Am I the only one that finds it odd that reaching for a column is uncomfortable, but reaching even further fo a dial isn't?
I assume you've never had major shoulder issues? I'd count your blessings. The issue is raising your arm to reach for the column. As he said, shifting his body to reach the dial does not induce strain on the shoulder. You could pretty easily use the column shift with your left hand, since it's not a manual and wouldn't require constant movement of it, but I can see it would just be easier with the dial. We all take for granted the simple actions of moving in certain ways, until we cant move in those ways anymore. I remember the 2 times I had back surgery, the number one "don't" my doctor told me was absolutely in no way to twist my body. Any turn I made, needed to be done by turning my entire body by stepping with my feet or rolling if I was laying in bed. It sounds simple enough, until you are laying on your back and trying to get out of bed. You have to really think about things and make a concerted effort to move in specific ways, because natural tendencies are to do things as we always have.
For me and my own taste, I neither like it or dislike it. It is a method to change gears and nothing more. If the truck had a column shifter, I would feel the same way. I do prefer a console shifter so I have a place to rest my hand, but I'm not bothered by the lack of one in the truck. I also do not understand how someone grabs the volume knob or AC knob instead. They are not really that close together, and are a completely different size. That is simply someone paying absolutely zero attention to anything they are doing, which is rather scary considering the size and power in the vehicle we are driving. Hopefully it was a lesson learned and doesn't happen again.
