in-laws just got a new '14 Overland. I have to say, I've gotten over the aesthetics of the shifter and it is OK, BUT....the function is terrible. I really do not like the action of it. Even my father-in-law has had trouble taking it out of, and into various gears.
As someone who works in this area for the DoD and has a grad degree in it, I find the human factors of it terrible. There is a benefit to a full action, selective shifter that sits in a location directly associated and labeled with the gear function it is currently in, not a readout on a display.
Years ago there was a "genius" idea to make the hand controller (i.e. stick) in the F-16 an immobile, motionless stick that worked strictly on pressure sensation. It was a horrendous idea as the pilots complained of lack of positive feedback and were overcontrolling the aircraft due to overcompensation, the controllers were immediately retrofitted with those that allowed movement.
