Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee s Nine-Speed Transmission News
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee's Nine-Speed Transmission
October 01, 2016
CARS.COM – One of the most ambitious features of the Jeep Cherokee’s rebirth in two thousand fourteen was its standard and very technical nine-speed automatic transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen AG. In fact, one of the reasons Cars.com purchased the redesigned Cherokee as a long-term test car was to test this fresh unit during a year of driving.
The nine-speed is big news for lots of reasons. Very first off, it’s innovative: The Cherokee is one of the only SUVs to use such a transmission and to cram nine gears in the limited space of a front-wheel-drive transmission, it uses a unique construction. Secondly, the little sucker delayed the Cherokee’s launch for months as Jeep worked out powertrain programming issues.
After 14,000 miles of wielding a four-cylinder Cherokee with all-wheel drive, here are nine things we’ve observed about our Jeep’s nine-speed automatic transmission:
1. It Truly Drives Like a Six-Speed
One of the most common questions we receive about the nine-speed auto is whether it’s always shifting, given the high number of gears. Not at all, in fact. The nine-speed does a good job hiding its gear count and for the most part doesn’t give much indication it has that many gears. The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th gears are all overdrive gears, and the top two engage at brisk highway cruising speeds.
Two. The Nine-Speed Pairs Better With the V-6
Our Cherokee’s 184-horsepower, Two.4-liter four-cylinder has trouble powering through some of the transmission’s quirkiness. Whereas the V-6’s extra grunt makes up for an ill-timed upshift, the modestly powered four-cylinder runs out of steam when the transmission upshifts too soon, like it often does from 1st to 2nd gear.
In Auto mode, it’s almost unlikely to predict when the transmission will have a good or bad day. Sometimes the Cherokee shifts flawlessly and matches the four-cylinder’s powerband with ease, but there are bad days when the car instantly shifts into 2nd gear from a stop and then hauls it out and clunks into 3rd.
Four. Lackluster Software Updates
We didn’t just complain about the transmission. We also took the Cherokee to the dealership numerous times and a technician applied corrective software updates. There were marginal improvements in the fluidity of the shifting, but even the latest transmission and engine computer flashes couldn’t jiggle the nine-speed’s thickest problem areas.
Five. Sport Mode Mitigates Some Issues
Of the Selec-Terrain driving modes – Auto, Snow, Sport and Sand/Mud – Sport mode uses aggressive shift programming and actually hides a lot of the awkward nuances of Auto mode. Later shifts and more even-keeled shift programming keep momentum going. The downside is the transmission holds gears aggressively before upshifting, so the engine speed drapes high inbetween shifts.
One of the most consistent irregularities with the nine-speed transmission is its harsh shift into 3rd gear. Most gear switches smoothed out with the software update, but 2nd to 3rd remains an issue as 2nd gear winds out a little too long and then – bam! – the car lurches into 3rd gear. The jolt is so hard that passengers often take notice.
7. Most Erratic in City Driving
As you’ve likely noticed, our Cherokee gives us the most trouble through the very first three gears, which makes city driving painful from stoplight to stoplight. After the car shifts into 4th gear, the practice is much less random and it drives like most other compact to midsize SUVs.
8. Most Relaxed During Highway Cruising
Once above forty mph or so, the transmission chills out and starts to act like a normal gearbox. The car downshifts expectedly when the time comes to pass and will cruise along just fine at highway speeds and on road trips, even with the pokey four-cylinder. Our Cherokee was a road-trip beloved over the summer and hit its thirty one mpg highway rating with sustained cruising. Jeep says the nine-speed is good for an extra two mpg compared to a traditional six-speed transmission.
9. Auto Stick Manual Mode is Limited
With the Auto mode sometimes producing irregular responses, the manual mode seemed like a good way to get the car in the correct gear. Unluckily, the response time is slow inbetween when the gear is selected and engaged, plus the computer is utterly protective and boundaries gear choices. While not uncommon, there’s much more lag time and overbearing control than in a Mazda CX-5 or Toyota RAV4.
