why have center consoles on automatics?

Zarnold Edward Quigley wrote:

> <rant>
> What I would like to find is a new car (sedan or wagon, doesn't matter,
> but not an SUV) roomy interior, with AWD (I live in New England), and an
> automatic transmission with the shifter on the steering column, as
> opposed to on a center console. Not that I'm particularly massive or
> anything, but I realize how much I prefer driving cars like my father's
> Mercury Grand Marquis due to the comfort afforded by the roominess in the
> front, where you can just relax without your right leg grinding up
> against a hard piece of plastic. I would just buy one of those, but they
> suck in the winter. I've been searching online and I'm not sure what I'm
> looking for exists. I just can't see the point of having the center
> consoles on practically all AT cars where they're clearly not needed...
> would be nice to at least have a choice.
> </rant>

You obviously haven't seen the linkages that a column change needs !

Graham

In article >, Pooh Bear wrote:

> You obviously haven't seen the linkages that a column change needs !

A column automatic is a rather simple linkage. A column manual trans on
the other hand... But that's for a RWD car.

For a FWD (transverse mounted engine/trans) car an automatic trans
shifter is going to have a similiar degree of complexity regardless. In
fact, the column shift might actually be shorter depending on the
transaxle location.