bell2

I'm shocked. How could they remove stick selector and replace it with buttons???? They want to make it totally womens car? Just curios how does everybody else feel about it?

thanks

WheelMcCoy

You should see my elevator! Only women can use it. I use the other one with the lever and need to do it just right if I want to line the elevator car with the floor.

Kidding. I prefer a stick and a clutch myself, so I hear you. But buttons allow cars to automatically do stuff like engage/disengage the parking brake. It's one more step toward self-driving cars.

bell2

yes, buttons are more advance feature so it needs to be done like BMW, keeping the stick shift.

808tesh

lmao

but yeah, drove a '16 for a week, couldn't stand the delay in the pushbutton response. Personally I wanted to love it, I like the clean center console, but the operation delay and lack of tactile feel (they seriously only have tactile dots on the ids button i believe? barely any difference in the flush buttons between park and reverse smh...)

and besides, not a fan of the 9speed transmission

RDX10

Completely HATE IT. I think it is one of the stupidest things they could have ever done. It is not like it saves any space whatsoever. It doesn't make the console look less cluttered and it saves zero space. A normal shifter was always intuitive and a nice looking shifter makes an interior look classy. This push button deal is cheap looking. They could have wrapped it in vinyl and stitched it. It feels and looks cheap. I like having my hand rest on the shifter while driving. I also like pulling it back into sport if I need to pass someone quickly. This button deal makes me have to keep looking down.

bell2

@RDX10 - thanks, I thought I'm crazy, because for me it's a HUGE thing and they ruined the car for me.

NelsonLee

I honestly think it isn't that big of a deal.

The only time I can see it potentially being an issue is if you're stuck in snow and need to quickly rock the car back & forth.

RDX10

Absolutely, it is really really ugly. It is not intuitive, it doesn't save space. I don't get it. It is like installing technology for the sake of technology. This is just something to break a few years down the road. Looking at the poles, 10 of us hate it, 2 of us like it, and 5 of us don't care. So in other words, they are turning off more people than turning on with somethig that is not superior in any way.

pnoi521

Never knew buttons were for women. Go figure.

tman

Its pretty natural not to like change. Soon the shifter will be obsolete.

RDX10

The shifter won't ever be obsolete. Soon they will realize people like shifters and go back.

pickettt

It's the only reason I bought a 2015 instead of a '16.

tman

I too own a 15. I've been driving for 42 years and have always had some type of shifter. Heck, my first car was push button auto trans. I would not be opposed to a button or lever shifting mechanism. So what Im hearing is this. When the shifter does go obsolete and maybe Kia sticks with a shifter, I guess you would have to buy a Kia? Hey, Im all for all cars to stay with a shifter, but if it doesn't what will you do? I would bet you would adapt to new technology.

bell2

For me the shift stick is a center of the car. My hand is always on it. It's so important to me that I NEVER considered none of the cars without it, like Mercedes (with a gear changer on the steering wheel) or for example Honda Pilot (having a stick alsmost on the dashboard).

CEO of Acura once said that he wants to build a car that 70-80% will be driven by a women and 20-30% by a man. Well he just removed 60% of the man from that car.

The worse part, that this stupid change is not for MDX only, they made it for all Acura cars.

so yeah, I'm very, very pissed off .

RDX10

I highly highly doubt they would get rid of the shifter, ever. The germans would not do it. The koreans have not done it. Jeep went back from the electronic shifter on the srt to a real shifter. I feel Acura will go back to the shifter. Hell, lexus is even using shifters in ALL their cars. But don't you worry, self driving non-sense may happen soon. Also have you been in a 2016 kia sorento yet? I recommend you do, it looks and feels better than the interior of the mdx.

I agree with this 1000%. I always have my hand on the shifter, some new cars have these gorgeous large T-shaped shifters, and some have these gorgeous yacht controller shaped handles. Just gives you something nice to rest your hand on.

The mdx's center console is really quite high, so basically my arm is bent in a too high position and I have nothing to rest my hand on, so it dangled awkwardly for the 2 days I had the mdx. Don't get me started on that extremely stupid mercedes little elctronic shifter on the wheel! My brother rented a 2016 e400 and I couldn't beleive a car with a twin turbo v6 had the shifter on the column like that. Also can't stand the bmw electronic shifters and x2 on the pilot shifter being on the center stack almost. Never thought I would find someone as annoyed about these weird shifters!

Well the ceo doesn't know what he is doing clearly, men in households probably 95% of the time control what car will be bought. Or have the majority say in a car purchase (just commonly how it works). They are effectively crushing their sales figures if they are trying to go after woman. The 2007 mdx was such a success because it finally appealed to the man as much as the woman. I would drive an 07 mdx easily!

This X100. Same thing my aunt is considering doing. The push button shifter is not sporty to me (even though I know some ferraris and hyper cars have this).

pnoi521

Man, they didn't do enough then since there's still 40% man left in the car, but they only wanted 30%. Stupid Acura. Someone should write a letter to them.

