This is my very first post. By way of introduction, I must admit that I am not a Prius owner. However, I have managed to scam a few rides from generous friends and other owners and have been fascinated by the experience - it seems like you don't drive the car as much as you "pilot" the car! In particular, as an engineer who works on transmission for conventional automobiles, I have been fascinated by the shifter and its curious joystick-like operation (Toyota should use it to double as controller for an on-board Pac-man video game :lol. It is a paradigm shift, to be sure. But at the same time, it is not too difficult to figure out. How do you folks like it? Is this the way of the future? Should I push people at my company to look at adopting something similar even if it is not for a hybrid vehicle? Thanks to all!
Of because I like it. But I got friends that said it's ugly because it doesn't look "normal", and also got friends that said it's cool. So I guess it's just objective.
I think it suits it purpose well. Since it doesn't do what a normal shift lever on either an automatic or manual transmission does Toyota was free to think more about ergonomics. Think if it as more of a mode selector.
It's fine for what it does. It is not like the shift lever for a manual gearbox that you use frequently while you are going down the road. This selector is put in D after I get out of the driveway and left there until I get where I'm going, then I usually just turn off the power which puts it in park. I don't use the B mode, lots of posts on that here if you want to know why. As far as ergonomics it falls easily to hand and works smoothly, I like it.
For a while I was disappointed that Toyota didn't use a set of buttons, probably because I dimly recall being fascinated by the button shift system in my grandparents' 1965 Dart(?). But the joystick works well and is more compact; buttons would have to be large enough to easily use with big fat gloved fingers, for example.
I think it's kind of neat-just different from most conventional vehicles. I only test-drove once, for about 20-30 minutes, and it took me awhile to get used to the fact that once you made your selection (D, R, etc) the joystick returned to its original position. There were times where I made the selection twice, just to be sure it really was in drive, and I wasn't about to reverse into a brick wall by mistake, LOL. I'm sure I'll get completely used to it though, wth more practice and use.
I have also often wondered why Toyota didn't just use a touchpad or buttons. The shift is awfully nice for just quickly slipping into glide mode when trying to maximize mileage. That's kind of a non-issue for me this time of year. :-(
It didn't seem to bother me when I test drove it. Even though I have been here and have read about the shifter, I was still a little intimidated when I first got into the car and started driving. The dealer gave me showed me how to shift and off I went (I was able to go on my own and drive around by myself which I thought was cool).
I love it! And this is coming from someone who would NEVER drive anything but a manual! The smoothness factor makes drivng a Prius much like driving a golf cart - but one that can go fast!
My father's 1964 Plymouth Fury has that. I work at a place that makes hybrid buses. Some of the prototypes have the push button system. I found it unusual, but easy to use.
Love the shifter. It's so quick and easy to use. Make's the transmission in my Mother's automatic feel clumsy by comparison.
I like it. It does say that this car is different. What the other replies have missed is the side benefit. By moving the shift and parking brake out of the center console the storage space is greatly increased. Also it allows an empty space between the console and the dash. This helps if you need to get in on the passenger side and slide across because some oof in a huge SUV parks so close you can't use the driver's door.
It was pointed out a while back that buttons would be harder to manage via "muscle memory", since you might have to look to see which one you're about to push. So a lever with limited degrees of freedom seems like a good choice. Touchpads are right out; there's no immediacy and sometimes you need that. . I could live without the "timeout" Neutral syntax, though. Not sure how it could be done otherwise; perhaps farther left along the centerline of the gate and a slightly stronger spring detent.. . _H*
That could lead to another option. A bench seat. Any bench seat fans out there? I prefer them. I may have to wait for a hybrid Buick, though. Or does anybody know of an upholstry shop that could make one?
I've always regarded geared transmissions as a clunky and archaic means of carrying an engine through acceleration and regard the CVT as a device LONG overdue, so the Prius' "mode" knob is a welcome gadget - and superior to buttons, for a number of reasons. So far, I haven't found any use for the Neutral position - so unless "gliding" is popping the thing into Neutral, is there any purpose it serves? I could live with Park, Fwd, Reverse and the B position (In the hills around San Francisco that B works beautifully). I like simple! Mark Baird Alameda CA
I was in San Francisco about a month ago, for the first time, and I can see how B mode would be helpful. But then again, in a few travels I have had to Seattle over the past year I have also had plenty of opportunity to use B mode there. I use B mode even here in my much more pleasant and much less crowded town. As for the shift lever configuration, placement and usage; it is both foreign and familiar. My winter beater is a floor shift auto and frankly I dislike floor shift autos. If a shifter doesn't need to be on the floor, it shouldn't be. I'm totally against Ford moving their auto shifters for their pickups and SUVs to the floor. I hope they get spanked by the consumer over that change and move it back to where it should be, on the column. The Prius mode selector is a perfect evolution from floor shifters and column shifters to something placed a bit differently, but not all that off from a column shift system. I like it because it is high up, like a column shift, but smaller than a normal column shift. It seems less obtrusive. The h pattern is something we are all at least somewhat familiar with from driving sticks. So, even though the selector doesn't lock into a particular mode physically, it still is evocative of shift system we are already familiar with. As such the transition is pretty easy. I even like the park button. That is also evocative of cars of the past in many ways.
