Not as satisfying to use, though. I know more than one guy with a Ram who said it took a lonnnng time to use that without looking and not think they were turning the volume up or down.

 

That dial does not look very classy.

 

and a great big mechanical pole sticking out of the steering column at an angle is classy? LOL

 

Only my opinion. Column shifters have always been fine....I do like the shifters in all of my cars/suvs, but I would never want a dial or a push button.

QOTD: Is the Column Shifter the Best Shifter Design There Ever Was or Ever Will Be?

 

Yes, even in a top-line luxo'd out Ram model I would want the column shifter over a dial. That looks nice.

 

^^ looks nice? with the crappy crumpled leather boot LOL

again i'm not against column shifters, i think mercedes does it in a modern way and well and of course tesla uses mercedes' ones.

this article covers the various options well...

http://bestride.com/news/industry-ne...esigns-of-2015

 

Until this thread, I never knew people had such strong feelings about shift levers/*****/buttons.

All three of my vehicles basically have the same one (gated manual lever with a boot) and I'm fine with that. I have driven vehicles with the rotary dial and it definitely takes some getting used to, but it wouldn't be any kind of a deal breaker for me. I'd just get used to it.

 

GMs new Denali SUV, the buttons don’t look bad. I have no idea what the Escalade is going with.

Modern Toyota’s, I can’t stand the button they added to the shifter. So dumb to see a shifter with a button release.

 

I personally prefer real shifters, like what I have in the Lexus. I rest my right hand on it while I'm driving, and I like the solid mechanical feel, especially in a high quality car like my LS. Now, as you know I've been driving a lot of cars, with a lot of different shifters. Of all the ones I've driven (which of course all have electronic shifters), the two I prefer are the one in the Audi A8:



And the new BMW shifters on the X7:




I like them because again I can rest my hand on them.

I really dont understand why everybody has to design a new shifter type.

 

One shifter took up the space of two one-gallon jugs? No offense, but, sorry, I don't think so. You must be mistaking the size of the two jugs.

 

Well, bit, I'll admit, that's one thing you have not changed your mind on, ever since I have been wth CL....some seventeen years. You didn't like leather or rubber boots back then, and you still don't.

I don't mind the looks of them, particularly when they are slicked-up with Armor-All or another silicone-preserver, but I'll admit they can trap dirt, dust, insects, etc.... and sometimes be difficult to clean inside all of the folds.

 

I have always liked the shifter boot with faux or real leather.

 

It sure beats looking at the exposed shift-linkage underneath.

 

I do as well.

 

Not always. Pagani Huayra has one of the most beautiful and intricate exposed shift-linkage in the game