The driver can also switch to "Eco" or "Sport" modes by pressing a button to the right of the shift lever.

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The touch tracer display for remote system control is located directly behind the shift lever for maximum comfort and ease of operation.

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But there's no hand brake lever or shift lever in the console.

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The Fusion driver changes gears using a conventional, console-mounted shift lever.

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There is a battery life indicator on the left handlebar, and the Shimano Revo-shift lever -- which controls what gear you're in -- on the right.

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The car's interior is likewise undiminished, still richly rewarding to the touch, from the knurled aluminum shift lever to the upholstery's sprawl of daintily stitched dead cow.

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Of the 229 who responded, 60% said they liked a shift lever in the console, and another 15% said they preferred a traditional shift lever on the steering column.

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The dashboard is divided into two distinct zones: an upper, Display Zone, with a multi-display screen located at an ideal distance for at-a-glance viewing, and a lower, Operation Zone, which allows access to the uniquely designed shift lever and an innovative touch tracer display for remote system control.

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To be replaced by an all-new model next spring as an early 2014 entry, the current-generation Impala has the distinction of being the last six-passenger car sold in the U.S. Pickup trucks and a few SUVs still come with front benches, but sedans and coupes have long abandoned them in favor of front buckets, which afford a center console between the seats to house the shift lever, switches and storage.

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