Non-Gated Shifter - 2014 Nissan Rogue SL AWD Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited October 2014 in Nissan
imageNon-Gated Shifter - 2014 Nissan Rogue SL AWD Long-Term Road Test

This update to Edmunds' long-term 2014 Nissan Rogue includes discussion of the SUV's shifter.

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  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    I hate gated shifters. There are very few circumstances that you go from Park to Drive. Normally you back out of your drive way or parking spot then pull the sifter down two clicks to drive. Simple. With gated shifters I always have to check to see what gear I'm in. The tactile feedback is thrown off because of the secondary side to side movements along with the normal forward and backwards movements and it gets confusing.
  • bankerdannybankerdanny Member Posts: 1,021
    IDK, I have only owned one car with a gated auto shifter, my 2007 Forester, and it actually annoyed me. I much prefered the smooth straight line of the shifter in the 2004 Jetta that replaced it.

    There is an indicator right in front of your face on the gauge cluster isn't there? How hard is it to pay attention?
  • christophermcgchristophermcg Member Posts: 10
    I love gated shifters. They only go one way in either direction still so even with them moving to the side and back, you should get the hang of it easily
  • ebeaudoinebeaudoin Member Posts: 509
    I agree, I prefer straight-line shifters. I have a 2001 Camry LE and 2010 Odyssey LX and both have striaght-line shifters. The Odyssey has taken just a little getting accustomed to (I find myself in "2" from time to time) but I definitely prefer the straight-line to gated.
  • carolinabobcarolinabob Member Posts: 576
    There's a big D in the middle of the instrument panel that lets you know what geat you are in. Or you can look at the console.
    Regardless, I believe the gear shift should be placed back on the steering column where it belongs, at least in automatics. Alternative is to have keypad on dash.
    Floor shifts were a 1960's gimmick to sell cars.
  • chol92594chol92594 Member Posts: 208
    Some gated shifters are better than others. My dad's 2007 Tundra is fairly simple to use, but my friend's 2004 CLK has a leather boot around the shifter so it isn't immediately obvious that it's gated unless you pay attention to the small diagram next to the shifter. It can be annoying at times because it won't move down into the next position unless you jiggle it the right way. My 2009 Civic is a straight shifter and I used to accidentally put it into D3 on occasion, but now that I'm used to it, it's no big deal.

    As far as column-mounted shifters, they look pretty out of place unless they're on a truck or larger SUV. My mom's old 2003 Explorer had a column shifter, and while it's nice that such a design frees up space in the center console, the same setup would look awkward on most modern cars. Granted, Mercedes has its small toggle lever it uses as a gear shift on a lot of its models, but IMO, the problem with systems like that (or push button selectors like on the new MKZ or TLX) is that it's just something else electronic that can break or malfunction, requiring a potentially costly trip to the dealer. If coffee, soda, etc. gets spilled on the buttons, it probably won't be good. Granted, the MKZ's buttons are on the dash, which makes such an occurrence difficult, but the TLX's are right by the cupholder.
  • carolinabobcarolinabob Member Posts: 576
    chol92594 said:



    As far as column-mounted shifters, they look pretty out of place unless they're on a truck or larger SUV. My mom's old 2003 Explorer had a column shifter, and while it's nice that such a design frees up space in the center console, the same setup would look awkward on most modern cars. Granted, Mercedes has its small toggle lever it uses as a gear shift on a lot of its models, but IMO, the problem with systems like that (or push button selectors like on the new MKZ or TLX) is that it's just something else electronic that can break or malfunction, requiring a potentially costly trip to the dealer. If coffee, soda, etc. gets spilled on the buttons, it probably won't be good. Granted, the MKZ's buttons are on the dash, which makes such an occurrence difficult, but the TLX's are right by the cupholder.

    Actually the column shifters are far less visible than floor mounted and only "l;ook out of place" because you are not used to them. Navigation screens looked out of place until they became popular.
    Not sure, but aren't some (most?) floor shifters also electronic? Regardless, history shows they are no more likely to malfunction than floor shifters. It is far, far, far easier to spill coffee, soda, etc. on a floor shifter or for a dog or child to accidentally hit it.
  • bankerdannybankerdanny Member Posts: 1,021
    carolinabob said:

    There's a big D in the middle of the instrument panel that lets you know what geat you are in. Or you can look at the console.
    Regardless, I believe the gear shift should be placed back on the steering column where it belongs, at least in automatics. Alternative is to have keypad on dash.
    Floor shifts were a 1960's gimmick to sell cars.

    In 1980 when I was taking drivers ed, the floor shifter on the Camaro Berlinetta that was one of the cars we had to drive was cool. I could shift manually (at 10 mph creeping around the cones in the parking lot) like I had a manual.

    34 years later I have come to appreciate the column shift automatic and the extra space it gives me in the center console.

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