A driver can move between unfamiliar modern cars and still understand the transmission selector within seconds. Park sits at one end, followed by Reverse, Neutral and Drive. Lower ranges, manual modes
Neutral has a reassuring name. It sounds harmless, disconnected and mechanically impartial. Put the selector in N, release the parking brake and the car can roll. Surely that means it can also be towe
A dead battery is annoying in any parking space. It becomes considerably more awkward when the car is nose-first inside a garage and the tow truck needs it in Neutral. The brake pedal feels normal.
At some point, almost everybody driving an automatic transmission has glanced down at the gear selector and thought: “Okay, I know P, R, N, D... but what exactly is L supposed to be?”
While SUVs have become a staple of American roads over the past couple decades, very few new ones are still available with a manual gearbox. Truth is the manual isn't being sold as an option with
Manual transmissions are almost extinct in new cars — less than 1% of 2024 models came with a stick. And yet, for the few still holding the clutch, it’s more than just nostalgia. Driving s
Most people think dual-clutch transmissions showed up out of nowhere in the 2000s, right around the time paddle shifters went mainstream. In reality, the idea is a lot older — and the journey to
A sticky gear shifter is one of those problems that instantly makes a driver imagine the worst. But before assuming the transmission is dying a dramatic (and expensive) death, there are plenty of comm
Nobody really thinks about transmissions until something goes wrong. You just get in, hit drive, and go. But there's some seriously weird stuff happening in there that most people have no clue abo
Got tired of dealing with a clutch and made the switch to automatic? Smart move. No more burning out clutches at red lights or rolling backwards on hills while some jerk honks behind you. But here'