in the passenger seat). You can actually do that with any shifter.
I'm ambivalent about the hockey puck not having end stops. I was a little surprised it didn't when I first got my truck. I recently drove a Chrysler minivan with a similar shifter, but it did have end stops, and it was ...fine. Really didn't matter. (Except: it was on the dash, so for the first day home in the Mav I kept turning the fan on Lol)
I suspect that the Maverick version will be mechanically more reliable though.
Also, recently drove an Edge with the hockey puck, but it was metal which did feel nicer.

 

[MrShadetree]

Maybe a good solution would be to quit throwing a fit at 55 mph.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

This is how MINI did their electronic shifter:

To go into drive, you press the button on the side of the shifter and pull back. To go into reverse, press the button and push forward. To put it in park, just press the P button. If you own both a newer MINI and a Maverick (like yours truly), try not mistake the iDrive dial for the shifter and vice-versa.

That's kind of weird too, but I think it could be gotten used to. Looks like it has some manual shifting function also incorporated.

 

[KyleMaverickKotlan]

I wish the whole front seat was a bench seat like my 1999 ford ranger so my pug can sit in the middle of me and my lady. Unfortunately I don't always get what I want.

 

[mspmms]

I'm glad I use Dial . . . .
Meme => link

 

[CTYankee]

That's kind of weird too, but I think it could be gotten used to. Looks like it has some manual shifting function also incorporated.

It is a manumatic. Our 2016 Mini is as well but works as a regular shifter. I've used that one in manual mode on twisty roads.

 

[Decayed]

I hate it too and I can tell you exactly why - it's impossible to use completely by touch. Because there are no stops it's hard to tell when you've selected the right gear. It just spins and spins. Most of the time it's just "spin it clockwise for drive and counterclockwise for park". But sometimes it isn't.
I will not miss that feature. I will miss the external keypad that thing is awesome.

 

[AzureBlueBill]

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.

I never said whether I liked it or not. But Ford (and others) has been putting these in many vehicles for over 10 years. I have gotten used to it.

 

[samspritzer]

If you're a DIY type of guy, take advantage of the "useless" cubby hole and mount a bracket. Then install one of these and re-program the truck to shift based on one of these...

It should cover all of the gears and park. If you're old like me, you'll remember Chrysler had a better idea with the push button tranny back in 50s and 60s (last century).

 

[AutobahnSHO]

After about 6 months of driving Maverick a lot, I got a rental Expedition with a dial that STOPS at Park and Drive. Honestly it wasn't any easier to use.

I like that 90% of my shifts are "spin it all the way clockwise" (for Drive) or "spin one click right" (for reverse). I don't go to park anymore- I just hit the power button.

 

[SLINGSHOT]

I hate it too and I can tell you exactly why - it's impossible to use completely by touch. Because there are no stops it's hard to tell when you've selected the right gear. It just spins and spins. Most of the time it's just "spin it clockwise for drive and counterclockwise for park". But sometimes it isn't.
I will not miss that feature. I will miss the external keypad that thing is awesome.

Some things you need to do by "seeing" it in your head. I learned a lot in the dark by feel.
13 months and never used the keypad.

 

[SLINGSHOT]

If you're a DIY type of guy, take advantage of the "useless" cubby hole and mount a bracket. Then install one of these and re-program the truck to shift based on one of these...

It should cover all of the gears and park. If you're old like me, you'll remember Chrysler had a better with the push button tranny back in 50s and 60s (last century).

We called it the "typewriter tranny".

 

[Montana]

If you don't like the dial shifter, you are really going to hate a Tesla shift system. I don't call that a shifter - like the rest of the car, it has been re-configured and if you don't like it, well too bad. And don't get me started on what Tesla has done to the turn signal...

Well, TBF, there isn't a lot to like about TESLA's to begin with.

Literally nothing if you are referring to the Cybertruck

I don't go to park anymore- I just hit the power button.

That's cheating. This guy's using cheat codes!

 

[Smilemonster]

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?

Gotta have that sense of humor!! Thanks for the giggle. I am not a huge fan of the dial, but getting used to it. I suspect it is preparation for things to come down the road. Maybe they will offer a stick as an upgrade someday, so they have another way to get more money out of us all. :O)

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