Hi have just purchased new 1.5 8 speed Focus Vignale estate, very pleased with the car. Car has rotary gear selector with L button in the middle which I presume is low ratio but cannot find any info in the handbook which is totally useless, have contacted Ford to no avail. Anyone have similar problems?

Yes it's low it holds onto a low gear till you go back to drive.

Is this a Vignale thing or a new auto box thing? I have an ST Line X Auto (a 2019) and it has P R D N and an M button in the middle, no L on my dial.

Think L was on the 6 speed auto box but not 8 speed  so they must have added the feature.

On my 19 plate the M button puts it permanently in semi auto and will keep the selected gear.

Just using the paddles in D it only stays in semi auto for a short time, it will go back to D if you don't change gear again.

I believe the M is for manual mode and is for vehicles with flappy paddles and L is low gear as described above. Vehicles with the L option don't have flappy paddles 

Setting gearbox to M will automatically downshift in my Focus, but not shift up though, that has to be done using the paddles. I usually remember this after the intersection, when my engine is revving at 5000 rpm and the gear is not changing. 😏

This thread is like sussing out secret German Enigma codes......lol

1 hour ago, Ian Lanc said:

This thread is like sussing out secret German Enigma codes......lol

***** hand book is useless, they can’t even spell colour!!😂

Whats the point of low ratio gears in a normal hatch?  LR defender maybe but not a Focus.

I've set mine in 'M' just to see what it does, the box still doesn't let you do something it thinks isn't sensible. I've tried going all the way up the gears to 8 and it stops me at 6 if it's at too low revs (sensible). It also wont let me slam down the gears. I've not bothered with it since that one play and just leave it in D. This car is turning me into a really lazy driver! 

2 hours ago, Guy Heaton said:

Whats the point of low ratio gears in a normal hatch?  LR defender maybe but not a Focus.

I don’t think it’s low range, I think it simply keeps the gearbox in lower gears, useful on steep downhill I guess to take the pressure off the brakes.

Ah right yes, like old style d,3,2,1 boxes.  Makes sense if you don't have paddles.

That said I wouldn't have any auto box now that didn't give me a proper semi 😀 even if it was just off the gear stick, +-.

1 hour ago, Frowma said:

I've set mine in 'M' just to see what it does, the box still doesn't let you do something it thinks isn't sensible. I've tried going all the way up the gears to 8 and it stops me at 6 if it's at too low revs (sensible). It also wont let me slam down the gears. I've not bothered with it since that one play and just leave it in D. This car is turning me into a really lazy driver! 

Hehehe, like every auto driver when we first get one we all have a go with the paddles or the +- on the gear stick.

Then we just stick it in D.  I mean if I want it to hold the gear longer in the revs I'll just use Sport mode 

just recieved my new auto with L  on knob......  does that mean i have only got 6 gear auto  have we gone backwards?

2 hours ago, strat69 said:

just recieved my new auto with L  on knob......  does that mean i have only got 6 gear auto  have we gone backwards?

Does yours have the paddles on the back of the steering wheel?

The Ford website and the downloadable brochure still show the M button in the middle.

This is from the brochure:

"8-speed automatic transmission All-new Focus’s automatic transmission is highly responsive, smooth and efficient. It delivers rapid shifting for effortless acceleration. Featuring a contemporary rotary gear shift dial that helps to liberate space in the centre console, the transmission also includes paddle shift controls on the steering wheel to enhance your driving experience. (Option on 1.0L Ford EcoBoost 125 PS, 1.5L Ford EcoBoost 150 PS and 182 PS, 1.5L Ford EcoBlue 120 PS and 2.0L Ford EcoBlue 150 PS engines)"

However, that brochure isn't up to date I think. The models all have "EDITION" after the model name when you go on the website now and the brochure doesn't show that.

no has L button in the middle  that's why iam confused   like you said all pics I have seen show M  INTHE MIDDLE  I wanted the paddle option....

20 hours ago, Guy Heaton said:

Whats the point of low ratio gears in a normal hatch?  LR defender maybe but not a Focus.

It's not low ratio it just use the low gears

M is manual you get this if you have the paddles, L is a hold on the low gears.

My Vignale 2020.25 model year also has the L option and no paddles but was stated on all the paperwork as an 8 speed auto gearbox. Never even saw the option of paddles when configuring. 

I'm sure they back when I was researching buying in 2019 the Ford site said all 8speed autos come with paddles.  There were certainly vignales on auto trader with paddles.

I have a 2020 auto with 'M' and paddles. ST Line X model. Maybe it's model dependent?

Although classed as a 2019 model my Focus Titanium X 1.5 auto reg late dec 2018 has the M and has the steering wheel paddles.

Is this yet another little known spec change introduced by Ford like the multi link suspension. ?

Thankfully I have both Paddles and multi link before the change.

My 2018 MY Focus has the paddles, it was then a part of my car configuration with A8 gearbox, if I remember correctly.

I've read that they've been since dropped, with the outside lock/unlock sensors in the back doors handles to save £££.

3 minutes ago, Freeze said:

My 2018 MY Focus has the paddles, it was then a part of my car configuration with A8 gearbox, if I remember correctly.

I've read that they've been since dropped, with the outside lock/unlock sensors in the back doors handles to save £££.

Yes, forgot about the back door lock/unlock sensors being dropped.

Thankfully I do have that option with the paddles and multi link.