The MX - 5 RF is great fun on twisty mountain roads and has a lot going for it: responsive steering, the world's most playful
stubby gear lever that acts like the tail of an overly excited labradoodle, wagging at you when it's time to shift up and, of course, limitless headroom with sky blue headliner.
And you wouldn't mistake the «14's
stubby gear lever (your link to six speeds in the new car, five in the old) for belonging to anything else than a Miata.
Our only real criticism of the interior is the fiddly operation of
the stubby gear lever.
Not exact matches
However, you can't fit an Alcantara
gear lever gaiter on cars equipped with the dual - clutch «box — the short
stubby lever that the semi-auto transmission comes with sprouts from the centre console without any need of a fabric or leather covering.
The shifter is fantastic -
stubby lever, quick throws — but I find the dogleg first
gear, down and left, a bit strange.
However, the Jeep's transfer case is easier to shift than the Land Rover's, which required quite a few stabs of the
stubby lever to lock in
gear for off - road driving.
Inside, cool details like a
stubby electronic
gear lever, vent roundels, and some off - beat colouring like a very wine - like red upholstery make for a Kia that could very well be true to the word of its creators.
All versions with a manual gearbox benefit from a
stubby, short throw
gear lever, too.
The
stubby lever on the floor next to the shifter rises out of a transfer case, a secondary transmission that can step the 4Runner down into a lower
gear range, for crawling.