Ok so just putting this out there to see what others think?
So jeep as u know has the 8 or 9 spd. trans.. Some have gotten jealous over this others not so and some say final answer not known. Also some report its just a repeat of certain gears and other so called auto experts claim the 9 spd. transmission as not as good that is found on better cars.
So do u think that eventually our buddy toyota might get to doing this in a future rav in a few yrs? Me I don't have answer cause not really know that much about toyota and how they think. But the consumer in me thinks so if the jeep renegade takes off. I believe toyota will eventually bring to market a small rav (o heaven help us just a fade) and will have some sort of transmission buttons for sand, mud, smooth road, snow. Other thoughts?
I even wonder if u even need these buttons. Look if u know how to drive in those conditions u dont need it.
Toyota will simply bring CVT and really don't see them putting all these 4WD options in anything meant for urban consumption, at least in North America.
If Honda and Ford do not need it to sell, you can be sure Toyota will not be adding these features.
I have never driven a CVT. I am accustomed to dropping the RAV4 into 4th gear when it starts to hunt for the right gear. Can I do that with a CVT transmission?
I would think at some point adding more gears just complicates the transmission and leaves it open for more things to go wrong. I suppose it's a tradeoff between efficiency, weight, functionality and reliability. I can't see 9 gears being optimal, but maybe I'm wrong.
Just thinking about driving uphill and the car hunting around for the right gear with 6 gears and then moving to 9 gears. Provided it works well, I'd prefer a CVT over 9 gears. But of course the best way to know your preference is a long test drive.
Also agree with Lemon! If you live in places like say "Chicago" area, a basically flat land, sure 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 shift it away if you can get the speed up; but if you live in places like Colorado, enjoy the "gear hunting"... ? May not be a gimmick (if their fuel efficiency is exceptional) but sure is unnecessary in my opinion.
Some local reviewers are actually impressed with the CVT in the 2015 Honda CR-V, saying that it is does not bother them like those in previous years (RPM).
This is the episode i watched recently: review of BMW M4 and Honda CR-V 2015 ... in French
I would think at some point adding more gears just complicates the transmission and leaves it open for more things to go wrong. I suppose it's a tradeoff between efficiency, weight, functionality and reliability. I can't see 9 gears being optimal, but maybe I'm wrong.
Just thinking about driving uphill and the car hunting around for the right gear with 6 gears and then moving to 9 gears. Provided it works well, I'd prefer a CVT over 9 gears. But of course the best way to know your preference is a long test drive.
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, ... gears? Theoretically more gears allow the engineers to optimize engine operation under different loads to squeeze more fuel efficiency. But eventually you hit a point of diminishing returns.
4-speed transmission with overdrive was a HUGE improvement over 3-speed.
A 6-speed is somewhat better than a 5-speed, but the gain is nowhere near as what you get by moving from 3 to 4 or 5 gears.
Chrysler invested heavily into developing a 9-speed "one-size-fits-all" transmission that they could use across a wide range of vehicles. The transmission has nominally 9 gears, but in some applications you never hit the right conditions to use all of them. In the Cherokee, especially with 4-cyl engine, for all practical purpose you only use 8 gears, and the 9th gear is MIA.
Is this a significant improvement over a 6-speed like RAV? Definitely not, especially considering the added complexity, cost and weight. But Chrysler wanted to have a transmission that would be extremely flexible so that they could use ONE transmission in (almost) their entire product line and also give them some "bragging rights" for advertising. They made their cost-benefit analysis it it was the best option for them. Considering the reliability record so far, they might have tried to bite more than they could chew.
I think we will see more and more CVTs in small- and mid-size Toyota vehicles and maybe 7- and 8-speed transmissions in their larger SUVs and trucks which require more torque / towing power than what a CVT can tolerate.
I agree with katekebo. As was mentioned a supposed advantage as far as Chrysler's marketing strategy is concerned is that that they can advertise their transmission as having a technical advantage in hopes that many typical buyers, such as in the U.S. for whom "more is better" applies, will respond.
As far as Chrysler and automatic transmissions, a 1 in 50 chance of having a major defect? Looks like some things haven't changed. I'll bet that failure rate grows exponentially as those transmissions get a few miles on them, too.
I'd rather have a CVT than have to trust a Chrysler automatic.
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