Volvo XC40 Forums

Is it just me? Why is the auto gear stick pushed back to go forward and pushed forward to go back. It is not intuitive or logical. Any ideas why?

White wrote: ↑Tue Dec 31, 2019 11:52 am Is it just me? Why is the auto gear stick pushed back to go forward and pushed forward to go back. It is not intuitive or logical. Any ideas why?

It's the same as pretty much every automatic gearbox from any manufacturer. Most mechanical selectors, unlike the Volvo selector, are mechanical with the vast majority being pull back to go forward and push forward to engage reverse. I guess Volvo didn't want to buck the trend.

Just get into the habit of looking at the display as you engage forward or reverse. You don't have to rely on intuition then.

As oosername points out it's pretty much the same in any automatic car. Push forward and engage R to reverse, pull back engage D to move on.

I have no idea of the reasoning for the direction, but why change it from the expected norm?

The original direction probably stems from sequential gearboxes, where pulling backwards has always been shifting up. In such a gearbox, while under acceleration, it is far easier to pull back than to push forward. The g-forces are helping you along, basically. Obviously the opposite remains true under braking.

Whether the above is true or not, the "standard" has always been as such, and it makes sense for Volvo not to mess with that. Personally I'd prefer a simple button for each driving mode as it doesn't require stepping through neutral every time. Really I feel Volvo missed a trick by not letting you select drive gear by double-tapping the flappy pedals, or pulling both simultaneously.