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee s Nine-Speed Transmission News
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee's Nine-Speed Transmission
October 01, 2016
CARS.COM – One of the most ambitious features of the Jeep Cherokee’s rebirth in two thousand fourteen was its standard and very technical nine-speed automatic transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen AG. In fact, one of the reasons Cars.com purchased the redesigned Cherokee as a long-term test car was to test this fresh unit during a year of driving.
The nine-speed is big news for lots of reasons. Very first off, it’s innovative: The Cherokee is one of the only SUVs to use such a transmission and to cram nine gears in the limited space of a front-wheel-drive transmission, it uses a unique construction. Secondly, the little sucker delayed the Cherokee’s launch for months as Jeep worked out powertrain programming issues.
After 14,000 miles of possessing a four-cylinder Cherokee with all-wheel drive, here are nine things we’ve observed about our Jeep’s nine-speed automatic transmission:
1. It Truly Drives Like a Six-Speed
One of the most common questions we receive about the nine-speed auto is whether it’s always shifting, given the high number of gears. Not at all, in fact. The nine-speed does a excellent job hiding its gear count and for the most part doesn’t give much indication it has that many gears. The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th gears are all overdrive gears, and the top two engage at brisk highway cruising speeds.
Two. The Nine-Speed Pairs Better With the V-6
Our Cherokee’s 184-horsepower, Two.4-liter four-cylinder has trouble powering through some of the transmission’s quirkiness. Whereas the V-6’s extra grunt makes up for an ill-timed upshift, the modestly powered four-cylinder runs out of steam when the transmission upshifts too soon, like it often does from 1st to 2nd gear.
In Auto mode, it’s almost unlikely to predict when the transmission will have a good or bad day. Sometimes the Cherokee shifts flawlessly and matches the four-cylinder’s powerband with ease, but there are bad days when the car instantly shifts into 2nd gear from a stop and then hauls it out and clunks into 3rd.
Four. Lackluster Software Updates
We didn’t just complain about the transmission. We also took the Cherokee to the dealership numerous times and a technician applied corrective software updates. There were marginal improvements in the fluidity of the shifting, but even the latest transmission and engine computer flashes couldn’t wiggle the nine-speed’s thickest problem areas.
Five. Sport Mode Mitigates Some Issues
Of the Selec-Terrain driving modes – Auto, Snow, Sport and Sand/Mud – Sport mode uses aggressive shift programming and actually hides a lot of the awkward nuances of Auto mode. Later shifts and more even-keeled shift programming keep momentum going. The downside is the transmission holds gears aggressively before upshifting, so the engine speed drapes high inbetween shifts.
One of the most consistent irregularities with the nine-speed transmission is its harsh shift into 3rd gear. Most gear switches smoothed out with the software update, but 2nd to 3rd remains an issue as 2nd gear winds out a little too long and then – bam! – the car lurches into 3rd gear. The jolt is so hard that passengers often take notice.
7. Most Erratic in City Driving
As you’ve likely noticed, our Cherokee gives us the most trouble through the very first three gears, which makes city driving painful from stoplight to stoplight. After the car shifts into 4th gear, the practice is much less random and it drives like most other compact to midsize SUVs.
8. Most Relaxed During Highway Cruising
Once above forty mph or so, the transmission chills out and starts to act like a normal gearbox. The car downshifts expectedly when the time comes to pass and will cruise along just fine at highway speeds and on road trips, even with the pokey four-cylinder. Our Cherokee was a road-trip dearest over the summer and hit its thirty one mpg highway rating with stable cruising. Jeep says the nine-speed is good for an extra two mpg compared to a traditional six-speed transmission.
9. Auto Stick Manual Mode is Limited
With the Auto mode sometimes producing irregular responses, the manual mode seemed like a good way to get the car in the correct gear. Unluckily, the response time is slow inbetween when the gear is selected and engaged, plus the computer is enormously protective and thresholds gear choices. While not uncommon, there’s much more lag time and overbearing control than in a Mazda CX-5 or Toyota RAV4.