WheelMcCoy

I'm beginning to see Acura's pattern here. They removed the "stick" so now the car is less of a man. And prior to that, Acura hid the exhaust pipes but men emit gas and like to make noise when doing so. Hell, some guys add "fart-cans" to make it louder.

Now we have dainty buttons, and well... we know women don't fart.

Macau Park

Cutting the exhaust was snipping the boys, and the shifter was the Lorena Bobbit. Jewel eyes are some Johnny Depp eyeliner.

pnoi521

I bet the "back up camera" is actually for taking selfies. SMH Acura has been deceiving us all along with their female agenda.

BigBlueWolf

I just bought one for technically for my wife yesterday. It will take some getting used to. I did struggle with where to place my hand because I'm used to it resting in the shift knob. Many shifters are just representative these days anyway because it's just relaying electronics. Even my wife thought it s little odd. We loved our '12 and was ready for the upgrade and are a little torn on the new grille in the works.

RDX10

Congrats. I hope it stays reliable for many years to come! Don't worry about the new one coming out. I doubt it will be TOO different than yours. I really hope they bring a shifter back. It never became out dated or inferior. Really no reason for it.

aIRpeACE

iTrader: (2)

most people dont like changes, and you are one of them

ceb

Interestingly enough, NHTSA just elevated an "investigation" into a similar shifter on 2014/15 Grand Cherokees to "engineering" - one step closer to a recall. The outcome will determine how manufacturers implement new technology for the sake of technology.

nist7

Well there's one big downside to these button/touchscreen-ization of cars: can most people switch gears if need to in an emergency situation? And can this cause more confusion/parts break in an increasingly complicated/electronic car

Sure, there are cases of people who still can't do it with the classic stick selector...but this would make even more confusion/issues when people need to do gear selection.

Not to mention the loss of a mechanical linkage (which not even sure if there are "drive-by" selector sticks that is not fully mechanically linked either) means another chain in the mechanism that can go wrong (button broken, electric parts failing...spilling some fluid on the button causing shortage, etc.)

So before we all say "hey get with the times" there does seem to be some legitimate concerns rather than some old geezer yelling about the good old days.

RDX10

This is exactly my point. This is electronics for the sake of it. If you are going to remove the shifter, then you better damn well make certain to put something useful in its' place.

nist7

Yup read about this. Some kind of new gear selector design and people were putting into R and not actually into park and getting out of the park....

It's to make it look modern and sleek.

Not only useful but safe and practical and intuitive.

RDX10

A nicely carved shiter is more sleek and modern and classy than the plastic buttons they have now. It is not more useful than a normal shifter, not more practical and surely not safer.

Like tell me how this beats the shifter in any actually conceivable way? It doesn't. Thats why its tech for techs sake.

neoshi

Eh... have been using the buttons for 5k miles. Can do it without looking since the Acura/Honda one assigns a certain shape or activation type (e.g. pull back, push down, push semi forward) to the buttons. I've always kind of looked down with my peripheral or on the dash anyway to confirm the selection. Not as big of an issue after you use it and get used to it.

Heck, I can think of a few cases where having the stalk shifter sure sucked vs this push button setup, like when the passenger in the right seat accidentally shifted me into neutral on the highway when she picked up her purse and the strap caught the stalk.

manera

and if you push their buttons, you're in trouble.

manera

nist7

Yeah. If I were in market for another newer-ish car I'd be taking look closely at all the vital functions of a car and seeing/trying how intuitive it is.

It could be a proxy for common-sense design over making it looking sleekest/coolest.

But in the end it is a trend that is up and coming and will be interesting to see just how much computerization a car will become. It will kinda suck because the continued loss of mechanical linkages between the flesh in the driver's seat and the car mechanicals will also mean lesser ability for us enthusiasts to mod/work on our own cars and not to mention OEM's are starting to raise some eyebrows by sometimes claiming certain car control software is copyrighted and cannot be tampered with by shade tree guys....

Bluepill

It's always a problem when the Marketing Department trumps the Engineers. My 1997 3.0 CL had the traditional straight AT shifter. Easy to use, and very intuitive. Then my 2005 MDX got the "Let's Copy The Germans" zig-zag gate. Never liked it. My 2014 has the straight shifter again, and I am happy with it. I am not a fan of pushbutton shifting. The Allison transmissions in larger motorhomes have had pushbuttons for at least 10 years now. It does make sense there, because there is no center console and the shift buttons are on the driver's left side.


Don't get me started on the Start Button - It's a dumb as the Microsoft Start button. "Hello, tech support? How do I turn my computer off?" "Click on the Start Button"

RDX10

I am currently looking at a 2007 Bmw x5 and mercedes ml. Both have dropped the shifter altogether, not even buttons. They left me with a little bouncy joystick thing. Honestly, just leaving it as a shifter is more intuitive and easy to use. Something less to break down and I know my car is in park when the shifter is pushed all the way forward.

Call me old fashion, it is just the way I like things.

I agree with you, with the idea of self driving cars coming out. I am scared. I don't want no stupid computer telling me what to do.

I am with you on the straight shifter, my 07 rdx thankfully has one. I think it is just more sleek and feels better to have one continuous motion vs the zigag design. I also agree, push buttons are good on the motor homes.

