The drive-mode button is a huge design fail.

[84 Sheepdog]

The OP is spot on here. When I test drove the truck, with the salesman, not even he could tell me how to get the truck into “sport mode” and he kept telling me “it’s on the shifter it’s on the shifter.” I said there is no button other than the shift up and down buttons on this shifter. We had to go back to the dealer and he had to run inside and ask someone.

Driving around my area a couple weeks ago I decided to pop it into sport mode and hit the plus button twice putting it in 4x4. I’m with the OP here. I don’t think it’s a horrible design but not well thought out. I agree as well that placing it in the audio area of the steering wheel is a bad idea and confusing.

Once you figure it out your golden but yeah I could see IF you were to let someone unfamiliar with that truck drive, there could be a potential problem.


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I bought my truck from a small town Ford dealer and the sales guy told me the truck I bought was the first Raptor they had or sold. I told him it wasn't necessary but I think Ford makes them go through all the features as part of the delivery process. We both got a chuckle out of him trying to describe the functions for all the buttons. I remember he thought the button with the steering wheel icon (that actually changes steering input) turned the heated steering wheel on. Super nice guy and a straight shooter so I didn't mind at all. I'd still buy another truck from him any day and still get a laugh every time I look at that button.

 

[Szabo Mihaly]

Yeah, that driving mode is not so nice. I was driving in rain, curvy mountain road with moderate traffic. The overtake distances there are short an hard acceleration needed. I was on 4A because was slippery. When the time comes i switched to Sport mode to quick overtake. I forget that will cancel the 2A... just i miracle was there not to be a very hard lesson.
I am used to use the drive mode changing switch from my M6 BMW. There are 100% more clever. You can setup the M button to what to do when is pressed.
I am using the raptor for 1 year now and i still don't like the drive mode selectors logic.

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[tone228]

The part that annoys me is the mode button is up and down but the mode menu goes left and right, not very intuitive.

 

[NASSTY]

I do think the button could be better labeled and "drive mode" or similar would be a big improvement. I was stumped on this button at first as well. I wouldn't call it a huge design fail but they clearly could have labeled it better given its placement.

That's because they assume that all people RTFM.

 

[GordoJay]

That's because they assume that all people RTFM.

If the manual was organized and written better, that would be OK. It's such a PITA to try to find stuff in it that I usually just start flailing. It's often faster and easier. I did read it, start to finish, when the truck was new, but it's so long, so poorly written, and contains so much stuff that doesn't apply, that you'd have to be a freak to remember it all. I may be a freak, but I'm not that kind of freak.

 

[NASSTY]

If the manual was organized and written better, that would be OK. It's such a PITA to try to find stuff in it that I usually just start flailing. It's often faster and easier. I did read it, start to finish, when the truck was new, but it's so long, so poorly written, and contains so much stuff that doesn't apply, that you'd have to be a freak to remember it all. I may be a freak, but I'm not that kind of freak.

I agree. For the most part I don't RTFM either. I've had 2 occasions with my 2020 where I had to look in the manual to see how to operate a couple of these fancy gizmos and gadgets. Most of them are self explanatory.

 

[melvimbe]

I’d like the modes to be customizable or at least let us hold the last mode.

Customizable as in create you're own mode? I can have a melvimbe mode?

 

[jimmyjamm]

While your logic makes sense, are there any example where someone actually made the mistake of switching modes unintentionally that resulted in an accident? The controls had been that way for 4 years. If it was as big of a risk as you're thinking it is, I would think Ford would have made the effort to modify the label at a minimum.

Personally, I don't think of 'mode' and 'source' as synonymous. More accurately, I'm used to working with systems and would expect that a function labeled source in one control area would not be labeled something else in a different control area. I vaguely recall pressing the mode buttons with the expectation that they changed the layout of the instruments screen or something of that nature. Didn't expect it to change an audio source.

Not sure where the button is on the Gen 3, but I would be surprised if it's not more prominent than it is now. Drive modes are rather common now, and it's feature people look for rather than just pleasantly surprised.

I can say that I accidently toggled it into Crawl mode while trying to get it into winter mode, thankfully I was going more than a few miles per hour so it didn't shift into Low range, but it was thinking about it....had to quickly keep pushing the mode select buttons to get it from trying to click in

 

[K223]

A bit off topic, but still regarding driving modes, I am slightly bugged that Dodge is using the term "baja mode". WTF??? I guess "high speed off-road mode" is asking a bit much of them.

Missed copyright oppy for Ford?

 

[NHDude4]

Not sure about the accidental use issue but I really wish the mode selector was a wheel with a fixed position for each mode. It would make it much easier to quickly select the one you want and with a fixed position for each mode you could leave it in the desired mode and have the truck restart in that mode.