Modern reliable automatic transmissions

[amateurbob]

I am looking to see BITOG'ers recommendations for most durable modern day transmissions.

I know in general manuals are but that's not what most people drive.

CVT's are a different animal.

Toyota hybrid's eCVT are from understanding, very good but not a traditional automatic.

 

[supton]

Correct, Toyota's eCVT seems to be made of anvils. I'm sure someone has broken one, and like everything else, if you don't change the oil in them, they're apt to break (just not for a very long time).

I'm not sure about the last batch of CVT's out there. Failures seem to be down? It worries me about about the one in my Corolla: but the thing is, Toyota made a few million of them, and as long as they aren't too failure prone, they should be something that could be swapped with a junkyard unit if the worst happens. And since I only need ten or so years, I'm not sure I care about life past that.

I tend to think everything is expensive. It might break infrequently, but when it does, it will not be cheap to fix. Thus cost to repair is perhaps more important than actual longevity--it's best to get both but it might be better to err on the side of lower repair cost, since if a fluke failure happens to the world's most reliable unit, it won't matter that it was the world's most reliable thing--it'll still be a hefty repair bill.

 

[rumcapital23]

the A750 transmission is probably one of the most reliable transmissions you can find in a semi modern vehicle. the 2024 4Runner is the last vehicle i can think of that uses it. (all 5th gen 4runners)

the A760 in the Lexus GX 460's, is also bulletproof.

now modern, modern? idk

i love my 2026 Camry's new E-CVT.

 

[andrew_j]

Verry happy with our 2018 VW Tiguan 8 speed AISIN (Toyota supplier). VW did a great job on their updated flash back in 2019 and it works flawlessly and shifts like new.

We have 215k on it with two fluid changes. (Every 80k).

 

[dogememe]

the A750 transmission is probably one of the most reliable transmissions you can find in a semi modern vehicle. the 2024 4Runner is the last vehicle i can think of that uses it.

the A760 in the Lexus GX 460's, is also bulletproof.

now modern, modern? idk

i love my 2026 Camry's new E-CVT.

I like 6 speed autos. You can still get one in certain GMs (Trax, etc) or Mazdas. But when so many reviewers complain that “it has an outdated 6 speed autos” I get why car companies add speeds. Then they make it an 8, 9, or 10 speed and the reviewers complain it hunts for gears or shifts inconsistently. Then they put in a CVT and we all complain about it. lol!

 

[rumcapital23]

I like 6 speed autos. You can still get one in certain GMs (Trax, etc) or Mazdas. But when so many reviewers complain that “it has an outdated 6 speed autos” I get why car companies add speeds. Then they make it an 8, 9, or 10 speed and the reviewers complain it hunts for gears or shifts inconsistently. Then they put in a CVT and we all complain about it. lol!

so true

 

[jetman]

My 07 Toyota FJ Cruiser w/A750e is still going strong at 241k miles w/regular dump & fills w/Amsoil ATL atf since 2010 when it had 53k miles. I also installed a remote external spin-on filter back then.

My 07 GMC Yukon Denali w/6L80e is still going strong at 205k miles w/regular filter changes + dump & fills. I did replace the torque converter at 130k miles as a preventative measure. At 192k miles started getting a 2to3 gear shifting flare with codes so I installed a $40 Sonnax laminates & seals kit which cured it. Always gets Dexron6 atf.

 

[amateurbob]

I like 6 speed autos. You can still get one in certain GMs (Trax, etc) or Mazdas. But when so many reviewers complain that “it has an outdated 6 speed autos” I get why car companies add speeds. Then they make it an 8, 9, or 10 speed and the reviewers complain it hunts for gears or shifts inconsistently. Then they put in a CVT and we all complain about it. lol!

Is the same one Ford and GM co-developed?

 

[supton]

I like 6 speed autos. You can still get one in certain GMs (Trax, etc) or Mazdas. But when so many reviewers complain that “it has an outdated 6 speed autos” I get why car companies add speeds. Then they make it an 8, 9, or 10 speed and the reviewers complain it hunts for gears or shifts inconsistently. Then they put in a CVT and we all complain about it. lol!

I thought A750 was 5 speed, it's A760 and AB60 that was 6. Good transmissions from what I understand, but part of why I wanted out of my Tundra was concern about what it'd cost to replace its A760, if ever were to fail. Edit: just realized, you weren't talking about the 750 specifically, just six speeds. I think I agree, 6 is a decent spot, good range, not too much hunting, although mine was too much of a rush to get into top gear and I would almost always lock out gears when driving in town.

