Hate the dial shifter

[Schuelady]

Seeing how I’ve had cars and trucks from the days of “3 on the tree” to a “7 speed stick on the floor”, the only issue I have with the dial is “where do I rest my hand” when cruising. As for putting it in park, I like the quick spin properties. One quick twist, and I’m done.

I also like how if you want to park and shut off, just keep your foot on the break and shut the vehicle off and it automatically goes into park without spinning the dial!

Sponsored

 

[logant]

That shifter is just one of many things I've noticed about my BS that has me convinced that both Ford engineering and Ford software development are just shi**. That shifter would be so simple to make so much better - Depress the dial to get to park, add some stronger detents so it clicks, lock it in position when vehicle is moving over some speed - and it took me 30 seconds to come up with those.
Other signs of bad design
1) sunvisor that is totally unusable as it blocks my view and won't go anywhere near touching the windshield- and my seat is a far down as it goes
2) all sorts of electrical shi** that energizes when I simply open a door to get something out
3)LED headlight fans that whine and come on for no logical reason - such as opening a door
4)Headlights in auto mode that take about 4 seconds to fade to fully bright when bright is needed. At 60mph every second is 88 feet of road you cannot see past the low beam settings visibility. I want it full bright as soon as the oncoming car is right beside me
5)Back door top gutters that drain water into the vehicle when you open the door
6)Opening a driver door as a tall person forces your wrist against the lock button and locks the door - just the driver door.
7) Tesla has had self driving cars for years - and my Bronco lane centering is worse than a drunk driver. It' extremely sluggish and with cruise on I've tried it and had it beep and just give up once the situation requires anything beyond trivial lane centering
8)A blind spot warning system that simpy flashes a 1/4 inch light on your mirror when you turn your signal is on and you're about to change lanes when someone is in the blindspot - and you're going to cause a crash - but the same vehicle beeps like hell for anything else - seatbelt not on, door ajar, ......
9)A 4 inch speedometer that has no numbers on it

I could go on and on - but thats a start. If I had known all this before I bought - I'd be a Toyota or Honda owner tonight.
Tom

 

[Iamcanadian]

These made my life so much better…Etsy $25.

Where did you get that cup holder center plug? And what is the little slot in it?

 

[lil moe]

Where did you get that cup holder center plug? And what is the little slot in it?

I got it from ETSY, and it’s a coin holder.

 

[Iamcanadian]

I got it from ETSY, and it’s a coin holder.

Thanks for the quick reply.
Looks like a perfect filler for that useless spot. (Red bull needs normal cans and better tasting drinks lol)
I'm definitely looking into getting one of them and I like the look of that shifter cover too.

 

[Robins21]

I personally hate it, good thing the BS/BB is my wife's truck. Whenever I move the Bronco Sport, I always have to look to see if I am in drive or reverse. No mistaking with a column or floor shift.

 

[Area51BS]

Pretty well sums up my feelings on the dial shifter after 7 months of ownership. Different strokes for different folks as Muhammad Ali said. Like the OP, I was initially put off by it as I'm a creature of habit, now I don't even think about it and have suffered no mishaps. That has surprised me.

In some ways, current auto stick shifters are a vestigial part of the mechanical transmission/clutch systems I learned on in the early 70s. Automatic shifters nowadays just make electrical connections while providing a faux mechanical feeling -- and occasionally getting in the way.

I think the problem lies with muscle memory. I drive 4 vehicles. All Fords. The 2 with dial shifter the least. You should see the fun with Auto start stop and windshield wipers.

 

[alank2]

One thing about the rotating shifter is that it is not physical in any way - so when you are in drive you can keep turning it clockwise again and again. At least It has decent feedback when you turn it.

While there is both an instrument panel indicator and a shift indicator, I've just been operating it by clicks. One click to the right from park to reverse. Two to the right from reverse to drive. Two to the left from drive to reverse.

My only gripe is that I don't have a shifter to rest my hand, but other than that I like it.

 

[VinnyLongPour]

the best non-mechanical shifter i've seen so far is the electronic shift lever Nissan uses on the Pathfinder. because it's more push/pull like a traditional shifter, it seems more natural than a dial... plus it avoids the muscle-memory confusion with the GOAT mode dial issue and still allows the auto-park when turning off the ignition feature.

One nice feature is that if the BS is not in Park when you stop, it will automatically engage Park when you turn it off. This is especially nice when combined with auto brake hold.

i do like this and have found myself forgetting and turning off our full-size Bronco while in drive.

The bigger adjustment I had to make when I first got it was making sure I turned the right dial when wanting to choose a GOAT mode.

i have scared myself twice having had my hand on the wrong dial....

 

[gatornek]

I could go on and on - but thats a start. If I had known all this before I bought - I'd be a Toyota or Honda owner tonight.

Amen. Oh, to go back 3 years and tell myself "Stop being such a Ford fanboy. This Bronco Sport will NOT be like Your Mustangs. Go spend an extra 10K and get a Passport or a 4Runner."

 

[Area51BS]

Story gets better. I figured out what she hit. Our Bronco. No damage. I’m going to repair the plastic and repaint it.

 

[dockiwi57]

"1) sunvisor that is totally unusable as it blocks my view and won't go anywhere near touching the windshield- and my seat is a far down as it goes"

Yep, exactly. I'm bewildered about how the sun visor could have passed design testing given its engineered lack of utility. It truly is absurd. When you need it, you need it to work well. It seems to be a problem for owners regardless of their height. Certainly is for me at 6'1".

At the very least, Ford should re-engineer/design it for the 27 models and offer it as a replacement accessory. Hell, I'd pay good money for it even though it is their engineering blunder.

 

[Warped9]

Ultimately I would have liked to have a manual transmission. Setting that aside while I would have preferred a more conventional on-the-floor gear lever I thought I would dislike the dial shifter. Yet after almost two years with my 2024 BS BB I’ve found I don’t mind it. I’m quite used to it now and don’t really think about it.

I also like how if you want to park and shut off, just keep your foot on the break and shut the vehicle off and it automatically goes into park without spinning the dial!

Wow. I had no idea it worked like this. Good to know.

 

[Frenchy906]

"1) sunvisor that is totally unusable as it blocks my view and won't go anywhere near touching the windshield- and my seat is a far down as it goes"

Yep, exactly. I'm bewildered about how the sun visor could have passed design testing given its engineered lack of utility. It truly is absurd. When you need it, you need it to work well. It seems to be a problem for owners regardless of their height. Certainly is for me at 6'1".

At the very least, Ford should re-engineer/design it for the 27 models and offer it as a replacement accessory. Hell, I'd pay good money for it even though it is their engineering blunder.

Forgive me… but explain how this is problematic?

Unless you’re like seven foot tall… lol

 

[dockiwi57]

Forgive me… but explain how this is problematic?

Unless you’re like seven foot tall… lol

lol