GR Yaris: The Gear Position Indicator Effect of a Long Shift Lever

Recently, thanks to the long lever of the CAE Quick Shifter, I, Rikutsu-Kone-Taro, noticed a slight intrusion of the red knob into the driver’s field of view, allowing them to see the gear position at that location (let’s call it the position indicator effect)… so, this time, let’s talk about that.

(Author’s note: In the 2024 model change, the GR Yaris was equipped with a gear position indicator. Perhaps the voices of owners with logical reasoning like Rikutsu-Kone-Taro reached them?)

I had been thinking since the day of delivery request that it would be nice if the 2020 GR Yaris owned by Rikutsu-Kone-Taro had a gear position indicator.

Although I searched for aftermarket devices, there were quite a few that indicated the timing for shifting up, but I struggled to find a device that would tell me what gear I was currently in.

Then, one day, while driving the usual winding road, I noticed a red object barely visible in the periphery of my field of view.

With practice, could I learn to recognize the gear position based on the position of the red knob?

Probably, yes.

On the day of the shoot, I used the equipment available to Rikutsu-Kone-Taro to approximate the driver’s viewpoint as closely as possible and photographed the position of each gear.

By the way, the camera used was the OM-1 from the OM system, with a 7-14mm zoom lens. All shots were taken at 7mm, handheld.

First is 1st gear. (Photo 1)

It is apparent that the gear position can be discerned from the position of the red knob entering the lower left field of view. Would you agree with the position indicator effect?

As reiterated several times in this blog, Rikutsu-Kone-Taro is a novice driver.

Although adept at cobbling together logical explanations that make him seem like a skilled driver, in reality, he is far from it, more of the type to simply enjoy the sensation of speed.

As a result, I sometimes struggle with not knowing the shift position while driving.

According to an acquaintance who is skilled at driving, knowing the shift position is not necessary.

It seems that it’s sufficient to trust your senses and choose whether to stay in the current position, shift up, or shift down based on the situation.

I understand that it’s about getting to know the body better by spending more time driving.

Of course, Rikutsu-Kone-Taro has not reached that level.

Even if he had, he still believes it’s important to know the current position before shifting gears, as the shifting operation differs between 4th to 5th and 3rd to 4th gears in an H-pattern MT.

Whether shifting up or down, in an H-pattern MT, the shifting operation varies depending on the current position.

To execute lightning-fast shifts, you inevitably want to know the current shift position.

Now, does that problem disappear with I-pattern sequential? Not in Rikutsu-Kone-Taro’s case. He still wants to know the shift position.

For motorcycles and the like, which operate in I-pattern sequential, based on Rikutsu-Kone-Taro’s experience with motorcycles, there’s hardly any worry about shifting up.

The problem arises when shifting down.

While the shifting down operation itself is the same from any shift position, Rikutsu-Kone-Taro struggles with whether to drop one gear or two… for example, dropping from 5th gear to 3rd gear is within the wide range of defense, but dropping two gears from 4th gear results in 2nd gear, potentially dropping the vehicle speed below the desired speed or raising the engine speed too much.

Therefore, even with I-pattern sequential, he wants to know the current gear position just before the gear change.

Moreover, if it’s an H-pattern, since the operation itself changes depending on the current position, it’s even more crucial… that’s Rikutsu-Kone-Taro’s argument.

By the way, in the motorcycle world, there is a term called “quick shifter,” which refers to a mechanism that controls the engine management, unlike the short stroke quick shifter for cars.

In the United States, there are also people who refer to mechanisms like the one called “quick shifter” on this page as “short shifters.”

Well, anyway, while thinking about wanting a gear position indicator, driving the GR Yaris, as mentioned at the beginning, I noticed that the shift position could be recognized from the position of the red knob. (As of January 2024. The recently announced New GR Yaris has a shift position indicator implemented. I’m thrilled!)

Super lucky.

The position indicator effect, a benefit I hadn’t imagined when deciding to introduce this quick shifter.

So, while thinking about various things, to avoid damaging the car, causing inconvenience to others, or giving the police a hard time, I enjoy the GR Yaris.

That’s the story.

That’s all for this time.