Something along those lines, but more a matter of the "why" the latest PDK shifter is so small:

In asking a designer, I learned early plans to do what they've done in the past for the PDK shifter were met with an interesting comment from an engineer: If you put a big lever there, humans will feed big torque in it (apparently, we'd all be surprised by just how much). And then, he said, you have to build a new PDK shifter that can deal with that torque, which adds weight to a shifter few use vs the paddles. So, small shifter > less torque fed into it > less weight.

 

Porsche must be in cahoots with the #MeToo movement. There was a time when a manly shifter was acceptable and thrusting torque was desired

Now they're trying to feminize every male ... there's nothing wrong with a BIG lever. Some guys prefer to FEED BIG TORQUE apparently as you say!

You know this is all some made up excuse for a small, inadequate, (and fugly) shifter. The Porsche engineers aren't fooling me!!! You're sitting in a seat and are literally putting little weight on the shifter. If anything, you'd have more leverage over the *small* shorty stubby shifter.

The only way you'd have a lot of torque pressing down on your shifter is if there was a girl on your lap, but that's another story.

Pete, you don't buy all this engineer nonsense do you??

 

The 991 PDK shifter always looked out of place and it bit clumsy. Like shifter *** *****

 

You must really have liked the GT3 shifter then!

You have some weird taste my friend, you are the only one over the years that I've heard mention that did not like the 991 shifter. You're also one of the 3 people on here showing love for nubbin. Hmmmmmmm ... shifter size envy?

 

How about a conspiracy to convince more customers to but a manual car: Make the PDK shifter an emasculating analog, and watch men line up to buy a real stick.

 

The only reason Porsche still makes manuals is because the Rennlist lynch mob. They would have given up a long time ago #MeToo

 

As one of my orthopaedic surgery mentors would say, the nubbin is a "solution looking for a problem." Perhaps the 911 interior engineers were just looking to mix things up? Perhaps they thought the nubbin was more in keeping with the ethos of the 911 (unlikely)? Perhaps it really was to decrease the torque that the driver has to use in order to drive? For me, that is an over-engineered excuse for an over-engineered nubbin which is - to me and to many others - far uglier than the outgoing gear shifter and without debate less functional.

There are more attractive and more ergonomic ways to go about providing a drive-park-reverse function.

I do not think it is a coincidence that the nubbin does not get any "air time" from Porsche when showing off its newest 911. The nubbin is sure to end up in the "where are they now?" bin of the Porsche engineering laboratory.

 

The nubbin avoids the reach around to switches and buttons - and is neutral relative to a LHD or RHD car. I'm not a fan of it but it is definitely functional (its still looks strange and very much like a shaver).

 

Like I said...a solution looking for a problem. I have never had issue reaching the buttons on the passenger side of the stick shifter. Never even crossed my mind. My biggest gripe with the 991 interior is the cup holder. It is clever but in ways impractical. I have had multiple spills onto said buttons when going over a speed bump. All of that being said, I love the 991 cup holder compared to the 992 black hole, big gulp edition.

 

I have to say I like the cupholders in the 981 and 991 - simple and not an eyesore. The big gulp cup holder looks really out of place in a sportscar or higher end vehicle - at least to me. Just looks odd - can it be replaced with something else?

 

The 9x1 shifter was bigger and gaudier than necessary, I agree. If they had been shipping cars with nubbins all along and then unveiled the 992 with the current PDK shifter, people would have been just as vocal in their complaints.

But they've gone way too far in the opposite direction now. What would have been wrong with the Panamera's shifter? Seems like that would have avoided a lot of the criticism.

 

I on the other hand don't mind the look of it but will miss being able to shift manually using the lever. Paddles are great on a track but I prefer using the lever on normal roads in 991.

 

I don't remember anyone complaining about the similar shaver on the 918



.

 

Does anyone think they were actually shifting anything more than an electric switch with the "classic" PDK fake gearshift lever? Sure hate to put too much torque on that!

 

That's ugly too..