Another week with single digit temps and something that I really wish wasn't overlooked (and perhaps added when "cold-weather package" is selected):

A heated Gear Shift.

Dang that thing gets cold, and no matter how long I rest my hand on it, every time i shift gears i'm greeted with with a cold **** (that doesn't sound right....).

My driving hand stays warm with the heater vents, but my shifting hand suffers. So sad. I guess all the more reason to get up to speed ASAP.

 

Are you sure you don't mean you wish you had gone with an automatic? :-)) Personally, I cannot fathom why anyone would buy a CMS with stick shift. No offense intended.

 

I had metal shift ***** back in my tuner days. A titanium one on the wannabe-Type-R Civic Si, and a Momo sphere on the GTI. Neither of those had vents anywhere near the gearbox, so it was always a set of thin gloves in the winter as mandatory.

Come summer, I had to drive with a really light touch... titanium gets hot fast!

However, by the time I had the WRX I knew better and bought a black copolymer sphere. Satin in finish, smooth, good weight - but none of the temp-affected characteristics of metal. Even better than leather in some cases.

If you don't care for gloves, maybe try sourcing a copoly ****?

 

The sloution is......Driving Gloves

 

Why's that? I would have gone stick shift if my s.o. could drive stick.

 

Go to the fabric store and get some fake lambs wool. Make a little cover with a drawstring to keep it on. Good project for this weekend.

Bill

 

Ummm...it's winter...put on some gloves!

 

Funny thing, I've bought maybe 3 pairs of gloves this winter trying to find a pair that didn't take away the tactile feel + give me warmth. Haven't found any I love. Course, up here in AK the gloves aren't exactly driving glove caliber, more "keep fingers from falling off"). I guess I'll keep hunting.

Oh, and choose Auto over Manual? Where's the fun in that?

M

 

I was going to recommend some reasonably snug , light neoprene or similar gloves like I use...until I saw :
That's some extreme conditions and my experience here in Vancouver (-7 C today and everyone's freaking out) pale in comparison.

Can't believe you even try to drive without gloves on.

 

A baby sock on the shifter works well to keep your hand warm.

 

Because it's a small SUV not a sports car. It does handle well, but at this day and age 184hp/240NM tugging a 1.5 ton all wheel drive car is merely adequate, in a mundane kind of way.

 

I agree with this assessment, but I would never buy an automatic for anything and I don't believe I'm alone.

As for the cold ****, does the CM have a different **** style? I wish my R55 had a heated steering wheel instead of just the seats but the **** never even crossed my mind.

 

Agreed - come on, put a sock on it

 

The tactile feel?

This has to be a gag post, right?

 

Dude. Forget the "tactile feel" stuff (seriously?), and just wear gloves.

 

Well, yes. Seriously. I wouldn't expect a LA'er to understand, but when i drive on sheets of ice or slippery snow, i want to feel that when I grab the wheel I've got as good a grip as possible...and not slip with some crappy gloves. Not saying all gloves are (or else why would they make driving gloves?)...just that the ones around here are for very different purposes- and the thick insulation is distracting.

Guess I'm the only one that thought a heated shifter would be nice. huh. go figure. Not sure I can bring myself to put a baby sock on it (keep the jokes to yourself)...but a few more days of this and we'll se if I get desperate enough.

 

There are lots of driving gloves that will keep your hands from freezing on the shifter and still give you plenty of "tactile feel."
Sorry. Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers.
Having grown up in Michigan, I do remember winter driving.

 

Driving gloves will keep your hand from freezing on the shift ****.
Having grown up in Michigan, I do remember winter driving. Brrrrr.

 

I'm with you. I wish a heated shift **** and a heated steering wheel were options. The stock shift **** probably would be tolerable since I wear gloves in the winter, but I have a Whalen shift **** that's stainless steel and that thing is COLD. I've thought about popping it off and bringing it in the house with me every night, but I've yet to do it.

I wear a pair of Seirus gloves in the winter while driving. They're a great balance between warmth and grip, at least to me.

 

For winter driving I use a pair of Burton powerstretch liner gloves that are very grippy and have good feel:
http://www.burton.com/mens-gloves-mi...s-gloves-mitts

 

I have leather driving gloves which are awesome, but I take them off once the car is warmed up and then I forget to bring them in the house at the end of the day. I would LOVE a heated steering wheel. It was 18F when I started the car this morning, and I was one sad puppy for the first few minutes.

 

of all the bells and whistles my old allroad had, the heated steering wheel is what i miss most! just the right amount of heat on a crisp morning, i forgot all cars don't have it! do love the heated seats tho!!

 

I swapped out the stock **** for the JCW carbon Fiber one…not for those purposes but the material does not get half as cold as the stock one…Then again you can probably buy a few nice pair of gloves for the price of the carbon fiber.

 

I have a wish/complaint. I live in Cleveland, OH. We get some pretty cold temps here, but nothing that should prevent me from being able to open the doors on my car

I have lived here for 12 winters and have driven all kinds of vehicles, in, anywhere from, -5 degrees F to 32 degrees F, but I have never had such terrible issues with my doors freezing. There is something about the shape and metal of these doors that makes them almost impossible for me to open when it is freezing temps outside. Luckily, I can usually get the driver side open, after I tug hard enough with both hands, over and over. The passenger doors won't budge, most of the time.

Has anyone else had worse than usual problems with the doors being difficult to open, in winter temps?

I am thinking of putting in a remote starter to get the car a bit warmed up, just so I can open the doors

Has anyone installed a remote starter on their Countryman? If so, what did you spend and what remote did you put in.. and did you use the dealer?

 

I'd consider that door issue to be a manufacturing flaw. I had to pull hard on my door a week ago when it was actually iced a bit, but on some rather cold mornings (20F or so), I've had no issues at all. I don't know how you'd go about fixing it, though.