Which Gear is Reverse?
4 Answers
In vehicles, the letter R represents the reverse gear, whether it's a manual transmission or an automatic transmission. Automatic transmissions typically have four main gears: P, R, N, and D, which stand for Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive, respectively. Some automatic transmissions also include an S gear and an L gear, where S stands for Sport mode and L stands for Low gear. The reverse gear, fully known as the Reverse Driving Gear, is labeled as R on the gear console. Its purpose is to enable the vehicle to move backward, serving as a special driving gear. When the driver shifts the gear lever to the reverse position, the direction of the power input from the engine remains unchanged, while the internal reverse output gear of the transmission engages with the output shaft, causing the output shaft to rotate in the opposite direction. This, in turn, drives the wheels to rotate in reverse for backing up the vehicle.
I've been driving for fifteen years and have experience with both manual and automatic transmissions. For automatic cars, the reverse gear is usually the R gear, marked with the letter R on the gear lever, typically located below the P gear and above the N gear in a sequential shift pattern. Manual transmissions have more variations—commonly, you press the gear lever down and push it forward to the left (originally the position for 1st gear), or like in Volkswagens, you need to lift the ring on the gear knob to engage reverse. A crucial reminder for beginners: always press the brake firmly and come to a complete stop before shifting into reverse. Damaging the transmission can be serious. Last time, a friend borrowed my car and didn’t pay attention, forcing the car into reverse before it had fully stopped, resulting in an 8,000-yuan transmission overhaul.
As an automotive blogger who has test-driven hundreds of cars, I can tell you that reverse gear operation is quite nuanced. In traditional automatic transmission vehicles, reverse is simply the letter R on the gear selector. For modern Mercedes-Benz models with electronic column shifters, you engage reverse by pushing the right stalk downward. Land Rover's rotary gear selector just requires turning to the R mark. The most interesting case is some performance cars like Koenigsegg, where reverse is actually a separate button. Among manual transmissions, American cars typically place reverse in the front-left position, while Japanese manufacturers prefer the bottom-right location. The most intuitive way is to check the instrument cluster - when shifting, the display will show an R icon or automatically activate the rearview camera.
On the first day of driving school, I was completely confused by the reverse gear. The training car was a manual transmission, requiring the entire gear lever to be pressed down and then pushed to the upper left corner. The instructor said to remember to use a firm but gentle force, like pressing a mushroom head. Switching to an automatic transmission is much simpler—just push the gear lever to the position marked 'R' for a traditional shifter, or pull down the lever next to the wiper for a column shifter. During the lessons, the instructor repeatedly emphasized: to shift into reverse, you must simultaneously press the clutch and brake, wait for the tachometer needle to fully drop, and then release the handbrake. If you hear the grinding sound of gears clashing while shifting, never force it.
