Drive and Reverse

[TxBeachRivian]

I have adjusted after a couple of days but don’t these seem backward. I have seen that other cars do it the same way with up being reverse and down being drive but it seems counterintuitive.
maybe it is just me, but up seems to go with forward (ie drive) and down seems to go with back (ie reverse)

I also think I might be influenced by old 5 speed manual shifting, where first was up and to the left and reverse was down and to the right.

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[mabowden]

I haven't seen a vehicle with a stalk mounted shifter where drive is up and reverse is down. It has always been the other way around. Same with a console mounted shifter (drive is usually always at the bottom of the shift pattern). For me, it would be confusing if drive was up and reverse was down....

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I have adjusted after a couple of days but don’t these seem backward. I have seen that other cars do it the same way with up being reverse and down being drive but it seems counterintuitive.
maybe it is just me, but up seems to go with forward (ie drive) and down seems to go with back (ie reverse)

That's how column shift vehicles have been for decades. PRNDL was the order. Pull down to drive.

I also think I might be influenced by old 5 speed manual shifting, where first was up and to the left and reverse was down and to the right.

Manual transmission shift patterns were never really standardized. Some had reverse to the left and up. Some were right and down. Some were left and down. Some had lock out collars -- others didn't.

 

[paariv]

Don't most automatics have D below R? Also, those of us with 6-speed manuals have shifted up for reverse for years!

Regardless, during my test drive "shifting" felt very unintuitive, and it all depends on what you're used to.

 

[SRTConvert]

The Tesla stalk works the same way. However, on the 2021+ Model S, it is swipe up on the screen for D and swipe down for R. There is an image of the car pointing up on the screen where you swipe.

It makes logical sense, but it is counter to stalk implementations and the PRNDL shifters we've experienced in the past.

A clean-sheet design would have "up" for drive, but the chains of history called for the implementation they chose. The old-school choice might avoid a few accidents.

 

[Speedrye]

My kid agrees with the OP. Lever goes up for forward and down for backwards, per Power Wheels norms...

My thought doesn't matter. All of my vehicles are manuals. One has reverse up and to the left, one has it up and to the right, and the final has it down and to the right. Now that gets confusing.

 

[elektrode]

I’m more worried about flicking the right stalk up to do a “one wipe” on the windscreen wipers and accidentally putting the truck in Reverse.

Been driving Japanese cars for years. Dangerous muscle memory now. Haven’t had enough miles with my new R1T to untrain yet.

Hopefully they gate reverse entry on very low speeds.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I’m more worried about flicking the right stalk up to do a “one wipe” on the windscreen wipers and accidentally putting the truck in Reverse.

Been driving Japanese cars for years. Dangerous muscle memory now. Haven’t had enough miles with my new R1T to untrain yet.

Hopefully they gate reverse entry on very low speeds.

They do. Canceling cruise control is "up" on the right stalk... It was nerve-wracking to do it for the first few times... But now it's NBD. The truck won't go into reverse when you're cruising down the highway.

 

[Aubs]

I’m more worried about flicking the right stalk up to do a “one wipe” on the windscreen wipers and accidentally putting the truck in Reverse.

Been driving Japanese cars for years. Dangerous muscle memory now. Haven’t had enough miles with my new R1T to untrain yet.

Hopefully they gate reverse entry on very low speeds.

It won't let you shift to Reverse at high speed but you can shift directly into reverse at low speeds without the brake pedal. IMO it should require you to depress the brake pedal to shift into Reverse.

 

[DJG]

I was just thinking this today, as I was backing into a space in a parking garage, got close to the back wall in reverse, went to switch to drive and pushed up. Luckily I caught myself before ramming the wall, but I've done it several times even after a few months.

 

[atebit]

I have adjusted after a couple of days but don’t these seem backward. I have seen that other cars do it the same way with up being reverse and down being drive but it seems counterintuitive.
maybe it is just me, but up seems to go with forward (ie drive) and down seems to go with back (ie reverse)

I also think I might be influenced by old 5 speed manual shifting, where first was up and to the left and reverse was down and to the right.

I got flamed about five Nomex flight suits-worth on the Taycan forum for making the same observation about the flipper-shifter in that vehicle.

 

[SteveHeinz]

I have adjusted after a couple of days but don’t these seem backward. I have seen that other cars do it the same way with up being reverse and down being drive but it seems counterintuitive.
maybe it is just me, but up seems to go with forward (ie drive) and down seems to go with back (ie reverse)

I also think I might be influenced by old 5 speed manual shifting, where first was up and to the left and reverse was down and to the right.

I can't explain why but it seems backwards to me too. I was charging up a couple of days ago, when I was ready to go almost drove forward into the charger It's a relief to know I am not the only one!

 

[frostbit3]

I've owned a few Silverado's and they've all had the shifter on the column, and it went "PRNDL" as well and I would just pull it all the way down and it'd stop in Drive. I had to intentionally put it in either L or R, so for me and what i'm used to the Rivian makes perfect sense.

 

[TxBeachRivian]

I've owned a few Silverado's and they've all had the shifter on the column, and it went "PRNDL" as well and I would just pull it all the way down and it'd stop in Drive. I had to intentionally put it in either L or R, so for me and what i'm used to the Rivian makes perfect sense.

Yeah. I understand the old school mechanical shifts that actually had you move to a particular position, but is seems like if you were to translate the modern less mechanical shifters to the old school approach it would look like RPNDL. Where you would need to go up to shift to reverse and then back down to get to P or N or get to drive.
I understand that this is a defacto standard at this point but it just seems odd to me. I am getting used to it but I often still push down to go reverse and I am saved from bumping things because the hold takes some amount of pedal force before it responds and it is pretty smooth and slow to accelerate after that threshold. So I notice pretty quick. I don’t think this is something that is going to have a consensus opinion, so totally understand how it works well for some and apparently I am not alone in it seeming odd for others.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I have adjusted after a couple of days but don’t these seem backward. I have seen that other cars do it the same way with up being reverse and down being drive but it seems counterintuitive.
maybe it is just me, but up seems to go with forward (ie drive) and down seems to go with back (ie reverse)

I also think I might be influenced by old 5 speed manual shifting, where first was up and to the left and reverse was down and to the right.

German 5 speeds are up and left aren’t they? Maybe you need to buy a BMW for a year to prepare for the Rivian.

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