Does Rotary Shifter suck?

[BlueSnake77]

There is a reason for using a rotary shifter and having a low center console. More legroom to the side. If a couple big guys are wearing insulated coveralls driving to a work site, it helps to be able to splay the legs a bit to the side. Or even if you're just a tall person that has long legs. If people are worried about the electronics maybe failing and not being able to shift in or out of gears, well electronic lockouts have been on cars with shifters for years. I had one go on my 2012 Focus the last year I owned it and I couldn't shift out of park. Had to have it taken on a flatbed to the dealer and the shifter module replaced. The module is there so you have to put your foot on the brake before you can shift from park to drive.

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[BostonFordFan]

Rotary shifter sucks

I'm not a fan of the rotary shifter, are you?

Good question! I was hesitant at first, but now actually prefer it. I grew up on Manual stick, then forced into an automatic with shifter and now the Hybrid Maverick with rotary dial. Getting to the point where I don't need to look down at it to shift and the change in gear is fast. My Forester before had this annoying 2-3 second delay from reverse to drive. I have seen the push button shifters on other cars and to me-that makes no sense at all. so rotary it is!!!

 

[MoHillbilly]

It took a minute to get used to, but all good now. I started focusing on the gear indicator on the dash which got me to always turning it the correct direction, which was really the only issue I had with it (my issue more than the shifter’s). I try to always roll with whatever comes along..

 

[OneAlienBoi]

I love the rotary dial. Maybe it's a generational thing, but the only type of shifter I genuinely hate is collum shifters. Most of the ones I've experienced were trash. It's so numbly defined, you'll be feeling for gears and be like "Is this drive?" Clunk. "No that's reverse" clunk. "That's park". Oh, drive is between reverse and park, let me thread the needle. Clunk. "Shit that's reverse again".

The rotary dial is great, I wish it had stop points on both ends so it couldn't just spin freely, but that's about it. You can feel when it goes into reverse by the little thunk sound/motion the truck makes, particularly on cold startup, so you can feel when it's in certain gears.

Most of the complaints I see are people annoyed you have to look at it. This makes no sense to me, you're stopped, and only looking at it for a few seconds at most, so it's not a safety hazard, nor an inconvenience really. But also, it forces you to pay attention to what gear you're in, which is a very good thing imo. I don't understand people who want to throw the car in gear, and start moving before they even look at what gear it's in.

 

[Tbone289]

Not bothered by it one bit. Unlike other reports, I can feel each selection indent and can select any position without looking. Just like a regular shifter.

Why would anyone need to look anyway, when the gear selector display is right there in the gauge cluster?

I'm not a fan of electronic shifters without mechanical linkages, because it presents a problem shifting into neutral if the battery is dead. But the rotary shifter beats push buttons that you have to look at to select by a long shot.

 

[Jah.]

Doesn't both me at all . just had to get use to it . older adults can learn new ways and change sometimes .

 

[Solaryellow]

Two years ago or so I was in one of those Lincoln cars with the 2.0 and getting ready to drive, I asked "where the hell is the shifter." Last year I drove a Corsair and again asked "Where the hell is the shifter." The third time was with this truck, so I like to think I was prepared.

 

[Snowbird]

No issues for me. I like it.

 

[Mike215]

No problems adjusting to it. Wife does not like it. Her car has a traditional floor shifter and she prefers that.

 

[nunucello]

Rotary shifter sucks

I'm not a fan of the rotary shifter, are you?

I am a fan. Never had one before but I love it now.

 

[MYMAVXL]

It’s not a big issue either way w me. I did really like the dasn located push button shifter on my 2020 Lincoln MKZ. It was easy to see and press while still having an “eyes up” view. The rotary sometimes is hard to see in bright sunlight.

 

[Potatomafia]

No I am not a fan of THIS rotary shifter. I have previously owned two Ram 1500s with the rotary shifter which were great. They had more noticable detents and had positive stops once you reached D or P. You could easily determine which gear you were in by counting the detents.

Ford did an absolute crap job with the implementation on the rotary shifter in the Maverick. The detents are not very pronounced. And if the shifter falls in between detents, counting them does not mean you are in the correct gear. Just today when arriving at work, I went to back into a spot. I shifted from D to R, which should be two clicks to the left. It went into N. This happens at least twice a week. Plus there is no positive stop when shifting into P or D. This is poorly designed.

TLDR; no the Maverick rotary shifter sucks and I hate it

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

I love the rotary dial. Maybe it's a generational thing, but the only type of shifter I genuinely hate is collum shifters. Most of the ones I've experienced were trash. It's so numbly defined, you'll be feeling for gears and be like "Is this drive?" Clunk. "No that's reverse" clunk. "That's park". Oh, drive is between reverse and park, let me thread the needle. Clunk. "Shit that's reverse again".

The rotary dial is great, I wish it had stop points on both ends so it couldn't just spin freely, but that's about it. You can feel when it goes into reverse by the little thunk sound/motion the truck makes, particularly on cold startup, so you can feel when it's in certain gears.

Most of the complaints I see are people annoyed you have to look at it. This makes no sense to me, you're stopped, and only looking at it for a few seconds at most, so it's not a safety hazard, nor an inconvenience really. But also, it forces you to pay attention to what gear you're in, which is a very good thing imo. I don't understand people who want to throw the car in gear, and start moving before they even look at what gear it's in.

The last column shifters I've had were from back in the 80s, and the shift indicator was mechanically attached to the shift lever so if you put it in drive, the needle pointed to "drive" or D. Ford had PRND21, GM was a little different, and the old 2 speed autos just had PRNDL.

Anyway, it was easy to slam it into drive because the way the mechanism worked, there was a larger detent at Drive so you'd just slam it down.

The only car I recall with a pushbutton transmission was something like a 1965 Chevy Corvair. There may have been a couple of big Chryslers with that feature too, but in those days, most had either a column shifter or a floor shifter.

 

[MavDaddyDan]

I love the shifter, and I’d even say it’s one of the reasons I own a Maverick. As a bigger guy, I prefer the rotary style vs something that takes up unnecessary space up front.

 

[OleFordGuy]

Have no problem with it at all. My wife's 2018 expedition has one also, the f150 has the traditional shifter in the console. Either way you have to move a leaver, back and forth or around left/right, makes no difference to me

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