What is the name of the gear shifting lever?
3 Answers
The lever used for shifting gears is called the gear shift lever, and its function is to change the car's gears. Introduction to the gears: 1. P stands for Park, used when the vehicle is parked for a long time; 2. R stands for Reverse, engaged when the vehicle needs to move backward; 3. N stands for Neutral, engaged when the vehicle is parked for a short time without turning off the engine; 4. D stands for Drive, when the gear shift lever is in D, the vehicle will automatically switch gears based on throttle opening and speed data; 5. S stands for Sport mode, making the vehicle drive more sportily; 6. M stands for Manual mode, when the gear shift lever is in M, gear shifting is done manually by the driver; 7. L stands for Low gear, suitable for driving at a constant speed.
That stick for shifting gears is commonly called the gear shift lever—the thing you grip and push around to control speed while driving. Actually, different cars have amusing names for it. In manual transmission cars, it's often called the gear stick, while driving school instructors used to shout 'shift lever.' In automatic transmission cars, it's referred to as the gear selector, but they all feel the same—either cold metal or wrapped in leather. Nowadays, some cars get creative, like column shifters behind the steering wheel, rotary dials on the center console, or even push-button gear selectors. If you're used to traditional gear levers and suddenly drive an electronic shifter, you might instinctively reach toward the armrest only to grab air—pretty funny. Veteran drivers say the grip and feel of the gear shift directly affect driving mood, and I totally agree.
The proper term is gearshift lever, but who talks that fancy in real life? At the repair shop, we just call it the shifter. Just replaced the entire shift knob on a Ford the other day. The most interesting ones are those off-road vehicles - their shifters look like aircraft joysticks, giving you this awesome sense of control when gripping them. Electric cars take it further - Tesla hides it in the touchscreen, while Porsche 911's tiny razor-like shifter looks absolutely refined. Anyone who's driven cars with rotary shifters knows you can't help glancing down to check the gear position at first. Once while waiting at a red light in a customer's Range Rover, I was absentmindedly feeling the warm wood grain on the shifter and got mistaken for a car thief.
