What is the sequence of automatic transmission gears?
2 Answers
Automatic transmission gear sequence is P, R, N, D. The details are as follows: 1. P gear: Parking gear, which should logically be the first or last. 2. D gear: Drive gear, theoretically it could be placed anywhere, but currently most are manual-automatic integrated. After shifting to D gear, there are additional forward (up) or backward (down) or left-right operations for manual mode or S gear sport mode. Placing it in the middle is neither reasonable nor convenient, so the last position is more logical. 3. R gear: Reverse gear. If it is swapped with N gear (neutral), being adjacent makes it easy to mistakenly shift into drive gear, which can lead to traffic accidents or damage the transmission. Therefore, N gear is placed in the middle as a buffer, and it is also convenient to shift to neutral when stopping, such as waiting at a red light or for a brief stop. 4. N gear: Neutral gear, with reverse gear above and drive gear below, allowing easy shifting up and down.
I did some research on this when I was driving an automatic transmission car before. The gear sequence is basically arranged as P-R-N-D-S/L, with the P (Park) gear at the top, and the R (Reverse) gear for backing up. You must press the brake to shift gears, especially when moving out of P gear, which is very noticeable—this design is to prevent misoperation. The D (Drive) gear is the most commonly used forward gear, while gears like S (Sport) or L (Low) are for special road conditions, such as climbing steep slopes where L gear provides more power. Once, when driving a friend's car, I discovered there was also an M (Manual) gear for manual shifting, but for most daily driving, the D gear is completely sufficient. Automatic transmissions are easy to use, but not understanding these symbols can be quite dangerous.