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee s Nine-Speed Transmission News
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee's Nine-Speed Transmission
October 01, 2016
CARS.COM – One of the most ambitious features of the Jeep Cherokee’s rebirth in two thousand fourteen was its standard and very technical nine-speed automatic transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen AG. In fact, one of the reasons Cars.com purchased the redesigned Cherokee as a long-term test car was to test this fresh unit during a year of driving.
The nine-speed is big news for lots of reasons. Very first off, it’s innovative: The Cherokee is one of the only SUVs to use such a transmission and to cram nine gears in the limited space of a front-wheel-drive transmission, it uses a unique construction. Secondly, the little sucker delayed the Cherokee’s launch for months as Jeep worked out powertrain programming issues.
After 14,000 miles of wielding a four-cylinder Cherokee with all-wheel drive, here are nine things we’ve observed about our Jeep’s nine-speed automatic transmission:
1. It Truly Drives Like a Six-Speed
One of the most common questions we receive about the nine-speed auto is whether it’s always shifting, given the high number of gears. Not at all, in fact. The nine-speed does a excellent job hiding its gear count and for the most part doesn’t give much indication it has that many gears. The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th gears are all overdrive gears, and the top two engage at brisk highway cruising speeds.
Two. The Nine-Speed Pairs Better With the V-6
Our Cherokee’s 184-horsepower, Two.4-liter four-cylinder has trouble powering through some of the transmission’s quirkiness. Whereas the V-6’s extra grunt makes up for an ill-timed upshift, the modestly powered four-cylinder runs out of steam when the transmission upshifts too soon, like it often does from 1st to 2nd gear.
In Auto mode, it’s almost unlikely to predict when the transmission will have a good or bad day. Sometimes the Cherokee shifts flawlessly and matches the four-cylinder’s powerband with ease, but there are bad days when the car instantaneously shifts into 2nd gear from a stop and then hauls it out and clunks into 3rd.
Four. Lackluster Software Updates
We didn’t just complain about the transmission. We also took the Cherokee to the dealership numerous times and a technician applied corrective software updates. There were marginal improvements in the fluidity of the shifting, but even the latest transmission and engine computer flashes couldn’t jiggle the nine-speed’s thickest problem areas.
Five. Sport Mode Mitigates Some Issues
Of the Selec-Terrain driving modes – Auto, Snow, Sport and Sand/Mud – Sport mode uses aggressive shift programming and actually hides a lot of the awkward nuances of Auto mode. Later shifts and more even-keeled shift programming keep momentum going. The downside is the transmission holds gears aggressively before upshifting, so the engine speed dangles high inbetween shifts.
One of the most consistent irregularities with the nine-speed transmission is its harsh shift into 3rd gear. Most gear switches smoothed out with the software update, but 2nd to 3rd remains an issue as 2nd gear winds out a little too long and then – bam! – the car lurches into 3rd gear. The jolt is so hard that passengers often take notice.
7. Most Erratic in City Driving
As you’ve likely noticed, our Cherokee gives us the most trouble through the very first three gears, which makes city driving painful from stoplight to stoplight. After the car shifts into 4th gear, the practice is much less random and it drives like most other compact to midsize SUVs.
8. Most Relaxed During Highway Cruising
Once above forty mph or so, the transmission chills out and starts to act like a normal gearbox. The car downshifts expectedly when the time comes to pass and will cruise along just fine at highway speeds and on road trips, even with the pokey four-cylinder. Our Cherokee was a road-trip beloved over the summer and hit its thirty one mpg highway rating with sustained cruising. Jeep says the nine-speed is good for an extra two mpg compared to a traditional six-speed transmission.
9. Auto Stick Manual Mode is Limited
With the Auto mode sometimes producing irregular responses, the manual mode seemed like a good way to get the car in the correct gear. Unluckily, the response time is slow inbetween when the gear is selected and engaged, plus the computer is utterly protective and boundaries gear choices. While not uncommon, there’s much more lag time and overbearing control than in a Mazda CX-5 or Toyota RAV4.
