[RBEmerson]

Why does the shifter go forward for reverse, back for drive? I get the double pop, although IMHO it's a little odd. It's the direction that I don't understand.

 

[bdalameda]

A conventional automatic transmission shifter goes in the same direction. It pulls back to go from Park into Drive and from drive you push it forward to go in Reverse. Frankly I think it would feel odd to push it forward to go into drive as it would be the opposite of what is familiar. Both my wife and I are used to the xc40 shifter and it works just fine. I go back and forth between a car with a standard automatic type shift and the XC40 without issues. Others have complained about the XC40 shifter - I have not had any issue with it at all and neither has my wife.

 

[RBEmerson]

[/ blinks in confusion] Really? Sigh... such are the wages of owning nothing but manual tranny cars for many years. IIRC, the last auto was a Corvair Corsa with the shifter, IIRC on the dash, as a T-handle lever going up and down. Otherwise, "three on the tree", "four on the floor", and on to a whacking great "six on the sticks (sticks???)". Nothing with a transfer shifter. On four wheels. Two wheels? I had a Honda CB900 Custom, with shaft drive, with a two-speed transfer box (explanation on request).

Now, I'll go to my corner, sit down, and be very, very quiet.

After I ask, "what was anyone thinking to make that standard???"

 

[whiteyjfm]

We had a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the same shift set-up. Took 2 days to get use to it. Since then it was second nature. Got into the Volvo and it felt good right away. You will get use to it sooner than you think.

 

[RBEmerson]

Yeah, well... I'm still looking for the clutch pedal.

 

[Watson58]

Why does the shifter go forward for reverse, back for drive? I get the double pop, although IMHO it's a little odd. It's the direction that I don't understand.

I totally agree. In the ergonomics and user interface department Volvo did not fare very well in my opinion. When this car was new, I always had to explain to parking attendants in New York City that you cannot "shift" into Park using the shifter. Instead you have to press a button. I had a guy who shifted into neutral and held the brakes untiI I showed up at the car. So yeah confusing is true. But worse is Volvo failure to make the central console less convoluted. Coming from Volvo, particularly because it sees itself as a safety brand, the central control screen is just unsafe because it is almost impossible to operate safely while driving. There are too many unintuitive multiple taps, swipes and scrolls necessary to navigate the system. In addition, the system is awfully slow to respond. For example, changing a driver profile can take over a minute to load. If there are two things requiring a redesign, it would be the shifter and the control screen. The goal obviously should be to reduce the distraction and the precious seconds’ loss with eyes off the road to do basic functions as changing cabin temperature and audio source unless everything can be done with voice control.

 

[RBEmerson]

It's taken some time but I'm sorted out on shifting. Strictly speaking, it's not different from any PRND shifter except there's a pause in neutral instead of just blipping through it. I don't think it's a great idea, but it's not as odd as it seems initially. The "P" is something else. If getting into manual is a pull from being in drive, why isn't park a push beyond reverse? Frankly, having a separate button for park doesn't encourage me to use valet or garage parking.

The screen could be smoother in places, but I don't have real problems with it. IMNSHO the center screen is easy-peasy compared to the screen in a Tesla Model 3. Easier by orders of magnitude. Look into what's involved in aiming the air vents. Not pretty...

 

[stan]

I guess I could nit pic our Volvo, but overall I kinda enjoy it. The seats are very comfortable on long trips, it has good power, looks good and is very dependable. Ya, there are areas that could be improved, but overall I think we made a good choice in purchasing our XC40. I might find more fault if we lived in the city, or if I didn't have a VW TDI with a standard transmission and two motorcycles to use when I want to play Ricky Racer up in the mountains, but the XC40 is a very civilized, comfortable, reliable vehicle and we enjoy it very much.

 

[RBEmerson]

Concur.

Aside from that pesky "forward is back, back is forward" thing, the shifter and I are on good terms. I can even go in and out of manual on the fly. Woohoo!

 

[Watson58]

Here is another argument for the "dumb" shifter. When you call for a tow, make sure to get a flatbed tow. A regular tow that hooks up your car and "drag" it wont work. I had a tow called when my fob went dead and the driver couldn't tow because we couldn't put the car into "neutral" --there is no display on the dashboard to show the transmission position. Moral of the story, depending where you are, 1. Volvo roadside assistance is useless (have a triple A membership in addition). 2. Have an extra fob hidden somewhere in your trunk or have a Duracell CR 2032 battery handy. When the fob died, you have a different level of a headache since Volvo on call cannot do anything but tow you to the dealership.

