2025 Upgraders: Do You Miss The Dial Shifter?

[E90alex]

For 2 pedal drivers the L functions the same as L in a gas car. Going downhill and don’t want to ride the brake? Hit the L.

Plenty of people even drive on L all the time. For those of us with mag ride it’s a nice combo of softer suspension and steering with maximum regen.

Sure, not everyone uses it, but it’s nice for those of us to who.

Personally I hate 1PD and never use it, but I wouldn’t suggest they get rid of it because plenty of others do use it.

I know what it does. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s not really meant for EVs since it’s not “holding a lower gear” like an ICE vehicle. It’s there simply because the button was there from the parts bin dial and not an intentional feature. People just maladapted to using it.

You achieve the same result with the brake pedal in 2PD since it has blended braking therefore you’re not actually “riding the brakes” like you would with an ICE car.

Sponsored

 

[Makomachine]

Anything buying a little more cubby space is appreciated. I can live with either, and have, but prefer the real estate provided in the stalk setup. A dial the size of a coke can is a waste of space in a modern vehicle in my opinion.

 

[tuminatr]

This appears to be an industry trend. I rent many cars, and most 2024+ GM vehicles I have had have the new column shifter. Like anything, you get used to it

 

[markboris]

It's kind of funny how quite a few of you here say you have to look down at the shifter dial to select a gear! Are you not aware that in the display right in front shows what gear you are in? I've been using the rotary gear shift dial for 8 years and love it. '17 Fusion, '19 Explorer, '20 GT500, '21 Mach-E and now '24 Mach-E. I have nothing against the stalk shifter and I'm sure would get used to it fairly quickly but in my previous dial shifter cars, never had to look down to see what gear I was in.

 

[RockinVs]

I wish I had the stalk shifter. I can see how others are used to the dial though.
For me, the wife's mazda has a rotary command thingy in the same spot. It controls the volume and center screen. When I pull into the garage, I would turn the volume down... twisting counter clockwise. Accidently doing this in the MME slams it into park. I don't drive the mazda much any more so I don't have the issue.
I still like the stalk better. Or, just bring back a similar shifter like most automatic ice vehicles have. Ooh, maybe the shifter like golf carts have between your legs.

 

[Mach1E]

I know what it does. Doesn’t change the fact that it’s not really meant for EVs since it’s not “holding a lower gear” like an ICE vehicle. It’s there simply because the button was there from the parts bin dial and not an intentional feature. People just maladapted to using it.

You achieve the same result with the brake pedal in 2PD since it has blended braking therefore you’re not actually “riding the brakes” like you would with an ICE car.

Yes, I know it doesn’t actually engage the physical brakes. But you do have to keep moving your foot to the brake pedal.

By your logic, we wouldn’t need 1PD since you could “achieve the same result with the brake pedal.”

Where are you getting the idea that it’s not an intentional feature?

They easily could have not included it.

 

[garyd9]

They easily could have not included it.

At one time, I'd have agreed with you, but Ford seems to have a strange obsession with using old parts on new cars (and then assigning those parts obscure functions.)

Another example might be the "P" button on the center console and the self-parking feature. Rather than remove the button from 2023+ cars, they have it searching for parking lots in the nav software - which I think most people agree is both silly and useless.

Why don't they just get rid of the button? For the 2023 and 2024's, it seemed like the button still existed so they didn't have the expensive of redesigning the center console. However, it's STILL there on the 2025's. WHY?

 

[Nikos]

Your 12v battery dies with a child inside the car and you can’t open it is ones of the how it can in a very rare scenario become a safety issue.

When the 12V battery dies the doors unlock. The only thing you can do is open and close those doors. Everything else is basically dead.

 

[Jimrpa]

At one time, I'd have agreed with you, but Ford seems to have a strange obsession with using old parts on new cars (and then assigning those parts obscure functions.)

Another example might be the "P" button on the center console and the self-parking feature. Rather than remove the button from 2023+ cars, they have it searching for parking lots in the nav software - which I think most people agree is both silly and useless.

Why don't they just get rid of the button? For the 2023 and 2024's, it seemed like the button still existed so they didn't have the expensive of redesigning the center console. However, it's STILL there on the 2025's. WHY?

It is actually very, very expensive to redesign interior trim. That’s why, in the old days, cars would just put blank pop-ins in places where optional switches and controls would be.

And who knows? Maybe ford will surprise and delight us with a future OTA offering a better self-parking experience ?

 

[Phantom E]

People who drive/have driven a forklift will love the stalk shifter!

 

[Trueblue3605]

The Dial is amazing! a quick flick of the wrist, its going to be hard for me to get away from the dial!!

 

[Sikkun]

When the 12V battery dies the doors unlock. The only thing you can do is open and close those doors. Everything else is basically dead.

Has not been the case in several incidents reported here and elsewhere.

In fact there is an entire thread about using rope to be able to manually open the door after your 12v dies because people were having batteries die last summer and could not open their doors.

 

[Doobster6]

I'm planning on getting a 2025 Rally once my current lease is up.
In my current 2023, any time I want "DRIVE" I just spin the wheel right without even looking knowing it will land on D.

I'm assuming the new drive stalk is even easier, since I'll just tap it down without looking, but curious to hear some experiences. I'm lazy of course, so the requirement to look at anything when shifting is a concern.

I haven’t driven a 2025 yet. But I’m thinking that I won’t like that so many functions have been moved to the left stalk, making it that much more complicated and easier to mistakenly activate something, or not. Ford has ‘solved’ a non-problem IMHO.

 

[StevenC56]

If they had the stalk shifter back in 21 and switched to the rotary on the 25's, would we be having this same discussion?

 

[Jimrpa]

Has not been the case in several incidents reported here and elsewhere.

In fact there is an entire thread about using rope to be able to manually open the door after your 12v dies because people were having batteries die last summer and could not open their doors.

There are supposed to be supercapacitors that allow the doors to be opened a few times, assuming the vehicle is unlocked. Also, if you’re inside the vehicle, you can open the doors using the interior door handles (I believe you pull twice).

Sponsored