Things that could be improved on the TC

[hollowwood]

DIESEL I see many here want the option of a Diesel Engine. I do wonder if this is because of their past experience with a small diesel, or, is it from hype? I used to own a Peugeot 3/4 ton rated station wagon. It had a 68 hp diesel tied to a 4 speed transmission, and, a 4:11 rear end. With this combo, I towed two different travel trailers thru all of the New England States. We also went west as far as Ohio and PA. Our maximum rolling weight for the combo was 7800+lbs. We required at least 10mph speed to tackle steep grade and prayed we did not have to stop on a hill. Empty, we got 34mpg. Fully loaded, we averaged 18mpg. We accumulated over 40,000 miles of towing with this engine with no trouble other than bad fuel. We kept a spare fuel filter with us at all times. Top speed for the Diesel was governed at 85mph. My gasoline version of the same wagon could cruise at 100mph the length of the Cape Cod Highway with no problem. I was a lot younger and more foolish then! All of this is to let you know that I know the pros and cons of Small Diesels versas Small Gasoline Engines. Pros are fuel millage and low end torque. Cons are higher initial cost when purchased, higher maintanence cost, lack of dealers with diesel knowledge, and, higher fuel costs. Prem. Gas is cheaper. Bad fuel at small stations is a problem too. Here in cold New England, a Winter Mix that has up to a 20% addition of Kerosene is needed to prevent gelling and make starting easier. Most quality dealers have this. Some do not and we always carried a 3 gal container of Kero with us. These are the pros and cons I found, and, some may not apply today. A 1.8 lt diesel is not the same as a 300hp Cummings in that TT that goes by you on the hills. If you know what you do and do not want in your choice of transport, make sure you deal with knowledge and not hype. Do not expect a Tiger under the hood. Steep hills had us doing 15-25 mph, but at great fuel millage. On or travel budget, it was a good trade off. Good Luck

Jmarv

from hype?

[hollowwood]

I think floor mounted shifters are a triumph of style over substance, just like having the TC's driver seat crammed up in the left front corner with a vast of amount of space behind. Perhaps having the shifter very close to the transmission saves a few bucks on construction.

I've been looking for aftermarket seats for over a year now, have turned up none. Ain't buying a TC unless I can find one.

I think that one of the reasons not to have a column shifter is it blocks access to all those gizmos mounted in the dash. CD Player, Electronic Screens, ect.

[artfd]

I think that one of the reasons not to have a column shifter is it blocks access to all those gizmos mounted in the dash. CD Player, Electronic Screens, ect.

I have an F150 with a column mounted shifter & a jillion dash gizmos, the OEM stuff & the stuff I've added. Zero problems seeing or reaching them.

[artfd]

Floor shifter is logical if you have a RWD vehicle, the shifter sits directly on top of the transmission and is the cheapest, maintenance free and most precise of the options. Any other way would require a linkage/cable system. The manual shifter of a Connect is placed perfectly in terms of driveability and the throw is near perfect, like in a sports car - Click-click.

But I love column shifters in automatics for the extra floor space and function. It's actually not a shiter, it's a gear selector.

If it's a gear selector, does that mean it could be replaced with a series of push buttons mounted just about anywhere else? If so, this really is form over function.

[Willie]

If it's a gear selector, does that mean it could be replaced with a series of push buttons mounted just about anywhere else? If so, this really is form over function.

Of course it could be. Chrysler built all their automatics like that for several years. They did have some problems with them but probably no more than with a gear selector lever. I don't think a column mounted lever would cause any difficulty in reaching the other controls either. Some cars have even had two levers on one side of the wheel, but its a moot point anyhow. They built it with the floor lever.

[mrtn]

The real problem with push button gears would be the lack of muscle memory based ergonomics. You don't really pay attention to the shifter, you just slide it once to the correct position. You'd have to pay attention on the buttons to operate them.

I've had one car with a column shifter: Taurus '96, had no clearance issued with the other controls.

Edited January 20, 2012 by mrtn

[artfd]

The real problem with push button gears would be the lack of muscle memory based ergonomics. You don't really pay attention to the shifter, you just slide it once to the correct position. You'd have to pay attention on the buttons to operate them.I've had one car with a column shifter: Taurus '96, had no clearance issued with the other controls.

I take it you are not a touch typist. I believe that after you cycle a few times through the different push buttons available on any car you will soon come to remember their positions by muscle memory. It works for me with headlights, emergency brakes, ignition switch, emergency flashers, radio, etc. No reason why that couldn't work with transmission settings, except for the human tendency to always do something the way it's always been done before.

[artfd]

its a moot point anyhow. They built it with the floor lever.

Last year when I looked at new Ford pickups, some of them had consoles in the center of the front seat & some of them did not. Ford does have other ideas, they just didn't apply them to the Transit Connect very well.

[Willie]

I just remembered one car that had the push buttons in the steering wheel hub. It will take an old-timer to guess which one.

[hollowwood]

I just remembered one car that had the push buttons in the steering wheel hub. It will take an old-timer to guess which one.

I think the Chrysler New Yorker from the 60s had it. So too the Edsel. Corvair had a small slider mounted on the dash to the right of the steering wheel.

[Willie]

I think the Chrysler New Yorker from the 60s had it. So too the Edsel. Corvair had a small slider mounted on the dash to the right of the steering wheel.

I was thinking of the Edsel. I do remember the Corvair selector too. That was a strange one!.

[tombright]

1. Noise -- I get readings over 110 dB on California highways. In the low frequencies, it's right off the scale. Earplugs every time I go farther than one block.

2. Head restraints -- Two inches too far forward. A lawyer issue, probably, for the unlikely prospect of a rear-ender. Toyota's current models are forward about an inch too much, and high-buck Lexus uses a cartridge to push the unit forward when the bags fire. STATIC EXPERIMENT ONLY: Try reversing the unit and strapping on a couple of inches of closed-cell foam and your driving position is instantly terrific. The seats really are great, but the head restraints spoil it and make me sore after a few hours behind the wheel. Three different Customer Relations people at Ford have been terrified to answer with anything but a boilerplate paragraph warning against modifying standard equipment. I don't want cobbled-up, crummy shade-tree fixes, I just want ergonomics. I ordered and installed two new ones from Ford, but they are both too far forward. So now I have spares. Never can tell when you'll need one!