Jack88

I worry what this says about the average Chrysler group customer, given that's what I'm driving everyday now. Seriously, anyone have more than a day or two of fumbling with their shifter in the A8?
Fiat Chrysler recalls 812,000 cars because owners don't understand the shifter - Roadshow

MP4.2+6.0

See if Audi gets gun shy. After the Audi 5000 fiasco that ultimately led to the shift locks 8 ways from Sunday, don't be surprised. Or that some plaintiff's type thinks it up. But, too much TDI fruit to harvest for them perhaps. And, Audi/VW apparently assigned their very best people still left from the 5000 debacle to the now way worse TDI mess. Sergeant Schultz, Klink and all are now on duty, together with the ace PR and legal teams. Maybe the VW + Audi corporate foil (fools?) to your Mopar customer side thinking. Oh, and by the way read carefully to note repeatedly it is Audi technical folks and management CEO promotees (since shown door) who seem to be much at the heart of the whole TDI debacle.

We'll see and even the picture of course is hard not to see the similarities. Something tells me a service action and some more nanny stuff it around corner. They have it, since it is our Q5 Hybrid even with conventional shifter set up where they think you will not notice it is in gear with electric mode operating. Some truth to that, but also annoying if you are paying attention. Something tells me "nautical" isn't going to be so strong in D5, unless they still want the FL geezer sales point while getting wiped by Tesla fashion. Nautical references and luxobarges never struck me as a great marketing play either, but then these are the uber marketing geniuses always saying vie know besser. Thus, I bet the shifter may solve itself generationally. I guess that playbook didn't work in full for Fiat, err Chrysler though. Hence, service action yet to come... Rounding error after TDI.

Jack88

You couldn't forget to put in park in the A8, the parking brake activates if you open the door with it in anything but park, and if you shut it off in gear, it still puts it in park IIRC. I liked the yacht lever, very comfortable hand rest.

boomer28

My wife who has only been driving for under 4 years now got in yesterday (just got my S8), and was like "Ok cool, this is super easy"....so yea.......

frybear

I always screw up shifting the car! Really. I seem to be constantly putting it in the wrong gear when I'm in a hurry. Otherwise it's fine. Only real issue is I'm tearing up the "leather" on the shifter because I wear my watch on my right hand. At first I thought it was just a crappy covering on the shifter then realized it's my own damn fault!

walko789

so it is true that jumping in the old D3 and putting lever in gear did not leave a doubt and after a few weeks in the D4 I am adjusting well. If anything it actually makes me slow down and think before mindlessly going into reverse. I think this is why "manually" driven cars will become an option in the not too distant future.

triniexr

The only gear I have issues getting into is reverse, most times I push the shifter too much and it goes into park. Other than that I like the shifter.