The Forgotten Car Feature That’s Confusing a New Generation
I’ll never forget the first time I noticed it.
A friend and I were cleaning out his late father’s garage when we uncovered an old 1980s sedan hidden beneath years of dust.
The car looked like a frozen piece of history:
- Faded upholstery
- Chrome trim
- An analog radio
- The unmistakable smell of old leather and gasoline
But one detail immediately caught my attention.
Right there on the gear selector — beside the familiar letters:
- P
- R
- N
- D
sat one mysterious extra letter:
E
I stared at it for several seconds.
“Electric?” I guessed.
“Emergency mode?” my friend suggested.
Neither of us had any idea what it meant.
After several minutes of confused debate, I searched it online —
and the answer opened the door to a fascinating piece of automotive history many younger drivers have never heard about.
The mysterious “E” stood for:
Economy Mode
And surprisingly, it was decades ahead of its time.
What Did the “E” Gear Actually Do?
Long before cars had:
- Touchscreens
- Eco buttons
- Smart fuel-saving computers
- Digital driving modes
automakers were already trying to improve fuel efficiency.
The “E” gear was one of their early solutions.
