Jeep, Chrysler, Acura 9-Speed Automatics: Supplier ZF Offers Tips - The Car Connection

The arrival of nine-speed automatic transmissions—with some hiccups in tuning—in several mass-market models this past year has led some to wonder whether more speeds is necessarily a step forward. While the better mileage and stronger acceleration that more speeds can allow, drivability, it seems, has been lacking in some—yet not all—applications of the ‘9HP’ nine-speed automatic, from the German supplier ZF, that was introduced in 2013 and... Complaints about the Cherokee—either before or after an early reflash of the transmission control software—have ranged from harsh shifts to odd shift points for this transmission as it’s installed in the Jeep Cherokee, which was one of the first... The ZF nine-speed is currently installed in the Cherokee, as well as the Jeep Renegade, Chrysler 200, Ram ProMaster City, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Discovery, Acura TLX, and Acura MDX—and it’s on the way for several more vehicles... This past week, as part of a ZF tech day, we got a chance to drive several different vehicles back-to-back, and confirmed our earlier driving impressions: that it isn't entirely the fault of the transmission. Source: www.thecarconnection.com