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee s Nine-Speed Transmission News
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee's Nine-Speed Transmission
October 01, 2016
CARS.COM – One of the most ambitious features of the Jeep Cherokee’s rebirth in two thousand fourteen was its standard and very technical nine-speed automatic transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen AG. In fact, one of the reasons Cars.com purchased the redesigned Cherokee as a long-term test car was to test this fresh unit during a year of driving.
The nine-speed is big news for lots of reasons. Very first off, it’s innovative: The Cherokee is one of the only SUVs to use such a transmission and to cram nine gears in the limited space of a front-wheel-drive transmission, it uses a unique construction. Secondly, the little sucker delayed the Cherokee’s launch for months as Jeep worked out powertrain programming issues.
After 14,000 miles of wielding a four-cylinder Cherokee with all-wheel drive, here are nine things we’ve observed about our Jeep’s nine-speed automatic transmission:
1. It Truly Drives Like a Six-Speed
One of the most common questions we receive about the nine-speed auto is whether it’s always shifting, given the high number of gears. Not at all, in fact. The nine-speed does a good job hiding its gear count and for the most part doesn’t give much indication it has that many gears. The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th gears are all overdrive gears, and the top two engage at brisk highway cruising speeds.
Two. The Nine-Speed Pairs Better With the V-6
Our Cherokee’s 184-horsepower, Two.4-liter four-cylinder has trouble powering through some of the transmission’s quirkiness. Whereas the V-6’s extra grunt makes up for an ill-timed upshift, the modestly powered four-cylinder runs out of steam when the transmission upshifts too soon, like it often does from 1st to 2nd gear.
In Auto mode, it’s almost unlikely to predict when the transmission will have a good or bad day. Sometimes the Cherokee shifts flawlessly and matches the four-cylinder’s powerband with ease, but there are bad days when the car instantly shifts into 2nd gear from a stop and then hauls it out and clunks into 3rd.
Four. Lackluster Software Updates
We didn’t just complain about the transmission. We also took the Cherokee to the dealership numerous times and a technician applied corrective software updates. There were marginal improvements in the fluidity of the shifting, but even the latest transmission and engine computer flashes couldn’t jiggle the nine-speed’s fattest problem areas.
Five. Sport Mode Mitigates Some Issues
Of the Selec-Terrain driving modes – Auto, Snow, Sport and Sand/Mud – Sport mode uses aggressive shift programming and actually hides a lot of the awkward nuances of Auto mode. Later shifts and more even-keeled shift programming keep momentum going. The downside is the transmission holds gears aggressively before upshifting, so the engine speed dangles high inbetween shifts.
One of the most consistent irregularities with the nine-speed transmission is its harsh shift into 3rd gear. Most gear switches smoothed out with the software update, but 2nd to 3rd remains an issue as 2nd gear winds out a little too long and then – bam! – the car lurches into 3rd gear. The jolt is so hard that passengers often take notice.
7. Most Erratic in City Driving
As you’ve likely noticed, our Cherokee gives us the most trouble through the very first three gears, which makes city driving painful from stoplight to stoplight. After the car shifts into 4th gear, the practice is much less random and it drives like most other compact to midsize SUVs.
8. Most Relaxed During Highway Cruising
Once above forty mph or so, the transmission chills out and starts to act like a normal gearbox. The car downshifts expectedly when the time comes to pass and will cruise along just fine at highway speeds and on road trips, even with the pokey four-cylinder. Our Cherokee was a road-trip dearest over the summer and hit its thirty one mpg highway rating with stable cruising. Jeep says the nine-speed is good for an extra two mpg compared to a traditional six-speed transmission.
9. Auto Stick Manual Mode is Limited
With the Auto mode sometimes producing irregular responses, the manual mode seemed like a good way to get the car in the correct gear. Unluckily, the response time is slow inbetween when the gear is selected and engaged, plus the computer is utterly protective and boundaries gear choices. While not uncommon, there’s much more lag time and overbearing control than in a Mazda CX-5 or Toyota RAV4.
