does anyone else make the mistake of droping it in d and expect it to go in reverse? i've done it twice now and can only attribute it to thinking i'm shifting a boat. duh.
No. It's arranged in the normal PRND fashion with B to the right of D rather than below D (as would 2 or L). If it doesn't happen with other cars (i.e. you shifting into reverse) then I don't know what to say.
The beeping lets me know if reverse is engaged. I can become too mentally distracted by infant level maturity teens in the car to where I have not wanted to program the beep out.
It's funny, because one article even commented that the shifting on the Prius was counter-intuitative, because drive should have been up and reverse down...but drive is certainly further down on every other shifting device I've ever seen.
Well, it only took a week before the joystick became intuitive. But this does raise an interesting question: Why didn't Toyota just use a pushbutton shift? From top to bottom it could have retained the PRNDB that everybody is familiar with. Most HD Allison automatics with electronic shift just use pushbuttons, same as the RoadRanger AutoShift 18 spd: RNDL
I guess they didn't want a button overload? I find this joystick quite useful. Since it's positioned near the wheel, it's easy to slip into reverse then have your hand on the wheel in one easy motion
oh geeus!!! if you cant figure it out, read the manual!! after driving my Prius for 2 weeks, i had to relearn how to drive a regular car. the shift pattern is the same as nearly every automatic transmissioin i have ever driven. reverse was always up, drive always down look at any automatic floor shifter...not hard to see why Toyota designed the shifter the way they did. also...every year or so, someone puts their car in reverse and proceeds to wipe out a dozen people on their way through the sporting goods section of their local K-Mart. do we blame it on the car? sure we do...ok there was one car that had mechanical problems... but most of the time its operator error... so dont blame Toyota...they did it right
David: Well said! In the end, it certainly helps to rip the shrink-wrap off the manual and spend an evening to RTFM.
"Most HD Allison automatics with electronic shift just use pushbuttons, same as the RoadRanger AutoShift 18 spd: RNDL" So did our 1963 Rambler!
I'll speak up for the voices of counter-intuitiveness. I travel frequently and drive a wide variety of rental cars, so I'm used to the standard automatic transmission layout used by most autos. My previous vehicle was an '02 Prius, which (for the classic-unaware) had a retro-style shift lever near the steering column. We never did figure out why Toyota did that... (yes, yes, no center column, but why the huge stick that interferes with the radio and wiper controls?) When adapting to my 2004, I had a number of near misses with the concrete wall in front of my parking space before I was able to solidify a new brain-map of the 2004 shifter. Looking over my shoulder, I was shifting down (backwards on a joystick) to go, well, BACKWARDS. Note again that I could use standard automatic shift levers without the worry of plowing frontwise through a K-Mart while looking over my shoulder... Note also that I was intellectually well versed on the operational theory of my new Prius. Somewhere in my neocortex, there were neurons sleeping on the job. I eventually adjusted, and although I agree that the reviewer who trashed the Prius for it's "backwards" shifter was being a tad extreme, I understand where he was coming from. The joystick shifter is NOT a center console shifter; it has a very different feel. For those of us who grew up playing video games instead of softball, I imagine that the reflex is stronger to associate down with reverse and up with forward. Also, contrary to previous claims in this thread, while operating a traditional automatic transmission, you never shift UP to go from park to reverse. You shift DOWN. Overcoming these learned responses can take time and be frustrating.
I'd have to agree... as much as I like buttons, I much prefer the shift knob instead of more buttons to push.
I agree, the shifter is more of a joystick than a shift stalk. I still look and wait for the beep when backing-- it just never gets intuitive, even though my last car had an ordinary console auto shift..
I equate it to our stick shift. Up or forward for first gear to start out. Far right and down for reverse. I don't have a problem anymore since I no longer drive the stick but my husband has to stop and think everytime he gets in the car to drive. He also has trouble remembering where the garage door opener is, too, with the Homelink system in the Prius vs. the clicker on the visor in the other cars.
Seems like a normal column shift to me. Reverse is up. 1st and 3rd at least are down, and since we don't have anything beyond D and B I don't think about 2nd.
Slightly off topic, but I was recently pleasantly surprised by an attendant at the local tire shop (Les Schwab). I tried handing him a valet card with the keys, but he politely refused, telling me that he knew how to operate a Prius. To my surprise, this was the first time that an attendant who "knew how to operate" my car proved him/herself correct. He was even familiar with the SKS and didn't bother fiddling with the unlock button on the fob. I guess the Prius is getting a little more mainstream...
I think the problem is that to shift OUT of Park and INTO reverse, the Prius shifter IS backward. On all other cars, P to R is a downward motion. On a Prius, it's upward. I think that's why I never make a mistake shifting between D and R, except that I sometimes make a mistake when first starting up, when the car is in P and I'm about to back up. It's "natural" to move the shifter down, but that puts it in D. I think this is one of the poorer design choices on the car. They either should have made all the "gears" pushbuttons, or else should have put P on the shifter itself instead of a separate button. This neither-fish-nor-fowl method is subpar.
Ok, I admit it...I have done this a couple of times myself. It happens, and yes I have read the manual (twice as a matter of fact, incluing all the warrenty info on the car and tires) and every thing else that I can get my hands on regarding my car. I had to drive a '99 Ford Ranger stick shift before I got my Prius (I think it was a karmic payback, I must have been Attila the Hun in a previous life) and that may have played a part. It may also have just been a brain fart. Who knows? I just make it a point when I am going into reverse to look at what my hand is doing so that I don't make a mistake and I don't release the brake until I hear the irritating beep. Of course the beep sounds alot better than a crunch would if I screwed up and drove through my bedroom wall. Good luck, soon you will be so used to your car that you will be automatically searching for a power button in any other vehicle that you have to pilot. Take care and have a great day! Tisza
