+1 to that. The Ford Focus EV looks so old-school compared to the Leaf in this regard.mkjayakumar wrote:It felt a little funny and strange the first few days, but I have now come to LOVE the gear shifter. Way cool and simple.
+1 to that. The Ford Focus EV looks so old-school compared to the Leaf in this regard.mkjayakumar wrote:It felt a little funny and strange the first few days, but I have now come to LOVE the gear shifter. Way cool and simple.
Nissan sales guy pointed out to me that pull-to-set-brake is the same direction as mechanical handbrake levers. The form factor is very different though... MercBenz has step to set, pull short lever to release.KeiJidosha wrote:Also, operation is not intuitive. Pulling what looks to be a parking brake release sets the parking brake ???
I too, found the shifter counter-intuitive. I kept trying to use it like a game console – up being forward and down being back.HoustonFlier wrote:I was also surprised at the counter-intuitive operation of the shifter! I have handled a number of automatic and stick cars, even golf carts, and I found the shifter movement somewhat foreign. Of course I will adapt, but for the first few times I had to pause and think about what to do.
Yes, that is nice, but the Prius accomplishes it without using up all that console space. The dash mounting makes it so easy to shift without hardly moving your hand from the steering wheel.veramis wrote:I wasn't fond of how the puck worked until I was in a parking space trying to wiggle my way out and I realized it is actually very easy to just slap the puck to R and D repeatedly.
Nissan had no choice about the shift pattern. Federal regulations (FMVSS102) say which direction the P-R-N-D-L has to go. Combine that with the layout of the shifter and you have what you have. That said, I would prefer either push-buttons or a small electronic lever for the shifter. This combined with the already eliminated electric parking brake switch would free up space for more storage in the center console and easier reach of the cupholders.FairwoodRed wrote:The trouble is that Nissan tried to make it like existing gear shifts. They go P R N D L 2 1, from front to back. If you simplify that to R N D, from front to back, then you get the Leaf shift pattern. Sure that makes sense, but it just wasn’t intuitive.