 

[4wd]

I like 6 speed autos. You can still get one in certain GMs (Trax, etc) or Mazdas. But when so many reviewers complain that “it has an outdated 6 speed autos” I get why car companies add speeds. Then they make it an 8, 9, or 10 speed and the reviewers complain it hunts for gears or shifts inconsistently. Then they put in a CVT and we all complain about it. lol!

My 6L80e has been great and it has this super modern feature. You don’t have to crawl under it and burn yourself to check the fluid level like my other 3

 

[MCompact]

I like the ZF 8HP and the M-B 9G-Tronic.

 

[wwillson]

Our ZF-8 transmissions have 280,000 miles combined with no problems. The Durango has 200,000+ and the charger has 80,000+ miles. The only issue is a sticking valve in the Durango when it gets colder than 0F. It's a known problem with the valve body, but it sits overnight in a garage, so it's really not an issue. The rest of the transmission internals have been flawless.

 

[dogememe]

I thought A750 was 5 speed, it's A760 and AB60 that was 6. Good transmissions from what I understand, but part of why I wanted out of my Tundra was concern about what it'd cost to replace its A760, if ever were to fail. Edit: just realized, you weren't talking about the 750 specifically, just six speeds. I think I agree, 6 is a decent spot, good range, not too much hunting, although mine was too much of a rush to get into top gear and I would almost always lock out gears when driving in town.

Yeah my 2010 Escape did that too… tried too hard to be efficient. But despite some people having issues with the 6F35 I never did, despite it being heavily abused. I did sell it at about 130K miles but it shifted better than when I got it used at 60K miles… probably because I changed the fluid every 30K and used Forscan to reset the adaptive learning every time I did that. It was so easy, literally easier than an oil change! How I wish all vehicles were like that…

 

[dogememe]

Our ZF-8 transmissions have 280,000 miles combined with no problems. The Durango has 200,000+ and the charger has 80,000+ miles. The only issue is a sticking valve in the Durango when it gets colder than 0F. It's a known problem with the valve body, but it sits overnight in a garage, so it's really not an issue. The rest of the transmission internals have been flawless.

I think that is a good transmission. The filter assembly is pricey but it’s a small price to pay for an enjoyable, reliable automatic!

 

[DweezilAZ]

I like 6 speed autos. You can still get one in certain GMs (Trax, etc) or Mazdas. But when so many reviewers complain that “it has an outdated 6 speed autos” I get why car companies add speeds. Then they make it an 8, 9, or 10 speed and the reviewers complain it hunts for gears or shifts inconsistently. Then they put in a CVT and we all complain about it. lol!

The reviewers are part of the problem. They'll test a "basic" car and then whine about how much better it would be with $4000 worth of options. Plus they write to impress each other rather than inform the reader.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I like anything ZF, both the 8 speeds in my JL and X3, and the 6 speed in my LR3. Half a million miles between all of them.

 

[WeyounDS9]

The reviewers are part of the problem. They'll test a "basic" car and then whine about how much better it would be with $4000 worth of options. Plus they write to impress each other rather than inform the reader.

Ands then there are the "influencer reviewers", that just let their confirmation biases do the driving.

There was one reviewer, whom I wont name because I dont want give them clicks, who is popular because their production values are quite high, ..who ripped on the last Gen Armada for design choices as "ancient" and "due for an update" that they had lauded in the Lexus 460 just a few months earlier as "solid old school" (all in a package just same price or more, than a '23 Armada, but 100hp less power, less room etc)
I like the GX460 too (I checked it out when buying my Armada) but one ought to display some intellectual honjesty as a reviewer and not let yourself be so blatantly driven by confirmation bias.

 

[MCompact]

Ands then there are the "influencer reviewers", that just let their confirmation biases do the driving.

There was one reviewer, whom I wont name because I dont want give them clicks, who is popular because their production values are quite high, ..who ripped on the last Gen Armada for design choices as "ancient" and "due for an update" that they had lauded in the Lexus 460 just a few months earlier as "solid old school" (all in a package just same price or more, than a '23 Armada, but 100hp less power, less room etc)
I like the GX460 too (I checked it out when buying my Armada) but one ought to display some intellectual honjesty as a reviewer and not let yourself be so blatantly driven by confirmation bias.

I’ve covered a few new car introductions over the past 25 years and I was amazed by how so many so-called “journalists” would simply regurgitate the manufacturer’s press kit.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Nissan Jatco RE5R05 is bullet proof. Used in Frontier to 2019, and earlier than that Titan, Xterra, Pathfinder, a bunch of infiniti RWD and Kia and Subaru used it in some models also. Old school, 5 speed with a dipstick. I have 420K miles on one, 235K miles on the other.

Honestly compared to automatics of old, other than some notable models it seems like there are lots of good AT's around.

 

[iCurious]

I like the Honda's 10 Speed AT.