Stage 10 Electronic Shifter available now

Thanks for posting the pics, it looks great! It looks like the silver matches nicely with the rest of console, more subtle and integrated over the carbon fiber look... So I will do the same... How do you like it functionally? I'm hoping pressing D is more exacting/quicker then moving the blue stick to D, which I seem to "miss" every so often, so find myself waiting there an extra moment..

 

My 2012 has those buttons (factory) colored as well.

 

That's how it came from the factory.

 

I finally pull the trigger and purchased the carbon fiber/ blue ones. I can't wait until I get it in the car.....

SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 ?

 

I installed the Carbon Fiber with blue light eshifter. Here's my review:

Installation:

• Unscrewed the stock shifter, pulled the panel back and removed 3 screws
• Test fit the eshifter but left it off during the reassembly
• installed 3 of the double back tape and then pushed the button into place after operation and alignment testing
• Whole thing took me 15 minutes.

Pro:
Fit was great and tight
Install was super easy
Minimal tools required



Review:
Pro:

• Very unique look
• lighter than the original shifter
• Buttons feel solid
• Buttons illuminate
• Solid and doesn't wiggle around

Cons:

• The Prius and Level 10 logo is pretty bright compared to the button lights
• When you push the button, it illuminates brighter for a bit then fades to a duller blue. I wish it stayed bright for the "gear" I'm in.
• Wish the buttons have a touch indicator (like a bump) over the drive/reverse button so you can push the button without having to look down to make sure the correct button is pushed. Think of the keyboard F and J key.

Conclusion:
Overall I would rate this a 7. It is pretty cool item to have but it does nothing for performance and the fact it's hard to touch push the button prevents it from getting a higher score. At $250, it's a bit out of the price range for your typical "ricer" (which may be a good thing) but pricing at $150 would be even better if there are additional "fun" accessory to add.

 

^^ Just curious why you decided to go with the double-sided tape? Many of us opted to go without.
I think it is a performance improvement over the stock shifter because it provides greater access to Power and EV buttons.

 

I agree on the greater access aspect wholeheartedly! I had gotten so tired of reaching over and around that stock shifter for stuff!

 

another benefit is the B button for brakinng . While traveling down the road and you spott a police car...press the b and you will engage the engine braking and no tail lights appear...Much faster than the stock shifter.

 

I'm not sure why the score was lower because "it does nothing for performance." Why does it have to? Also, I don't find it at all hard to push the buttons when I look at the shifter. I'm rarely changing gears while moving. B would be the exception. But I rarely use B, and I know it's the last button in the sequence it's not hard to find. I rarely look at the shifter to see what gear I'm in. I look at the MFD.

Also curious about the double-sided tape. I didn't use any -- in fact, I'm not sure I even received any with the shifter -- and I'm perfectly happy. I didn't unscrew the stock shifter, either. And I reassembled after mounting the shifter.

 

So here's my rational.

I rate for:

• price for value
• quality of the item
• go vs show

So in retrospec:

• FIAMM horn upgrade (non-air horn) = 9 (good price, good quality, one weird wiring issue)
• S2000 HID Retrofit for the Prius = 8 (projector on the new prius isn't bad so HID retrofits will make it better but not as drastic as reflector headlights. On the Rav4 the retrofit is a 9.... only because it's expensive)

As for the tape, I used the tape because I wanted it seated without me playing with the rotation while I'm driving. It doesn't impact fitment without it.

I'm a touch driver. I feel the car as it goes from electric to gas so I rather not have to look down to know where what gears to get into. Where this impacts me the most is when I do 3 point turns (which in SF there's a lot of that needed because of no left turns), I would like to just blindly push the button with confidence I'm pushing the right one. This is most important because I'm used to driving stickshift so I only drive left handed and my right stays on the gear shifter.

 

I've never fiddled with the rotation because it has stayed firmly in place where originally positioned. I'll see if that holds true in the colder months.

I'm not sure what you mean here. Nothing on the shifter, other than perhaps N, should cause the ICE and EV modes to change. Am I missing something?

I thought about your touch comment in your initial review and used the shifter today without looking. It was actually very easy to use my thumb for D and my middle finger for R. Granted, I had to first make a mental note of which digit was assigned to which button. I think this would be very easy to get used to after a while --- the same as getting used to not reaching for the stock shifter after it was replaced. Just takes new muscle memory.

I realize your rating is subjective and am glad you sparked interest. However, I think you should spend more time with the shifter and then rate. Ultimately it really doesn't matter and I still strongly recommend this product to others considering this upgrade. The cool factor and ease of installation make this product a 10 in my just-as-subjective rating system.

 

Agree on the rotation. Mind doesn't move unless I move it, which takes a bit of effort.

I'm still not quite used to where the buttons are. But I'm sure that with a little more practice I'll be pushing the buttons without looking. I drove a stick for 32 years, keeping my right hand on the shifter. But driving a Prius for the last 7 years has broken me of that habit. Now I keep my hand on the wheel.

ETA: I would give it a 9, simply for coolness and ease of installation. A -1 because the green color doesn't quite match the OEM. It doesn't bother me, though. I still like it. But I think this is not a product for everyone.

 

i give mine a 10/10, even though I'm not used to all the buttons yet, the carbon fiber and the blue illumination just blows the electronic shifter out of the waters

 

I'm glad you guys enjoy the review even if you don't fully agree with everything.

So let me explain the "touch" part. Think computer keyboard. I can blindly put my hands on the keyboard and type out entire books knowing I'm pushing the right buttons because the "F" and "J" keys have an extra bump to help users align their fingers. This shifter I feel should have put something similar on the D and R (maybe a bump under the D and a bumper above the R) so it just adds that confidence factor to push blindly.

 

Zeoth,

Try a dremal tool, make a small indented line on the two reference "keys" or buttons.
It's not raised letters but it might help.

 

I get the concept but struggle to find the utility with so few buttons available. D under my thumb is easy, as is R under middle finger and B under ring finger.

I played with "no look" B and D on my drives the other day with no problems.

The irony of my opinion and your keyboard analogy is that I prefer to hunt and peck on a keyboard with my index fingers only, but have no problem with "no look" on the ESS.

So as to not come across as a total butt-head, I can offer the suggestion that you could try a dab of black acrylic paint or fingernail polish to create indexing bumps if that would help.

new iPad ?

 

I've already did a small mod that will help me with finding the D with confidence but I think the makers of this should do something similar. BTW I used my wife's fingernail polish and put a dot there. Let's see how long that lasts.

 

just got my Stage 10 installed the other day... it's awesome!

I find I use D and N the most ... trying to maximize momentum (N) and regen (D) where appropriate... and wish the D and N were the top most two buttons so I could use my pointer and Index fingers ... I don't suppose we can change the button positions?

I may just twist the whole thing to the right, but it won't be centered anymore, just test and to confirm I like the button orientation better, and I suppose I could try it a bit longer with the thumb on D but so far it seems a bit awkward, it just doesn't feel as natural as pointer and index.

The green light under the little car / stage 10 logo-text is a bit bright, so I'm thinking of ways to cover it up, have the rest of you just left it alone, or tried subtle clever alterations?

 

Installed my Stage 10 today in my Prius Plugin. Silver with blue light. Since the stock shifter is blue, I wanted the new e-shifter with blue light. I used one of the small tapes to darken the roof led that lights up the shifter so I don´t have annoying reflexes. from the s-hifter. Looks very cool
I noticed that the blue light in the e-shifter comes on when I plug in for charging the battery and goes off when charging is finished. This is a positive side effect of the e-shifter.