Do you have to shift through Neutral to get from Drive to Reverse (or vice versa)?

[curtisj1]

Or can you just press 'R' or 'D' to transition from reverse to drive? I see that there is a 'N' button there, just want to know if you have to "press" it to shift between drive & reverse...

 

[Lancelac]

No need to press (shift to) neutral between R and D or vice versa.

 

[doug]

I think you do need your foot on the brake, though.

 

[Tdave]

I think you do need your foot on the brake, though.

Not from R to D. May need to be below a certain speed, haven't tested it. But I can back out of my garage and hit D without my foot on my brake.

 

[doug]

Good to know.

 

[curtisj1]

Isn't that a violation of FMVSS 102 ? I thought you had to physically shift through neutral to get to reverse from drive or vice versa?

 

[Tdave]

From the 2010 Owners Manual:

• P (Park). Selectable whenever the
vehicle’s forward speed is less than 1 mph.
To select another gear when the vehicle is
in Park, you must press the brake pedal.
Whenever the key is in the OFF position,
Park is activated automatically, regardless
of which gear was engaged before you
turned the key.

• N (Neutral). Allows the vehicle to be
stationary without the transmission being
locked. If the hand brake is not engaged,
the vehicle can roll freely if pushed, or if
located on a slope. To select another gear
when the vehicle is in Neutral and moving
at a speed less than 5 mph (8 kmh), you
must press the brake pedal.

• R (Reverse). Selectable whenever the
vehicle’s forward speed is less than 5 mph
(8 kmh). The maximum speed in reverse is
limited to 15 mph (24 kmh). An audible
tone will be heard when you select
Reverse.

• D (Drive). Can be selected at any time
except when the vehicle is moving over 5
mph (8 kmh) in reverse.

 

[Tdave]

So summarizing: Brake pedal is only required when moving out of Park. Moving into Park requires speed less than 1 mph. All other changes are allowed when moving less than 5 mph.

 

[vfx]

I the tone for Reverse is lame. Why have it? After a while you tune it out anyway.

Speaking of which, put it in Reverse and the car gets to 15mph REAL FAST.

 

[samcarney]

I the tone for Reverse is lame. Why have it? After a while you tune it out anyway.

Speaking of which, put it in Reverse and the car gets to 15mph REAL FAST.

I rather like the idea of the tone when you shift into reverse. It is a good safety feature, and a reminder that I am driving a high tech vehicle unlike any other.
But that's just me.

 

[toutizes]

On the 2008 Rodaster the tone is just a single beep as you put the lever in R. It does not emit a tone while you drive into reverse. Is the 2010 different?

 

[Lancelac]

No tone WHILE you drive, thank god. Makes me think of a truck, beep beep beep.

 

[SByer]

Actually, if you start up just right, with the car already in reverse, the beeps are awfully close to the starting sound in Pole Position.

 

[doug]

Actually, if you start up just right, with the car already in reverse, the beeps are awfully close to the starting sound in Pole Position.

Awesome. That makes me wish they had kept the 2 speed and marked them HI and Low.

 

[TEG]