2020 Auto selector?

[Bullitt]

All this complaint about the rotary, is everyone ignoring the magnesium shift paddles behind the steering wheel?

Does Ford officially say they're made out of magnesium? When I felt them at the show they felt like cheap plastic and were even a little loose. I'm guessing it's because it's pre-production but they didn't feel nearly as good as the Raptor paddles for example.

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[Fatguy]

Why not keep the paddles but also keep the clutch and third pedal? Get a regular transmission as it’s too much money for the small volume that would want it on the production tranny. Put a motor under the console to work the gears.

So you press the paddle and hold it while you work the clutch. How come nobody talks about this? I’ll tell you why - because the inefficiency of the idea becomes clear.


Most are not racing their cars but driving them for fun. Perhaps they should have kept the console shifter with a gate to shift manually at the console for those who prefer a more traditional interface and control. And not a small joystick but a regular sized stick. And keep the vestigial hand brake if only for the spirit of drifting. Man, I actually start to feel sad for a traditionalist like Norm. They are not even weaning people off the traditional layouts but ripping the bandaids right off in one quick motion.

That said, why even bother putting the knob and brake on the console. There is no logical or mechanical necessity to that placement anymore. That is their nod to tradition - it does not work...

 

[Fatguy]

So after further thought to my idea of paddle and clutch. It can’t work. So now the only solution is to include a clutch pedal that does nothing and the driver can pretend to work the clutch with his foot. I guess that makes no sense. So another creative idea gone sadly wrong...

 

[Silver Bullitt]

700+ hp and a world class dual clutch transmission and everyone hates it just because it has a round selector. Keep both hands on the wheel and the titianium shift paddles and you'll forget all about that little knob.

Just curious, how are those shift paddles working for you when the steering wheel is in, let's say, a 90 or 180 degree position?

 

[Zooks527]

I've driven cars with shift paddles for the past 10 years. I think I have used them fewer than 30 times. As they've always been matched with a transmission that can pick the best spot on power curve faster and more effectively than I can, they do little except when I want to do something like prime the car to pull out and pass. I've considered them a sop to folks who want to remember manually shifting without needing to.

That being said, my GT is on order with a manual transmission because, for me at least, the car is a weekend toy and I'm doing it for the old school feeling I remember from my '70 Mach 1. I have no illusions about the car performing better or me being more effective as a driver because of it.

 

[Spork3245]

Just curious, how are those shift paddles working for you when the steering wheel is in, let's say, a 90 or 180 degree position?

This is the exact reason why every car company should column-mount their paddles.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I welcome it. I felt Ford needed a DCT like this all the way back in 2015. We're 19 years into the 21st century, we need to give up the archaic handles of 100 years ago.

Any car that has any 'muscular' variants deserves controls that are not 'dainty' or household appliance-like. Something that you grab with your whole hand, not just a gentle finger grip. At some risk, I'm going to call this a poster-boy example of 'feminization' taken too far.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

This GT500 fixes both of those with the only downsides being some more weight and a little round knob and electric e-brake that has the world all up in arms.

Those two downsides are way out of character for what the car is supposed to be good at. That's a flaw.


Norm

 

[Fatguy]

At some risk, I'm going to call this a poster-boy example of 'feminization' taken too far.


Norm

Ha! That occurred to me last night. That some femi-nazi had a say in this design and de-masculated the car! The driving experience is an experience. The GT500 is this bad-ass car with a small plastic rotary knob for the trans and a small plastic button for the the e-brake and deliberately placed where the old levers used to be...

 

[Norm Peterson]

This is the exact reason why every car company should column-mount their paddles.

Better yet, just put a +/- gate on the shifter and be done with it. It's not that hard to maintain direction with one hand on the steering wheel for the fraction of a second it takes to shift. Not that shifting with a paddle can't directly introduce a little unintended steering.

On Fatguy's comment . . . taking the tactile sensations out of driving really does 'sterilize' the driving experience. Why would anybody who claims to be a car enthusiast want their 'fun car' to pick up all the bland attributes of cars that sell to people who want transportation that tries really hard to not involve them?


Norm

 

[Spork3245]

Better yet, just put a +/- gate on the shifter and be done with it.

Why not both?

 

[marks]

On Fatguy's comment . . . taking the tactile sensations out of driving really does 'sterilize' the driving experience. Why would anybody who claims to be a car enthusiast want their 'fun car' to pick up all the bland attributes of cars that sell to people who want transportation that tries really hard to not involve them?

You're not going to get anywhere. Some people just like to show off to their buddies that their car is like a "race car" with its paddle shifter or how fast it does the quarter mile (which is somewhat pointless when you can just buy a Tesla for that)

 

[Norm Peterson]

Just curious: What happens when there are no more performance cars with a manual to look elsewhere?

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Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

All this complaint about the rotary, is everyone ignoring the magnesium shift paddles behind the steering wheel?

I mean you touch the rotary knob maybe 3 or 4 times per drive. Maybe only twice if you don't have to back out of your parking spot. The rest of it is handled via the paddles or just letting it do its thing.

It's a little like the pretty girl who has a big mole on her cheek. You just can't un-see it.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

Why not both?

Possible, but that's kind of a weenie way to avoid the issue.

I've driven a car that had both paddles and a +/- gate.


Norm

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