What Gear is the Reverse Gear?
3 Answers
Reverse gear is indicated by the letter 'R' on the gear lever. Here is some related information about reverse gear: 1. For manual transmission vehicles, the parking gear and neutral gear are the same, located in the middle gap of the gear positions. However, when parking, it is essential to engage the handbrake. The position of the reverse gear varies depending on the vehicle model. In most 5-speed cars, the reverse gear is located below the 5th gear. In some vehicles, the reverse gear shares the same position as the 1st gear, but engaging reverse requires pressing down the gear knob before shifting into reverse. 2. In automatic transmission cars, the reverse gear is usually positioned towards the front of the gear console, right after the P (Park) gear and before the N (Neutral) gear. Whether the car has a P gear or not, there is always a neutral gear between the reverse gear and the drive gear. To engage or disengage the R gear, you must press the brake pedal and either press the safety button on the gear lever or push down the gear shift lever.
As a car enthusiast who often helps friends with car purchases, I think the reverse gear is the one new drivers mess up most often. Reverse is the gear that lets you back up, marked with a big 'R' on the shift lever. I remember during driving lessons, the instructor yelled the loudest about having to fully press the brake and come to a complete stop before shifting into reverse—otherwise, the transmission would make terrifying grinding noises. For manual transmissions, you have to press the shift button before pushing into reverse, while automatics require either pressing a lock-release button or stepping on the brake. The funniest moment was watching a new driver roll backward on a slope—turns out they didn’t fully engage reverse, and the transmission just whined stubbornly without moving. Nowadays, new cars come with backup cameras and beeping sensors, but never rely solely on the screen and forget to check your mirrors!
When teaching our wives to drive, we discovered that the reverse gear operation actually hides a little trick. To shift from P to R in an automatic transmission, you must press the brake and press the unlock button on the gear lever, which is equivalent to a double insurance against accidental touch. The reverse gear ratio is designed to be larger than the first gear, so it's best to take it easy when reversing, otherwise it will shoot out faster than a rabbit. The difference between mechanical and electronic gears is also here. Mechanical gears require some hand strength to shift, while electronic gears are much more elegant, just touch the paddle. In the past, old cars required lifting the ring to engage reverse, but now they all have locking mechanisms. By the way, the electric current sound when reversing is the motor driving, and cars with automatic start-stop will deliberately restart the engine, don't think it's a fault.
