So it's not as bad as the nonsensical steering wheel, but the Camaro's shifter is also an ergonomic annoyance. Note how its knob is essentially a ball with its edges chopped off. As such, it doesn't exactly fit well or comfortably in the human hand.
Instead, Mike Magrath instantly identified the person this shifter is meant for ...
See, Lego Man's hands are perfectly shaped for the Camaro shifter. They'd slot perfectly around those chopped edges.
Now, I can approximate Lego Man's hands, but it's just not as effective.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 10,870 miles
hybris says:
11:11 AM, 01/20/10
Makes sense to me.
vt8919 says:
11:27 AM, 01/20/10
I'm assuming it can't be fixed with a nice, high-end, light-up shift knob from K-mart?
[/sarcasm]
carguy622 says:
11:36 AM, 01/20/10
Seems like we're just picking on the Camaro now.
wobbly_ears says:
11:53 AM, 01/20/10
Retro-designed cars are like building new castles with outhouses & with no indoor plumbing. Looks cool from outside but can't live without modern conveniences.
bankerdanny says:
11:56 AM, 01/20/10
It's been quite a while since I owned a manual equiped car. But it seems to me that I tended to grab the shifter from the top, with my palm slightly behind center. So rounded on top and flatish on the side was fine.
The Challenger has a pistol grip, right? I don't recall any complaints about the rectangle shape on that car.
bankerdanny says:
12:00 PM, 01/20/10
OK, so I tracked down an early post with a picture of the shifter, which was an extra cost option I belive:
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2009/03/2009-dodge-challenger-rt-introduction.html#more
Tell me why this is a better design than the Camaro's.
audisport says:
12:45 PM, 01/20/10
So in what is supposed to be a "driver's" car, the Camaro has a horrible steering wheel AND shifter? And in the auto equipped one I drove, had craptastic shift "paddle" buttons?
Hmmm, sounds like a four letter word that starts with F and ends with L.
gharry says:
01:05 PM, 01/20/10
I'm with bankerdanny - I like this shifter and that would work fine for me. I'd prefer that over the pistol grip shifter in the Challenger.
brn says:
01:11 PM, 01/20/10
Ditto with BankerDanny. I 'palm' the shifter. A pistol grip would drive me nuts.
huyracing says:
02:46 PM, 01/20/10
that's not how you are suppose to shift anyways. proper technique is to place the palm of your hand on top and gently cup the shift knob... pushing with the heel of your hand, pulling with your fingers. you aren't suppose to grip it like you're flogging the dolphin.
oachalon says:
02:50 PM, 01/20/10
I dont know anyone that grabs the shifter from the sides like that. I grab from the top like most people.
The stock shifter is very comfortable, but if you dont like it there are a lot of choices out there. I liked the stock shifter but wanted a different look, so i went with the mgw race knob.
http://www.mgwltd.com/images/camaro2010_race_knob2.jpg
I also hate pistol grips and when i drove the challenger i thought it was uncomfortable. A shifter is an easy change, and there are a lot of aftermarket options out there.
bankerdanny says:
02:55 PM, 01/20/10
Flogging the dolphin?!? LMAO
joliveira says:
02:56 PM, 01/20/10
Agree :D
robert4380 says:
03:00 PM, 01/20/10
I have to concur with some of the other posters here. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that shift knob. I sat in a Camaro with a manual transmission at the dealership while waiting on an oil change once, and the knob was perfectly fine for me. You're not supposed to grab the shifter from the back and grab "around" it. Anybody with any common sense knows you put your hand completely over the top and then push with your palm, duh. Then if you do that, surprise surprise, your right thumb lands right on the flat part of the side of the shift knob, exactly as intended. Why is this concept so hard to grasp? (haha, I made a funny)
rick8365 says:
03:37 PM, 01/20/10
"Flogging the dolphin?!? LMAO" .....here too!
bodyblue says:
04:01 PM, 01/20/10
The point is that it is so easy to put a comfortable shift knob in a car.....look at the Mustang or GT500 with its classic cue ball shifter...simple.....feels great from ANY angle and looks nice. But Chevy thinks that it has to be different to be interesting....they went with a weird steering wheel.....square and circular gauges....then rectangular aux gauges and a bad shift knob. The interior is just a mess.....obviously a committee designed it.
stovt001 says:
05:02 PM, 01/20/10
It is almost like a mental trick. You see that and think "hey that isn't shaped like the standard shift knob I'm used to - that must be awkward to grip." Then you grip it in a way that confirms your suspicions but makes no sense in the real world. I did the same thing, then I thought to myself "hey this isn't how I actually shift". I then tried it using my actual shifting grip and it worked just fine. Don't let an unusual design make you overthink it.
greenpony says:
05:50 PM, 01/20/10
Maybe the shift knob is located too high, relative to the driver's arm, to make palm shifting comfortable? Maybe the only natural way to grip the shifter is from the side? Maybe I'm grasping at straws? Having never sat in a new Camaro, and having never wanted to, I really don't care.
oachalon says:
06:36 PM, 01/20/10
greenpony, the shifter is not located too high and is very comfortable to make palm shifting.
lmbvette says:
05:11 AM, 01/21/10
James Riswick, your latest post has lost you a bit of credibility.
ben_k says:
07:12 AM, 01/21/10
It looks like a perfectly reasonable shifter for anyone driving normally instead of trying to make a point. This post reminds me of those informercials where they show people awkwardly trying and failing to use things like a cheese grater (of course it doesn't work if you just flail it at a block of cheese) so they can sell you a super-duper wondergrater for two easy payments of 19.95 plus shipping.
jkavanagh says:
10:43 AM, 01/21/10
jriz is correct, the Camaro's shift knob just doesn't fit properly in your hand no matter how you grab it.
Like the steering wheel, the knob's odd shape is something that is difficult to fully convey pictorially. You see it and think: "big deal." Then you use it and it's, "Oh. Yeah, this isn't right."
The shift knob is a less-egregious ergonomic disaster than the steering wheel, though.
ptcdawg says:
12:14 PM, 01/21/10
Bitch, moan, complain, whine...that's about it...why not just give this car to someone would enjoy it?
joliveira says:
12:25 PM, 01/21/10
Nice car too look, bad car to drive... simple
kingkhalas says:
12:36 PM, 01/21/10
Love when Riswick talks about MarioKart or Lego.
mzbamf says:
01:51 PM, 01/22/10
There should never be straight edges on a shift knob..maybe for an automatic (who cares in that case)