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee s Nine-Speed Transmission News
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee's Nine-Speed Transmission
October 01, 2016
CARS.COM – One of the most ambitious features of the Jeep Cherokee’s rebirth in two thousand fourteen was its standard and very technical nine-speed automatic transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen AG. In fact, one of the reasons Cars.com purchased the redesigned Cherokee as a long-term test car was to test this fresh unit during a year of driving.
The nine-speed is big news for lots of reasons. Very first off, it’s innovative: The Cherokee is one of the only SUVs to use such a transmission and to cram nine gears in the limited space of a front-wheel-drive transmission, it uses a unique construction. Secondly, the little sucker delayed the Cherokee’s launch for months as Jeep worked out powertrain programming issues.
After 14,000 miles of possessing a four-cylinder Cherokee with all-wheel drive, here are nine things we’ve observed about our Jeep’s nine-speed automatic transmission:
1. It Truly Drives Like a Six-Speed
One of the most common questions we receive about the nine-speed auto is whether it’s always shifting, given the high number of gears. Not at all, in fact. The nine-speed does a excellent job hiding its gear count and for the most part doesn’t give much indication it has that many gears. The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th gears are all overdrive gears, and the top two engage at brisk highway cruising speeds.
Two. The Nine-Speed Pairs Better With the V-6
Our Cherokee’s 184-horsepower, Two.4-liter four-cylinder has trouble powering through some of the transmission’s quirkiness. Whereas the V-6’s extra grunt makes up for an ill-timed upshift, the modestly powered four-cylinder runs out of steam when the transmission upshifts too soon, like it often does from 1st to 2nd gear.
In Auto mode, it’s almost unlikely to predict when the transmission will have a good or bad day. Sometimes the Cherokee shifts flawlessly and matches the four-cylinder’s powerband with ease, but there are bad days when the car instantly shifts into 2nd gear from a stop and then hauls it out and clunks into 3rd.
Four. Lackluster Software Updates
We didn’t just complain about the transmission. We also took the Cherokee to the dealership numerous times and a technician applied corrective software updates. There were marginal improvements in the fluidity of the shifting, but even the latest transmission and engine computer flashes couldn’t wiggle the nine-speed’s fattest problem areas.
Five. Sport Mode Mitigates Some Issues
Of the Selec-Terrain driving modes – Auto, Snow, Sport and Sand/Mud – Sport mode uses aggressive shift programming and actually hides a lot of the awkward nuances of Auto mode. Later shifts and more even-keeled shift programming keep momentum going. The downside is the transmission holds gears aggressively before upshifting, so the engine speed drapes high inbetween shifts.
One of the most consistent irregularities with the nine-speed transmission is its harsh shift into 3rd gear. Most gear switches smoothed out with the software update, but 2nd to 3rd remains an issue as 2nd gear winds out a little too long and then – bam! – the car lurches into 3rd gear. The jolt is so hard that passengers often take notice.
7. Most Erratic in City Driving
As you’ve likely noticed, our Cherokee gives us the most trouble through the very first three gears, which makes city driving painful from stoplight to stoplight. After the car shifts into 4th gear, the practice is much less random and it drives like most other compact to midsize SUVs.
8. Most Relaxed During Highway Cruising
Once above forty mph or so, the transmission chills out and starts to act like a normal gearbox. The car downshifts expectedly when the time comes to pass and will cruise along just fine at highway speeds and on road trips, even with the pokey four-cylinder. Our Cherokee was a road-trip beloved over the summer and hit its thirty one mpg highway rating with stable cruising. Jeep says the nine-speed is good for an extra two mpg compared to a traditional six-speed transmission.
9. Auto Stick Manual Mode is Limited
With the Auto mode sometimes producing irregular responses, the manual mode seemed like a good way to get the car in the correct gear. Unluckily, the response time is slow inbetween when the gear is selected and engaged, plus the computer is enormously protective and boundaries gear choices. While not uncommon, there’s much more lag time and overbearing control than in a Mazda CX-5 or Toyota RAV4.
