The lack of feedback from the modern electronic shifters that are now in every luxury sedan with an automatic transmission drives me up the wall. But the gear selector in our long-term 2012 Audi A8 just might take the cake.
Thing is, the shifter looks cool. I see it and I want to use it. But regrettably, I simply don't have the mental capacity (at least not until nano-augmentations are available to those of middle income) to apply the correct amount of force on a consistent basis.
And so when I want to to go from Drive to Reverse, I regularly apply too much force and end up in Park. And when I want to shift from R to D, I apply too little oomph and end up in Neutral and then the car won't go and then I look up at this display...
And I see the dreaded N yet again and feel very annoyed.
For the $101K it costs to buy our car, I should be able to order a bespoke A8 with a manual gearbox, I feel. Better yet, throw in a diesel V6 while you're at it. I want more torque, and it's not like this V8 makes cool sounds like the one in our long-term S5 did. Or maybe it does, but I can't hear them.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 8,989 miles
stovt001 says:
07:02 AM, 01/29/12
Erin, how does this shifter work then? I thought it would be something like a ratchet-type shifter where you tap it forward each time you want to move up one from D to N to R to P, and vice versa.
It does look very nice though.
cjsg35 says:
07:07 AM, 01/29/12
welcome to the future technology takes over everything....
allthingshonda says:
09:01 AM, 01/29/12
Why do the Germans think that the gear selector needs to be changed? This thing doesn't save space nor is it easier to use than a conventional shifter. This is one thing that shouldn't require the owner's manual to figure out. Please German car makers, stick with the traditional shifter, there is nothing wrong with it. I can tell by feel, sound, and memory what gear I have selected without having to look for some indicator. BTW doesn't FMVSS require a universal pattern? What happened to this requirement? Did the German car makers successfully lobby to have this law changed to allow there rediculous shifters in America?
barich1 says:
09:44 AM, 01/29/12
If the shifter is electronic, how do you get the car into neutral if there's an electrical problem and it needs to be towed?
I also see a lot of cars lately with no keyhole on the trunk lid. So if the battery's dead, to get my jumper cables, I would have to fold down the back seat and crawl into the trunk.
allthingshonda says:
10:21 AM, 01/29/12
Wow, good point barich1, never thought about the trunk thing. My Acura also doesn't have a keyhole for the trunk. To top it off the fold down release for seat is also in the trunk. The release is completely electronic. Electronic systems should have manual overrides. BTW even convention shifters are electronic in most new vehicles. There really is no physical connection from the lever to the transmission. The lever is simply one of the sensors for the PCM just like the accelerator on drive by wire systems. I don't recommend this but if you try to put your vehicle in Park while driving the computer will only give you neutral and ignore your request for Park to protect itself from damage.
PaulBubel says:
10:28 AM, 01/29/12
I believe this also the same shifter that's coming with the 8 speed ZF transmissions that Chrysler is now using with their V6 Pentastar engines. It's a ZF thing, less Audi, I suspect.
I wish Edmund's would get a 300 or Charger for the fleet. I'd be very interested in seeing how the new ones stack up long term.
cardrvr says:
11:15 AM, 01/29/12
It's an Audi, where "form > function/reliability", so people shouldn't really be surprised why Audi put a motorboat throttle handle with almost non-existent physical feedback into largest pseudo-luxury model... Same goes for awful all-LED headlights or stuff like motorized pop-up navigation display which doesn't make sense from engineering point of view (electric motors break, so do the multiple gears that are needed to raise/lower the display, and once they do - you'll be stuck with broken display until you waste more time at dealer for fixing all that = loss of time/money for YOU and the Audi themselves).
agentorange says:
12:54 PM, 01/29/12
This is exactly why I did not buy a Jag XF a couple of years ago. I cannot abide that rotary electronic shifter. At least with this one there is a chance that familiarity with time will help you.
@cardrvr
"Same goes for awful all-LED headlights...."
What is awful about them, no spread, no distance, funny colour. Do tell.
acbayard says:
02:19 PM, 01/29/12
barich1: Your question is nonsensical.
You can't tow an automatic transmission in neutral. It'll overheat without an active cooling system - even if it was in neutral.
And you can't tow any Audi AWD vehicle with its wheels on the ground - period.
brian_k says:
05:29 PM, 01/29/12
"It's an Audi, where "form > function/reliability", so people shouldn't really be surprised why Audi put a motorboat throttle handle with almost non-existent physical feedback into largest pseudo-luxury model... Same goes for awful all-LED headlights or stuff like motorized pop-up navigation display which doesn't make sense from engineering point of view (electric motors break, so do the multiple gears that are needed to raise/lower the display, and once they do - you'll be stuck with broken display until you waste more time at dealer for fixing all that = loss of time/money for YOU and the Audi themselves)."
I won't pass judgement on the shifter having never used the new one, but I can attest that the pop up nav screen is the way to go. It allows Audi to put a larger screen higher in the dash, significantly closer to the driver's sight line. To put a large nav screen in the dah requires a large hood in the dash like a BMW or just plain too low like many others. Even with the hood the nav screen in a BMW is still a couple inches lower than the A8. In 5 years I have never had a single problem with the nav screen motor or mechanism in my A8.
Lastly, Audi's LED headlights most closely approximate daylight more than any other system sold today. LEDs also last longer than any other type of lighting. As long as you don't hit something that necessitates body work/replacement, LEDs are the better long term option.
ptcdawg says:
05:51 PM, 01/29/12
Simpler is better, the less electronic nannies, the better. Frankly, this set up sucks.
lostboyz says:
03:59 AM, 01/30/12
It took me less than a couple hours to get used to the almost identical ZF shifter in a 2012 charger, it isn't that hard.
Everyone worried about the towing business, there is a manual neutral override. Though, if you talk to any tow truck driver these days, 90% of their fleet are flat beds, you just need neutral to get it onto the back.
duck87 says:
05:51 AM, 01/30/12
If you hate it... be prepared to see it more often, because this shifter comes straight from ZF. It's standard equipment for all 8 speed transmissions, which means you're also seeing this same shifter in the Chrysler 300!
jeepsrt says:
06:33 AM, 01/30/12
I think the worst shifter is the hockey puck shifter in the Jaguar XJ and XF and now going into Land Rover's, give me the basic console shifter and I'm happy.
barich1 says:
08:14 AM, 01/30/12
"barich1: Your question is nonsensical."
No it's not. You still need to be able to get it onto a flatbed, which would be rather difficult in park.
lostboyz was actually helpful in mentioning that there's a manual override, which is good.
esoterica says:
11:42 AM, 01/30/12
I'm in the minority, but I miss the column shifter from the E65 7-series (and a few others, such as the second-generation M-class). For a vehicle that's not available with a manual transmission anyway, it just frees up so much space on the center console.
Erin Riches replied to comment from stovt001
01:05 PM, 01/30/12
Tyler: It's set up like a conventional shifter -- you apply the button and then move it in the direction of the desired gear. I don't think you have to apply the button to go between D and S.
stovt001 says:
03:33 PM, 01/30/12
Thanks Erin. That's a rather unfortunate operation then. I'm sure I'd mess it up too. Thumbs down on this one.