My shiny brand new Mk8 Titanium stood ready, perfectly placed for me to drive away easily in a smooth curve. The salesman, having explained many of its features, returned to the showroom.

I started the engine for the first time. Then someone drove on to the forecourt and parked awkwardly. I needed to reverse a bit. Confidently I smacked the gear lever to the right and pulled it towards me. It didn't feel good and on gingerly bringing up the clutch the car inched forward and stalled – obviously in 6^th. Restarted, pushed gear lever down hard, tried again. No good, stalled again. Tried again, pulling lever up. Still no good. Several more attempts – total fail!

Feeling a complete idiot I rushed back to showroom, rudely interrupting salesman's dealings with another customer, to learn that there's a collar around the gear lever which has to be lifted.

Fifty-eight years of driving experience and I didn't know that!

Hopefully I may spare some embarrassment for a new owner encountering a six-speed gearbox for the first time.

2 minutes ago, wealdman said:

My shiny brand new Mk8 Titanium stood ready, perfectly placed for me to drive away easily in a smooth curve. The salesman, having explained many of its features, returned to the showroom.

I started the engine for the first time. Then someone drove on to the forecourt and parked awkwardly. I needed to reverse a bit. Confidently I smacked the gear lever to the right and pulled it towards me. It didn't feel good and on gingerly bringing up the clutch the car inched forward and stalled – obviously in 6^th. Restarted, pushed gear lever down hard, tried again. No good, stalled again. Tried again, pulling lever up. Still no good. Several more attempts – total fail!

Feeling a complete idiot I rushed back to showroom, rudely interrupting salesman's dealings with another customer, to learn that there's a collar around the gear lever which has to be lifted.

Fifty-eight years of driving experience and I didn't know that!

Hopefully I may spare some embarrassment for a new owner encountering a six-speed gearbox for the first time.

LOL

48 minutes ago, wealdman said:

 

Hopefully I may spare some embarrassment for a new owner encountering a six-speed gearbox for the first time.

It could have been worse. When I read the bit about reversing I was expecting you to continue with "into...."!

Although I've had a couple of 6 speed Fords with reverse collar I also got caught out when test driving the Mk 8 as my previous cars have had reverse in the opposite position i.e. to the left of first.

 

As you say it takes a bit of getting used to pulling the collar up. I have had my Mk 8 since August and it took almost a month to get it right ever time. Like you I have been driving for nearly 60 years. Hope you get as much pleasure driving your new car as I am mine.

Only just seen on pics that reverse is next to 6th.

All my 6 speed Fords have had it next to first instead.

Must be the new box they are using for the Fiesta.

I hope the Fiesta ST has it next to first or I'm going to get myself right confused and probably go forwards into something.

Encountered this problem many years ago in the early 80's. I had a temporary job at a relatives Vauxhall garage. I was asked to drive a car (early Astra I think)  over to their coachworks unit which was about 10 miles up the road. They asked me to follow another guy in a van who would bring me back. He set off and I had to reverse out of the parking area, except I couldn't get reverse. He was merrily on his way thinking the car following him was me, unfortunately it was just a similar random car of the same colour. Five minutes later I was still strying to get reverse and too embarassed to ask anyone how to do it. Eventually the van driver came back after the guy he thought was me turned off 5 miles up the road :).

He showed me the collar round the gear lever shaft, I thought it was just some chrome trim, never seen one like that before.

 

I remember vauxhall cavaliers had that, I think chevettes did too, and I'm pretty sure a Fiat Panda hire car I had in Greece a couple of years ago also had it. I always thought it was quite a good idea.  Compared to some cars Cortina etc where you pushed the gear lever downwards, because it was easy to do that without intending to particularly when the rubber spring buffer thing got soft with age.

 

Lol, I didn't find it too hard to adjust to a 6sp with reverse in various places...but going back to 5sp is the issue...I still go for 6th on the motorway even now, I've owned the 5sp Focus for 3 years! 

 

years ago I used to ride lots of different motorbikes. The gear lever returns to the same position after every change, and you can't see it anyway as it's by your left foot. Virtually no bikes those days had an indicator up by the speedo to tell you what gear you were in. so you kept trying to change up to the next gear to find there were no more left. If it was your own bike you got used to the feel so knew if any more gears to change up to, but many people would change the gearing on their bikes to suit their style of riding, by changing the size of the chain sprockets (mainly the one on the rear wheel) so if it was not your own bike you could not really tell from the feel of rpm versus speed. 

Focus 2010 - Escort 1971

Reverse - Focus right down - Escort left up

Mirrors - Focus brilliant - Escort crap

Clutch - Focus soft & smooth - Escort - Hard & paddle

Indicators - Focus left - Escort right

Headlight switch - Focus to the right - Escort on the left

Reversing - Focus reverse light & parking sensors - Escort neither

I could go on.... But I'd bore you all to death.......