Het Scotty,
Going to buy a 2021 Ridgeline (I've had my '07 for 14 years and I love it). What do you think of the push button shifter? I'm a bit leery - say you have a dead battery and need to shift into neutral to push the vehicle - will it still shift? Thanks, and I wish I could find an honest mechanic like you near me!
Gil Evans
Inman, SC
Most shifters are electronic now. So even most of the ones with handles won't go into neutral.
I still like the handles though.
I would rather have a mechanical shifter, specially for a pick up truck. I think the button shifters are kind of absurd since you should look at them to change the gears and it is kind of dangerous.
Couldn't agree more! Very unergonomic, to say the least.
Agree with Mr. Carlos about the electronic shifting. In fact, I know of tow truck operators who cannot get transmissions into neutral, so they have to pull/load vehicles by dragging them with wheels locked.
I don’t know about the Honda shifter specifically, but my experience with a BMW electronic shifter is there is an mechanical bypass. I suspect there is a mechanical bypass for the Honda too.
I read somewhere the newer models are eliminating these mech bypasses (several mfg's, including honda as I recall)... a shame as the car still represent the mfg AND THEIR REPUTATION.
And I agree with the others above. Even though it is a lever, many shifters are I deed electronic.
It's alright but after just a year or two of use the letters start wearing off. Idiotic honda engineers at their finest.
