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Well, let me explain the operation or one of the newer vehicles I have experienced. There was no separate park button on the top of the handle. The park button was the thumb button - same position color and size as a thumb detent release on a mechanical console shift used for the past 30 yrs on cars here in the states. Once running you applied the brake and pressed the "thumb button" and bumped the handle down to access drive. If going to rev from park you pressed the button and bumped the lever FOWARD to access rev. This is certainly opposite of what most are used to since for decades there was no gear- no detent foward of the park position. The safety of this may be debated but what was more of an issue is the fact that from either gear you could access park just by pressing the thumb button! I understand that in different countries there are differences in controlls but let me make an observation. Here , would we allow a new automaker to design and market a car with the gas and brake reversed from the accepted standard? Would we allow one to have their car turn the top of the steering wheel to the rt and have the car go left? If we agree that certain basic functions of operation of the vehicle are accepted normn than any deviation would be a risky decision and additional safeties and testing required.. Was there not accidents in the fifties which instituted the dtandard position of the column shift detents accross manufacturers?
Has anyone who has exclusivly driven mechanical console shift cars for the past 30 yrs rented and driven a 2016 with this? Were you advised by the rental agent? Was there a owners manual in the car? Now i understand some of the higher end cars also have built into the software the redundent safety of going into park automatically if the driver door is opened and speed below a certain mph but if others dont? If you cannot see a sefety question arising from the deviation from standard in these situations here in the states than you are not an in tune or as aware of the history and the regulations put in place to avoid accidental injury or death.

The YouTube video that Guscha posted make it seems easier than it really is, and they want you always to look at the gear selector indicator on the dash to see where you're at. This is counter intuitive! Any other automatic or standard transmission I "feel" what gear I'm in. I've never driven my packard and coming up to a turn and have to look down and see what gear I'm in, cause I know by the position of the gear selector (for better lack of words on a standard transmission) and my speed what gear I'm in.

In the Chrysler 300m I'm driving now you sometimes when trying to go from D to R you end up in P. When going from P to D you might end up in N. The leveler would of been fine I think if it wasn't spring loaded but would stay in the position of the selected gear.

I suppose he could have just set his parking brake. I always use it on my daily driver. In addition, it takes stress off of the transmission. A sad and unnecessary ending.

(o{}o)

Amen! Ernie