What do you think of the shifter?

Overall, I must say that I like the shifter quite a lot. It's very easy to use, conveniently located, and, plus, it just looks cool. It's probably the #2 thing (after the MFD) that people have commented on when riding in the car.

On a side note, someone who was riding in my Prius the other day asked about something that I didn't have a good answer for. Does anyone know what the design decision was that led them to make the shifter return to the "home" position after you shift? On most automatic transmission cars, the shifter remains in the position of the gear you shifted to. It seems like, for the sake of simplicity, that they might have done this on the Prius. Does anyone know if there was a good design justification for the "return to home" behavior?

 

Toyota engineers have put a lot of critical thinking into every component. The shifter and Park button are easy to use. I can look to the dashboard display and shift without having to look at the shifter. The shifter is out of the way. Overall, well done!

 

[So far, I haven't found any use for the Neutral position - so unless "gliding" is popping the thing into Neutral, is there any purpose it serves? [/quote]

I use Neutral alot at long red lights on level roads so I can take my foot off the brake. I guess I'm really lazy. The placement of the shifter is perfect so i don't have to take my hand off the wheel, just reach over with a couple of fingers, slide it sideways, let go, relax and enjoy the no-ICE solitude. Voila, a moment of zen. Then at green light just flick the lever down and go.
I can't imagine why somebody would want to put the car into neutral to glide, kind of defeats the regen capability, doesn't it? Just deadzone it to coast.

 

I don't like it. I can never remember which way is which. I don't like the separate P button. Why not just a row of buttons P R N D B ? I don't like the placement of it. There's no mechanical or positional feedback to let you know when you're in reverse vs drive (except that obnoxious beeping which I disabled). At best the shifter is annoying and at worst it's an accident waiting to happen.

 

While I can't say that I dislike the shifter, I too prefer some feedback in the shifter so I know where I've been and what I have to do to go somewhere else. It's like the difference between digital and analog watches. I find that I have to think about a digital numeric display relative to time gone by and time left in a period of time but with an analog face, all that information is available at a glance.
Then again, I may just be showing my age and inability to accept change. No, that can't be true... I bought a Prius!!!
-Paul R. Haller- :huh:

 

I like the shifter. It's much better than the one in the classic Prius. This shifter is great for the arthritic joints of a lot of us senior citizens.

 

I like it alot. It is very easy to use and different, which is good. One of my favorite features of the car.

 

That's why I wear a combo analog + digital watch. I analog for the same reasons, but I really need a timer, alarm, chronograph, etc.... and don't want to spend a bundle for a fully analog watch with these features. B)

 

I like both the shifter and the park button -- but I also have been teased I picked the Prius because I "lusted over" my parents push-button Dodge - it may have been a Dart. All I know is it had buttons for all gears, started sitting outside in the frozen north all winter and they sold it 2 months before I turned 16 :angry:

 

I like the rally-style mounting of the shifter. Makes for fast shifting on the road whenever I go from D-to-B-to-D (when I just want to slow down without hitting the brakes) without moving my hand too far from the wheel. I drive two-handed and plow through turns.

I do prefer locking-positional feedback though.

 

The shifter is now second nature to me. It was never a problem, even from the start, but I did have to consciously think about it for the first few weeks. The shifter's design also shows some additional thought design by the Toyota engineers:

1. It returns to the "home" position -- not normal for a car, but this way it's always the *same* motion to get the choice you want. It's always left-down for drive, left-up for reverse, etc. It's not a huge deal since we've all been driving for years, but I don't have to think "I'm in drive, so two clicks up to get into reverse" like it was in the old car. Sure, it was second nature, but I think this is easier once you get used to it.

2. By not making it a button, you have to take specific and deliberate action to switch drive modes. This safety feature works hand-in-hand with returning to the home position. You can't accidentally bump a button, or choose the wrong button if you press without looking. You *must* find the knob, move it left, then up or down -- all while your foot is still on the brake. The "B" position isn't available when you're in park (or reverse?) so you'd have to really hit the shifter in a bizare way to unintentionally shift into drive or reverse; accidents would be easier w/ a button.

3. It takes up less room than any other shifting mechanism you'll find on an everyday vehicle and it's completely out of the way.

 

I'm with the majority here, I like it. I have become very used to it and when switching to neutral for coasting it is easy to reach and quick to engage. Feedback for me comes from knowing the vehicle... you reach down and switch to neutral and, if you were coasting in D, you can feel the resistance let up slightly, and vice versa for switching back when approaching the next stop sign. The dash mode indicator is also good visual feedback.

 

Although I like the drive selector as it is, I must admit that it embarrasses me when I revert, occasionally, (even after over a year) to pulling the windshield washer lever into "drive."

 

Our first automatic, and no complaints on it.

 

In addition to wrprice's reply, it makes rejection of invalid changes without mechanical interlocks more intuitive. If it stayed in position, then a shift from D to R might be refused, but the knob would be resting in R. Thus the current position wouldn't accurately reflect the actual mode. (Is this what the old Prius did? Or does it have mechanical interlocks?)

In this design, only the screen (and the P light) indicate current mode, and this can always be accurate.

 

Short version:

I LIKE IT! A LOT!!!

 

Don't be embarrassed! That's just human nature. In our cars immediately previous to the Prius the white car has the shifter on the floor and the green car had it on the dash. What's really embarrassing is groping for the shifter ....only to come up with empty air!!

 

i felt the same way at first but after 5000 miles of driving i'm used to it.

 

Is it a good idea to use this car to teach the kids how to drive, knowing they will most likely encounter a traditional shifter later (when they are driving a friend's car or whatever)?

As much as I appreciate the design rationale, I'm not sure this scheme will become mainstream. Does anyone think the Camry Hybrid will get this?

I have an 01 but will add an 06 to my 'fleet' ANY DAY NOW. My daughter will reach driving age soon. I think I will start her in the old Prius because of the shifter.

 

Uhh... how do you keep the car from rolling? (I was once stopped behind some doofus at a light who rolled backwards about six feet and nearly hit me before he realized what was happening.)