I didn’t even know how to drive this damn car, says car-renter regular Linda Hoff, wrestling herself out of a Nissan Rogue whose gear selector looks like a joystick. Her frustration is one being heard by an increasingly large population of drivers as manufacturers seek to reinvent the simple, old-fashioned gear shifter. What was once a simple mechanical device is now a stage for daring innovation-and much frustration.
Electronic controls have freed gear shifters from their mechanical linkages, making it possible to be far more aggressive in styles and interior space. “Once you eliminate that mechanical linkage, then anything goes.” said Paul Snyder, chair of the College for Creative Studies’ transportation design program. All that possibility, however, has also led to a diffusion of suspect designs-from dials and buttons to touchscreen interfaces and glowing orbs. Though innovations like these might thrill designers, they confuse drivers. Consider the Genesis GV60’s Crystal Sphere, a glowing globe that spins to expose a twist-knob shifter when the vehicle is started.
Genesis calls it “automotive art” and a means to create an emotional bond with the driver. But one owner reported a surprise bug: a Post-it note taped halfway to the sphere was pulled in when the car was turned off, leaving a audible reminder of its unexpected storage capability. While visually striking, such designs are questionable in terms of usability and functionality. Tesla has also tackled its touchscreen-based gear selector in an equally experimental way.
In cars like the Model S Plaid, drivers have to shift gears manually by tugging on a tiny icon of a car on the screen—a move that has been considered unintuitive and even hazardous. “If you just sat in this car and didn’t already know how to shift it, how much looking around would you have to do before you discovered how the hell to get the car in gear?” opines one. The computer-based nature of the system also carries danger, in that an error could render the car useless. Touchscreens are not the sole cause of safety hazards. Chrysler’s dial shifter, located in a very convenient place alongside the volume control on the Pacifica minivan, has been linked to rollaway accidents and even fatalities. Federal regulators of safety found the design “not intuitive,” citing the possibility of confused controls.
So too, a Consumer Reports test of the Rivian R1S electric SUV revealed a software glitch that caused the car to shift into reverse while the driver was attempting to establish adaptive cruise control—a heart-stopping reminder of the stakes involved in gear shifter design.
Despite these challenges, manufacturers continue to push the boundaries of innovation. Button shifters, found in cars such as the Honda CR-V and Aston Martin supercars, are sleek-looking but may be less intuitive to drivers who are used to the conventional levers. Rotary shifters, such as those used in Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, create visual drama by emerging from the center console when the engine is started, but their operation can leave some drivers feeling removed from the driving experience. The trend toward unorthodox designs is partly a response to the growth of electric vehicles (EVs), which do not have the engine noise and vibrations that conventionally announce readiness to drive.
As Genesis creative head Luc Donckerwolke outlines, the Crystal Sphere was designed to address this issue: “As the GV60 is an electric vehicle, it is naturally extremely quiet, making it a challenge to alert the driver that the car is ready to drive.” These types of considerations show the thin line between innovation and usability.
While some drivers eventually acclimate to these new systems, others remain irked by the lack of standardization.
Will Clayton, a frequent business traveler, griped after navigating the Pacifica’s dial shifter. “I can’t think of any consumer push for a radical change in gear-shifters,” he said. “Whose thought was that?” His annoyance stems from a larger issue: in their focus on design, manufacturers risk driving out the very drivers of their cars. The changes in gear shifters are indicative of more sweeping patterns in car design, where technology and appearance tend to overwhelm familiarity and simplicity. For automobile aficionados and tech-oriented folks, such advancements might provide a glimpse of the future of driving. But to the average driver, they have the potential to turn a drudge into a mind-boggling enigma. As the industry continues to push boundaries, the question remains: will the bold designs create more thrilling drives or just more complexity?
