9 speed ZF auto for 2014

First test drive of new 9 speed box

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/firs...ive-review

Regards
Paul.

Quote:That means a diesel’s economy should improve from 43.5 to around 48mpg, with the turbo petrol up from 32.5 to nearly 36mpg.

More MPG BS from Land Rover's spin department. Why can't Autocar report the facts? oh yes, they rely on LR marketing budget.

Still puzzled as to the benefit of fitting a 9 speed gearbox; seems that all this technology will do is improve the real-world fuel consumption by 3 mpg ie 75% of the official claim.
I'm very happy with our 6 speed auto and fuel consumption of 33/36 mpg depending on the journey is not a make or break for me. It certainly doesn't justify upgrading to the new model year; the cost to change of say £4.5 k minimum will buy a lot of fuel.
Tim

Quote:That means a diesel’s economy should improve from 43.5 to around 48mpg, with the turbo petrol up from 32.5 to nearly 36mpg.

Above the JLR BS
Below the reporters observations on their diesel.

Quote:Autocar is running a diesel Evoque on long-term test, and the biggest downside is undoubtedly the economy – we’re returning little more than 30mpg on average.

I'm reading between the lines here and going to take a stab at a probable average of no more than 35-37 mpg for the diesel?

Hyundai at this moment are working on a transmission boasting one additional gear, and also Ford and GM are working together, to develop a 10-speed as well..won't be long.

Why not go for continuous variable transmission rather than 10 speeds?

(07-03-2013 10:40pm)timhum Wrote:  Why not go for continuous variable transmission rather than 10 speeds?

A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios. The flexibility of a CVT allows the input shaft to maintain a constant angular velocity over a range of output velocities.


CVT can provide better fuel economy than other transmissions by enabling the engine to run at its most efficient revolutions per minute (RPM) for a range of vehicle speeds. It can also be used to build a kinetic energy recovery system.

Alternatively, it can be used to maximize the performance of a vehicle by allowing the engine to turn at the RPM at which it produces peak power. This is typically higher than the RPM that achieves peak efficiency.

Finally, a CVT does not strictly require the presence of a clutch..

Daf springs to mind

I don't know why all cars are not CVT to be honest.
My best and most comfortable car had a 3.5l V6 engine with a CVT. No hunting for gears, exceptional fuel economy on the highway and beating anything with manual or auto gearbox on the dunes.

(07-03-2013 11:24pm)PhilSkill Wrote:  Daf springs to mind

Not the old Variomatic!!

It had a 750cc flat-twin air-cooled engine, but it went like the proverbial rocket away from the lights! (As long as the others weren't trying, that is!).

The clever thing about the belt transmission was that at a certain point in the acceleration, the engine would slow down so its momentum would help to keep the car accelerating - very effective!