Ram & Durango

[CaptnJohn]

If you have one it may be worth reading ~~~

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/compa...D=ansmsnnews11

[notanlines]

"Michelle Krebs, senior analyst for Autotrader, says companies have to make sure the new shifters work flawlessly and insure that dealers educate buyers on how the shifters work."
I don't know about the rest of y'all, but the last thing I want out of a truck salesman is his/her advice on how to use the truck shifter.

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by notanlines

"Michelle Krebs, senior analyst for Autotrader, says companies have to make sure the new shifters work flawlessly and insure that dealers educate buyers on how the shifters work."
I don't know about the rest of y'all, but the last thing I want out of a truck salesman is his/her advice on how to use the truck shifter.

I've heard the salesperson's spiel then read the book. Not always in agreement.

This trend toward more automation and an attempt to make make the driving experience easier has it's pitfalls (similar to overly automated airplanes, actually).

Because I live and drive in the mountains and use the transmission to assist speed control on downhills by downshifting, this little knob probably wouldn't work very well for my application. My wife's car allows a quick downshift by moving the console mounted shifter to the left and then pulling the spring-loaded shifter back to the stop and letting it go back to the neutral position. Upshift? Move it forward and let it spring-load back to neutral. Want to go back to "D" so that it chooses it's own gear? Move the lever back to the right. Very positive, intuitive...and reliable. Especially nice when the engine/trans combo provides little compression braking on it's own while in "D". Why do the wife and I do that? Because we can.

A dial/knob with a disabling interface on the door and/or the seatbelt? I don't think so. Besides, "real men and women" don't read the documentation on how something works or goes together. That's what lawyers are for.

Many folks on the road only know what P, R and D do, and don't care to know what those other little confusing letters or numbers mean and why they would be used. The dumbing down continues...

[B-O-B'03]

Originally Posted by Desert185

... Many folks on the road only know what P, R and D do, and don't care to know what those other little confusing letters or numbers mean and why they would be used. The dumbing down continues...

Amen!

"We are legislating away the consequences of stupidity" -Me 2016

-Brian

[Ken / Claudia]

I will not say if it is a good system or not. But, it is different and the whole problem will never be addressed at the dealer with the first owner. Just think about family and friends who may drive one of these and have no clue. What about people who buy them used in the next 15 years or so. Will they be taught how the shifter works. How many used vehicles have the manual still in the vehicle. And how many will read it and understand if it is there.

[mfifield01]

I have a Ram and it will autoshift into Park. I tried to turn it off while in Drive. An error came up and it automatically shifted into Park. Afterwards, I could turn the key off and take it out. Basically, you can't leave it in gear and turn off the car. It is possible to leave it in gear, with the car running, and get out. That's the same for any car though.