Transmission Wars

[Shadow]

Problem with the 8 speed is that almost every customer hates the way it shifts. They all think its too harsh.

I drove the Grand Cherokee's 8-speed and it felt smooth as butter to me. The shifts were almost imperceptible.

[watkins]

Most of the time they are. Some situations, like in parking lots, shifts can be held off longer and executed with more than desirable force. There's also a new shift algorithm update that makes things a bit harsher.

[Shadow]

The Grand Cherokee has an 'eco' button that changes the shift points. I know that some people complain about the way it shifts with the eco button on. And of course the eco button is on by default, every time you start the engine. The first time I drove one, the eco button was on for the entire time and I honestly didn't notice anything at all. When I turned the eco button off, the shifting definitely changed, but I'd say it felt more like a sport mode than anything else.

My 4Runner's slushbox has always had somewhat firm shifts, so maybe I'm just used to it. But I do have to say that the Grand Cherokee's shifts are quite a bit smoother.

[Rope-Pusher]

Some cats are smoother with the clutch than others.

You know they use "Organic Computers", right?