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I remember the days when most automatics, especially on domestic cars, used column shifters. I liked column shifters for automatics because they freed up floor space between the driver and passenger. Not having the shifter be in the way so the driver could enter and exit via the passenger door used to be one of the niceties of an automatic.
Can anyone think of any current automobiles that have column shifters?
I'm sure the Italin-made Fiat van still has a "five-on-the-tree" My Freightliner is an Auto-shift" automatic with the lever on the right side of the column. It can be "shifted" maually with that lever if desired. But I seldom, if ever, use it in manual, though. (I miss the old GM "3 on the tree" trnsmission levers that were in older Chevy/GMC pickups like I drove in the military!)
Can anyone think of any current automobiles that have column shifters?
Pretty much all of your pick up trucks that are automatic still have an auto on the column.
How many of us here remember the '3 on the tree" shifters? I always though those were for old men who didn't want to have to reach down for the shifter.
How many of us here remember the '3 on the tree" shifters? I always though those were for old men who didn't want to have to reach down for the shifter.
My first car had three on the tree---1967 Rambler Wagon
The days of manual tranny column shifting have long been over but all of my GM automatics have column shifters... everyone who gets in my cars that rarely sees this sort of thing always gives it some sort of compliment or thinks its "cool"... I don't see what is so fascinating about it but I do like not having that divide you get from floor shifters.
I remember the days when most automatics, especially on domestic cars, used column shifters. I liked column shifters for automatics because they freed up floor space between the driver and passenger. Not having the shifter be in the way so the driver could enter and exit via the passenger door used to be one of the niceties of an automatic.
Can anyone think of any current automobiles that have column shifters?
I hate bench seats. I like being in my own section of the car with a fat console in the middle. Before that, cupholders and storage were relegated to those ugly aftermarket cupholder/storage pieces of junk that straddled the transmission hump. Remeber those plastic gems? Oh my god. I have horrible memories of family sedans from yesteryear, as you can tell.
Today, everything is in the console. Cavernous storage, MP3 plug in, power outlets, cup holders, disc changers, seat heater and ride control switches, rear seat HVAC controls and amenities, and of course, it's topped with a big fat arm rest. Even in the cheap cars. Oh yeah, there's a shifter in there somewhere too. Manufacturers have done an OK job of dressing up the ones with "bench" seats to have some of these amenities, but they still chill me to the bone, imagining someone actually sitting there.
In terms of available cars (which I understand some people like), the Ford Crown Victoria comes to mind. The Impala, Lucerne, Lacrosse, Toyota Avalon and Ford Taurus could also be ruined by a bench seat, at least until recently. I'm not sure if they are available like this anymore. The Toyota Prius has a column shifter. Actually more like a dashboard shifter. But the front still only has two seats, so it doesn't count. Maybe there are others. And of course pickup trucks.
Last edited by 43north87west; 12-10-2008 at 12:33 PM..
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My Freightliner is an Auto-shift" automatic with the lever on the right side of the column. It can be "shifted" maually with that lever if desired. But I seldom, if ever, use it in manual, though. (I miss the old GM "3 on the tree" trnsmission levers that were in older Chevy/GMC pickups like I drove in the military!)
