I'm interested in getting some feedback about something I've noticed lately. I feel like it's way too easy to shift into reverse instead of 1st. When I first got the car, there was some resistance you had to push past to get to reverse. Lately I've put it in reverse many times accidentally because if I don't pay attention (especially starting from a drive through window) it will just slip up into reverse. Just now I was trying to go into 2nd from neutral (rolling stop) and I couldn't get it to go to 2nd and I started freaking out. Then I realized that I had the stick all the way over and I was trying to shift into the spot below reverse.

 

Same here.....Happens waaaaaaaaaaay too much to me. I plan to have this checked out w/ my first service. Annoying, but also dangerous...:(

 

I've noticed the same thing. It's way too easy to put it into reverse. Most shifters require a positive push down to move the shifter into the reverse gate. So far, I've caught myself. I may mention it when I bring my car in for its first oil change tomorrow morning.

 

I always prefered reverse being over by 6th for this reason, at least in my old Honda. It was impossible to shift into reverse while driving due to a lock out and for obvious reasons you could not shift into it by accident going into first at or near a stop.

I figured the push down to get into reverse was the norm when its up by first gear...but not with BMW..they all operate like this as far as I know.

That being said, there is a noticeable "gate" you have to push past. It does not take much effort, but it does feel different. I get caught in that no-mans land trying to downshift from 3rd to 2nd as well if I use too much force.

I'm not sure how much resistance there is supposed to be to stop you from shifting in reverse unless you REALLY want it...feels like there is not enough though.

 

Same thing here. Used to be very difficult to get it into reverse and I needed a real solid slap to the left, but now I do it all the time by accident, and I've gotten into the habit of verifying on the display that I'm not in reverse and/or that I'm not in first when I want to be in reverse. Even so, every once in a while, I am caught off-guard.

All in all, I don't feel as though this manual transmission is all that great, except for the rev-matching. It's more of a "C+".

 

Yep! I live with it, but Reverse should be by 6th gear. I've had at least a half dozen cases where I inadvertently shifter into Reverse at a stop light. One time, the car started going backwards, I caught it, "thought" I was back in the right gear, and started backwards a second time. The poor guy in back of me started to honk his horn at that point. Didn't blame him a bit. Now, I visually check the indicator to ensure I'm in first whenever at a light. I hate it!

 

yup. me too. Happens a bit too often lately. IIRC my old vw required one to push the shifter inward before you could swing it into reverse. No such protection on this.

I always liked the little lever on Saabs that needed to be pulled before you could engage reverse.

 

Well, with such switches, although more typical, one does get so into the habit of using them, that accidental reverses are still possible -- but only due to brain farts.

 

Thanks guys. I wasn't sure if I was going to get a lot of responses saying that I just didn't know how to drive a stick, but it's validating that many others noticed the same thing. It seems like a not minor design flaw. Reverse should either be all the way to the left and down (which is still great if trying to get to second from neutral) or more preferably all the way over to the right. That's how it was with my Ford and Fiat previously and I never had an issue.

 

I agree that going into Reverse shouldn't be so easy. You definitely should at least have to press down and to the left. With our cars you literally just have to gently move it to the left of First gear. THAT is very poor design!