This is the feature on many new cars that we'd most like to change
Matthew DeBord/Business Insider
We're not talking about stick shifts here; those are still, mercifully, relatively straightforward.
But the good old park-reverse-neutral-drive setups of old, when you simply moved a shifter up and down, have given way to more elaborate systems. In some cases, such as when the shifter is replaced by buttons, this isn't so bad.
But when the shifter is modified to be more of a joystick-type interface, it doesn't always make sense and requires practice to sort out.
Sometimes it doesn't get sorted out, as was reportedly the case when actor Anton Yelchin, who played Mr. Chekov in the rebooted "Star Trek" movies, was killed in a freak accident in Los Angeles when he thought his Jeep was in park when it was in neutral. The car rolled, pinning him against his mailbox.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had recalled Yelchin's model, along with over 1 million others, because of a confusing shifter design.
So in some cases, these new shifter designs are more than an annoyance - they're a danger.
- I got a $40K raise using this 30-second strategy. It made me realize loud work, not hard work, always wins.
- Qatar Airways' new CEO explains why it's sticking with the Airbus A380 as other airlines retire the costly superjumbo
- Prince Harry and Meghan found out about Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis on TV like everyone else, report says
- Sustainable Event Planning
- Ambani, Adani collaborate: RIL picks 26% stake in Adani Power project
- As back-to-office avatars turn casual, comfy sneaker sales pick up pace
- Fresh photographs of Milky Way’s black hole Sgr A* reveal strong, twisted magnetic field similar to M87*
- 8 Lesser-known places to explore in Himachal Pradesh