Who still uses old driving methods?

[Deleted member 14300]

I've had my Pauper spec car since just before May, and I still can't grasp the rotary dial. I had an auto 13 years and I think muscle memory wants to shift gears moving the changer up like you did.
Anyone else find this funny?
Personally, if Ali express did a kit to convert it to auto gearstick I'd buy it.

 

[squirrelz]

I've not had a problem with the rotary dial, but I've nearly stood the car on it's nose a couple of times trying to depress the non-existent clutch pedal ?

 

[Buster72]

I've had my Pauper spec car since just before May, and I still can't grasp the rotary dial. I had an auto 13 years and I think muscle memory wants to shift gears moving the changer up like you did.
Anyone else find this funny?
Personally, if Ali express did a kit to convert it to auto gearstick I'd buy it.

This is a joke isn't it....
How can the rotary dial be even remotely difficult to use.

 

[siteguru]

This is a joke isn't it....
How can the rotary dial be even remotely difficult to use.

Muscle-memory, as the OP even says - if you've driven autos for 13 years and always pushed/pulled on a gear lever, changing to a rotary dial takes learning.

In my case I've gone from a manual to the MG4, so the change is less of an issue.

 

[PeteC]

This is a joke isn't it....
How can the rotary dial be even remotely difficult to use.

It's not that difficult but I much preferred the forwards for D, backwards for R that my BMW i3 had. I never went the wrong way with that. After nearly 11 months with the MG4 I still sometimes select D when I want R as I don't find turning as intuitive. Might just be my brain!

 

[dave99]

I've not had a problem with the rotary dial, but I've nearly stood the car on it's nose a couple of times trying to depress the non-existent clutch pedal ?

yep, and the salesman deserved that for not letting me take it out on its own

 

[Captain]

I've not had a problem with the rotary dial, but I've nearly stood the car on it's nose a couple of times trying to depress the non-existent clutch pedal ?

You only usually do it once ??

 

[Kithmo]

I can't see what the problem is, it's not as if you're changing gear while you're driving.
You start the car, select drive and press the go pedal.
You never touch the gear selector again until maybe the end of your journey if you're reversing into a parking space.

 

[siteguru]

You mean you've never had to shuffle back and forth (e.g. in a supermarket car park) when parking your car? Really?

 

[Kithmo]

You mean you've never had to shuffle back and forth (e.g. in a supermarket car park) when parking your car? Really?

No, I usually get positioning just about right first time, my HGV experience and use of mirrors helps and now I have a 360 deg view camera I can get it spot on.
It always makes me chuckle when I see people shuffling back and forth, I wonder how much fuel they are wasting and brake wear they are adding to their car.
This is by far the easiest car I've ever had for parking.

 

[JimD]

I once put it in reverse instead of drive in a queue of traffic at some lights - very scary when I started going backwards towards the car behind me. I've not done it again!

 

[Kithmo]

I once put it in reverse instead of drive in a queue of traffic at some lights - very scary when I started going backwards towards the car behind me. I've not done it again!

Why are you changing gears in traffic when you have all these aids at your disposal ?
You can leave it in drive and use auto hold, the footbrake or the little square handbrake switch ((P)) to hold the car.

 

[Ian Key]

I once put it in reverse instead of drive in a queue of traffic at some lights - very scary when I started going backwards towards the car behind me. I've not done it again!

Could be worse.
British Leyland launched the turbo diesel SD1 at Donnington race circuit and invited the local dignitaries to take it round the track. One of them, who shall remain nameless, changed what they thought was from 3rd to 4th in a manual box at 60mph with gusto. This was a big problem as it was an automatic and they went from D to R and the gearbox got out of the car and distributed itself on the track. The other problem was it was the prototype and the only one in existence so the car became a static display for the rest of the day.

 

[mg4mc]

My last car with DSG had a lever like an auto, with D forward. To me the MG rotary dial is the wrong way round, for some reason I intuively want to turn it away from me (to R) to go forwards and vice versa. It means I have to think about it almost every time.

A forward/back lever removes any possibility of confusion, and has been the standard since the sixties. It's more reinvention for the sake of it like hiding options/adjustments you use every day away in sub-menus on a touch screen instead of having buttons or rotaries. Thankfully some makes are still proving things like temperature on physical interfaces.

 

[Deleted member 10041]

The rotary dial isn't a new thing I'm sure it was jaguar that were one of the first when they had them on the XF.

 

[bowfer]

I’ve not struggled with any gear selection issues on my Leafs, MG4 or Cupra born.
And they’re all very different in how it’s done.
I’m happy none have been anything like an ICE auto gear selector though.
I don’t want to pander to ICE at all.

 

[Ian Key]

A forward/back lever removes any possibility of confusion, and has been the standard since the sixties. It's more reinvention for the sake of it

The forward back lever was used because the gears were changed through a mechanical linkage to the gearbox. EVs don't have a gearbox as such and only need the current to flow in the opposite direction for reverse. Using a simple electrical switch saves a lot of money in parts and the time taken in assembling.

EV drivers are split into those who want their car to be designed as an EV and those who want it to be like an ICE car but powered by a battery and electric motor.

 

[bowfer]

EV drivers are split into those who want their car to be designed as an EV and those who want it to be like an ICE car but powered by a battery and electric motor.

I’m definitely the former, I’ve always vowed any EV I own won’t have an ICE alternative it could be confused with.
But I also drive my EVs like an ICE auto, no one-pedal or excessive regen braking settings for me.
I just don’t understand why people would want a ‘stick’ in the centre console though.
My car is a rocker switch up on the dash, the amount of central storage space I therefore have is impressive, even compared with a 4 or Leaf.

A central ICE style gear lever is right up there with fake engine noise.
Get in the bin, go on….

Edit, one thing I would say about the 4 is the position of the gear selector attracts scratches badly.
Almost flat on a piano black surface, to be used by people wearing rings….bad design.

 

[MartinSEsr]

I once put it in reverse instead of drive in a queue of traffic at some lights - very scary when I started going backwards towards the car behind me. I've not done it again!

Why would you ever be taking it out of D at traffic lights? Surely everyone leaves it in D all the time and uses autohold? I only change it when reversing to park, or press P at the end of a journey.

 

[MartinSEsr]

Could be worse.
British Leyland launched the turbo diesel SD1 at Donnington race circuit and invited the local dignitaries to take it round the track. One of them, who shall remain nameless, changed from 3rd to 4th at 60mph with gusto. This was a big problem as it was an automatic and the gearbox got out of the car and distributed itself on the track. The other problem was it was the prototype and the only one in existence so the car became a static display for the rest of the day.

I can't understand how going from 3 to 4 in an autobox at 60 mph could cause a problem? Yes going from 4 to 1 or R perhaps!