I have to disagree on the pushbutton start. I think it is one of the best inventions they have come out with on cars to date. Love keeping the key in my pocket and just a simple on/off deal. I personally like the germans who do both. You can start via push button or use the key if you want to.

ceb

This discussion mirrors the one at NHTSA. While car enthusiasts are all for innovation, there sometimes exists a fine line between innovation and gimmicks.


Does the new shifter bring some advantages to the operation of the vehicle? Does it free up room? Does it increase safety.


In this case the question is - does the shifting mechanism clearly indicate what gear you are in? Does it keep you (like the starter interlock) from doing something stupid.


The problem with gimmicks is that they spawn additional regulation which may slow innovation. The Jeep issue may lead to new regulations about displays and interlocks because a company wanted to add a cute feature to show that they were advanced.


After 4 years, I'm still annoyed that my TSX doesn't have a lit display by the shift to indicate what gear I'm in. Sure, I can look on the dash, but often the wheel is turned and that display is blocked. For the past 30 years, every automatic car I've owned with a floor mounted shift has had a lit indicator next to the lever that indicated the gear and the cars with a selector on the column had a display right on the steering column.


the question for each manufacturer should always be "why are we making this change?"

nist7

Yup.

Just because you COULD...doesn't mean you SHOULD.

RDX10

YES PREACH CEB PREACH!

Yet another time where I agree 100% with you. The germans usually try doing all this fancy little cutesy crap and end up with maintenance nightmares. This is unfortunate because like you say, it makes things so much more complicated.

Do I find it different to have the shifter? Yes absolutely. Is it kind of cool? Maybe. Does it defeat a shifter for me? Hell no. There really is a fine line between "geez wow that is brilliant, why didn't they do this sooner!" And "Its kind of cool, but it doesn't really beat anything". I personally imagine my wife driving an mdx with this thing and spilling her latte on it....of course spilling a latte on a regular shifter also "may" cause issues, but I am pretty much 100% certain this would cause a crap ton of glitches with everything in the car, not only the tranny.

ceb

I'm currently driving a MDX Advance loaner and find the shift a bit gimmicky but not really confusing. Aside from not being able to figure out the difference between D and S (I'm sure it is something that I'm overlooking), it clearly displays which basic gear you're in.

What I did find a bit annoying is the inability to quickly change from D to R to D - like when reversing out of the garage. With a conventional shifter you can do it by feel. Maybe you get used to the buttons, but it just doesn't seem intuitive.

I guess the lack of a shifter makes it easier to use the cup holders - but you're right, spilling anything will cause a significant issue.

This shifter is far different from the one in the Jeep that (like BMW and MB) return to the middle position and there is no visible indicator on the shifter.

RDX10

I also had a 2016 loaner MDX tech for a few days a few months back. I agree, it isn't difficult to use by any means, but felt ultra gimmicky, I also hated not having something to rest my hands on. While you have it, please do yourself a favour and put the ids selector into sport mode (small button near shift buttons). It seriously wakes the thing up, also how do you like that engine note at high rpms? Mean eh!

I live in a part of the world that experiences bad winters (well not this year but usually) and I can imagine getting stuck and trying to rock the car. This push button shifter makes that impossible.

I don't see how having the cup holders in front of the shifter or on the side like most acuras currently have would make it any harder to get to the shifter? The only time I have issues with cup holders if when they put the cup holders behind the shifter. So this doesn't really help at all.

I never paid attention to it, but I think there was a small green ring that lit around the button gear you are currently in. I still don't like that though. I feel that if they want to go this route, make the buttons on the dash and then give us an enormous storage console with a massive long arm rest. Don't give us complexity and try to pass it off as an advanced feature.

ceb

Yep, the IDS does make huge difference - although it is hard to tell today with three inches of fresh snow on the ground, increasing accumulation and stupid drivers. We had a doctor's appt this morning and the MDX did nicely in the mush.

Yes, something lights up - either the letter (P) or a green ring around the D.

There is a difference between the cupholder interfering with the shifter (a bad thing) and the shifter interfering with the cupholder (a minor irritant). I guess in this case, a shifter might interfere with the cupholders but the cupholders wouldn't interfere with the shifter in the current design. Yes, this design would certainly make it more difficult to "rock' your car if stuck

RDX10

The mdx shawd system works better than my rdx, but even then my rdx is solid in the snow (with snow tires). I wish my rdx had ids, it is a shame though that the ids does not affect ride dampening whatsoever. But I like how it firms up the steering a bunch and puts the transmission into an aggressive mode, though I found it unliveable for normal driving.

In bright daylight, its not enough to have a green ring or light or whatever.

I personally think its bad foresight to put the cup holders anywhere near the shifter. The shifter should either be to the side closest to the driver with the cup holder a few inches over or the cup holders a few inches in front of the shifter. That way zero interference. I also get what you mean about one interfering with the other and vice versa, I think putting the cups in front or beside the shifter pretty much eliminates any interferance.

I feel like I am making a mountain out of a mole hill, but I just don't like pointless stuff like this. It takes a sporty car and makes it gramafied