 

[bdalameda]

You should have received an alert that your fob battery was getting weak. Many new cars has electric shifters rather than mechanical shift mechanisms now. My newer Jeep Grand Cherokee does as well as new ford, Jaguars, Mercedes etc. All would be subject to the loss of the ability to power up the car to shift into neutral. I do keep a spare battery in all my cars for the key fob.

 

[RBEmerson]

The number of "hook and lift" trucks is diminishing, fortunately. Partly for the potential disaster from many (if not all) vehicles with automatic transmissions; Given that manual shift vehicles are fading faster... when in doubt, flatbed!

CR 2032's are very common. When buying a replacement, the number matters!! There are similar, thicker "coin" batteries. The voltage (IIRC 3 V) is the same, the size isn't. FAIL

Keep in mind the (+) side is the smaller (often stamped with a grid and, of course, a "+". The (-) is the shiny, bigger side. Almost always the battery going in face (+) down.

They have a very long (years) shelf life. They are NOT RECYCLABLE!! Dispose of them properly! Best Buy, Bulb+Battery, and similar store will accept them.

 

[RBEmerson]

Back on topic... recently I had to do a very tight "back and fill" to turn the car around. I no longer fumble with the shifter. I am also grateful for the 360° camera. No grass was harmed in the excitement. [/ grin]

BTW, 240 pounds of granular salt didn't faze the trunk, boot, whatever. 40 lb sacks (times six) of the stuff fazed the driver. [/ big grin]

 

[Watson58]

You should have received an alert that your fob battery was getting weak. Many new cars has electric shifters rather than mechanical shift mechanisms now. My newer Jeep Grand Cherokee does as well as new ford, Jaguars, Mercedes etc. All would be subject to the loss of the ability to power up the car to shift into neutral. I do keep a spare battery in all my cars for the key fob.

Yes I would think with the technology I would have gotten a text, an email or some message on the dashboard. Nope, walked out of the supermarket, opened the door (obviously the fob was still detected at that time), press the brake, hit the start button and nothing (message "key not detected"). Volvo online said put it in the cup holder --nothing.

 

[Szeb]

Here is another argument for the "dumb" shifter. When you call for a tow, make sure to get a flatbed tow. A regular tow that hooks up your car and "drag" it wont work. I had a tow called when my fob went dead and the driver couldn't tow because we couldn't put the car into "neutral" --there is no display on the dashboard to show the transmission position. Moral of the story, depending where you are, 1. Volvo roadside assistance is useless (have a triple A membership in addition). 2. Have an extra fob hidden somewhere in your trunk or have a Duracell CR 2032 battery handy. When the fob died, you have a different level of a headache since Volvo on call cannot do anything but tow you to the dealership.

you can still get into your car and start it if the key fob is dead. To unlock your door you pull the door handle out and the key hole is behind the handle. and to start your car with the key fob.. i don't know about the XC40 but my XC90 you lay the dead key fob in the cup holder where the key logo is and press the brakes and start the car like you usually would. it should be the exact same in the XC40. i was lazy and started my car like this for about a month before i finally got the battery changed.

 

[whiteyjfm]

This is what they told us too when we bought the car. Guess we will find out one day when the battery die on us.

 

[Szeb]

you can still get into your car and start it if the key fob is dead. To unlock your door you pull the door handle out and the key hole is behind the handle. and to start your car with the key fob.. i don't know about the XC40 but my XC90 you lay the dead key fob in the cup holder where the key logo is and press the brakes and start the car like you usually would. it should be the exact same in the XC40. i was lazy and started my car like this for about a month before i finally got the battery changed.

I looked and its not in the cup holder like the XC90. It's in the center console behind the trash can. if you remove that you can see it. Place your dead key fob on that logo and foot on the break and press the start button and it will start the car.

 

[RBEmerson]

Why does the shifter go forward for reverse, back for drive? I get the double pop, although IMHO it's a little odd. It's the direction that I don't understand.

For the record, what the h*** was I thinking? Even Audi does it. There's no need to double pop the shifter, just blow right through and hope for the best. In a word: nevermind.

 

[Watson58]

you can still get into your car and start it if the key fob is dead. To unlock your door you pull the door handle out and the key hole is behind the handle. and to start your car with the key fob.. i don't know about the XC40 but my XC90 you lay the dead key fob in the cup holder where the key logo is and press the brakes and start the car like you usually would. it should be the exact same in the XC40. i was lazy and started my car like this for about a month before i finally got the battery changed.

No it doesn't on the XC 40.