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee s Nine-Speed Transmission News
Nine Things About the Jeep Cherokee's Nine-Speed Transmission
October 01, 2016
CARS.COM – One of the most ambitious features of the Jeep Cherokee’s rebirth in two thousand fourteen was its standard and very technical nine-speed automatic transmission from ZF Friedrichshafen AG. In fact, one of the reasons Cars.com purchased the redesigned Cherokee as a long-term test car was to test this fresh unit during a year of driving.
The nine-speed is big news for lots of reasons. Very first off, it’s innovative: The Cherokee is one of the only SUVs to use such a transmission and to cram nine gears in the limited space of a front-wheel-drive transmission, it uses a unique construction. Secondly, the little sucker delayed the Cherokee’s launch for months as Jeep worked out powertrain programming issues.
After 14,000 miles of possessing a four-cylinder Cherokee with all-wheel drive, here are nine things we’ve observed about our Jeep’s nine-speed automatic transmission:
1. It Truly Drives Like a Six-Speed
One of the most common questions we receive about the nine-speed auto is whether it’s always shifting, given the high number of gears. Not at all, in fact. The nine-speed does a superb job hiding its gear count and for the most part doesn’t give much indication it has that many gears. The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th gears are all overdrive gears, and the top two engage at brisk highway cruising speeds.
Two. The Nine-Speed Pairs Better With the V-6
Our Cherokee’s 184-horsepower, Two.4-liter four-cylinder has trouble powering through some of the transmission’s quirkiness. Whereas the V-6’s extra grunt makes up for an ill-timed upshift, the modestly powered four-cylinder runs out of steam when the transmission upshifts too soon, like it often does from 1st to 2nd gear.
In Auto mode, it’s almost unlikely to predict when the transmission will have a good or bad day. Sometimes the Cherokee shifts ideally and matches the four-cylinder’s powerband with ease, but there are bad days when the car instantaneously shifts into 2nd gear from a stop and then hauls it out and clunks into 3rd.
Four. Lackluster Software Updates
We didn’t just complain about the transmission. We also took the Cherokee to the dealership numerous times and a technician applied corrective software updates. There were marginal improvements in the fluidity of the shifting, but even the latest transmission and engine computer flashes couldn’t jiggle the nine-speed’s largest problem areas.
Five. Sport Mode Mitigates Some Issues
Of the Selec-Terrain driving modes – Auto, Snow, Sport and Sand/Mud – Sport mode uses aggressive shift programming and actually hides a lot of the awkward nuances of Auto mode. Later shifts and more even-keeled shift programming keep momentum going. The downside is the transmission holds gears aggressively before upshifting, so the engine speed strings up high inbetween shifts.
One of the most consistent irregularities with the nine-speed transmission is its harsh shift into 3rd gear. Most gear switches smoothed out with the software update, but 2nd to 3rd remains an issue as 2nd gear winds out a little too long and then – bam! – the car lurches into 3rd gear. The jolt is so hard that passengers often take notice.
7. Most Erratic in City Driving
As you’ve likely noticed, our Cherokee gives us the most trouble through the very first three gears, which makes city driving painful from stoplight to stoplight. After the car shifts into 4th gear, the practice is much less random and it drives like most other compact to midsize SUVs.
8. Most Relaxed During Highway Cruising
Once above forty mph or so, the transmission chills out and starts to act like a normal gearbox. The car downshifts expectedly when the time comes to pass and will cruise along just fine at highway speeds and on road trips, even with the pokey four-cylinder. Our Cherokee was a road-trip dearest over the summer and hit its thirty one mpg highway rating with stable cruising. Jeep says the nine-speed is good for an extra two mpg compared to a traditional six-speed transmission.
9. Auto Stick Manual Mode is Limited
With the Auto mode sometimes producing irregular responses, the manual mode seemed like a good way to get the car in the correct gear. Unluckily, the response time is slow inbetween when the gear is selected and engaged, plus the computer is utterly protective and thresholds gear choices. While not uncommon, there’s much more lag time and overbearing control than in a Mazda CX-5 or Toyota RAV4.
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