9-speed automatic transmission

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Currently I have a loaner from the dealer. It is brand new 2016 Acura TSX SH-AWD 6-Cyl 290hp 9-speed automatic. My daily driver is 2012 Acura TL FWD with the same engine 280hp. Both have Tech package with the navigation. So essentially it is the 4 year newer version of my car.

I was expecting to be bowled over and seduced by the shiny new thing. The new car has more bells and whistles as the technology has moved forward by 4 years. It seems to have most of the fancy features. I found the window sticker in the glove box.

Getting back to the topic of this post. Nine speed automatic seems to have more cons than pros in my mind. When I drove it back to my house from the dealership, I thought it was a 4-cyl model. It had good oomph starting from stop but at highway, the pedal just did not feel responsive and it seemed to shifting quite a lot just to increase the speed. Every time I press the pedal, it shifts. Until it shifts four times, there is no sensation of the acceleration. May be the programming is not up to stuff. But I was in sport mode all the time. The car comes with Economy/Normal/Sport/Sport+ I can't imagine how gutless it would feel with the Economy mode!

I am thinking with the gearbox constantly changing gears, it probably would cut down its life considerably. Most wear in the auto box happens when it shifts.

Then it has the engine cut-off at stop light feature but fortunately there is button on the console to turn it off but it will default to on after you restart the vehicle.

Talking about the console, what is the big deal with the electronic shift buttons? It is not as if you have more room or more storage space when the shift lever is removed. Electronic parking brake does give back more room taken by the handle.

Don't get me wrong. It is a nice and capable car in its price bracket (list price including destination 42.5K) but just does not feel outstanding. I never got a chance to drive it on winding road to check its handling but I am sure I would chicken out well before the car would reach its limit.

What happened with the 3.7 engine? I know it had some spotty reputation about the oil consumption. Did Acura ever put it in TLX?
 
I'm guessing you meant TLX, not TSX. I thought the TLX looked like a pretty well-equipped car but don't see many on the roads here. Sounds like that 9 speed is programmed to maximize fuel economy and sacrifices some performance. Are you sure it actually shifts through 9 gears or does it just have that many ratios available depending on speed/rpm/load? I'm curious how these 8+ speed autos will last over time as well. My LS460 had a 8 speed and it was flawless during the time I had it.
 
Sorry, but modern cars have "lost that lovin feeling" and are now appliances ...
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
I am thinking with the gearbox constantly changing gears, it probably would cut down its life considerably. Most wear in the auto box happens when it shifts.


I tend to agree, however: with tighter gear splits, the rpm difference is smaller. With communication between the engine ECU and the transmission control unit, torque can be cut so as to reduce wear even further. Heck, with drive-by-wire I'd think they could all but rev-match. Thus leading to very low wear.

If they wanted to program that in, that is.
 
I'm not totally sure I understand the need for more gears. I guess in theory it could help with acceleration, and city fuel economy. But I remember looking at the newer 8-speed Jeeps compared to my 5 speed (6 technically, but I have 2 2nd gears). The final gear in both was the exact same ratio, which should mean as far as the trans is concerned, equal fuel economy. The numbers between them kind of confirm that.

I think its really just a case of "more must be better". I've thought for a long time that many cars just having a better final drive gear for highway use would improve fuel economy. I even remember some people with things like geo-metros modifying their trans to change out the last gear and seeing great results.
 
As AT's add more gears, as what point do we call it continuously variable? I know that lots of people think CVT is something akin to Leprosy....but is this move to 7,8,9,10 speed transmissions just the same deal only sliced differently?
 
I live in the sticks, and could put in many miles without ever touching top gear, as 50-55mph is too slow for me to really hold sixth on many hills. Yet sixth is nice on the highway, at highway speeds. More gears means rpm can be altered incrementally so as to dial in the exact rpm/power needed for the situation. [Incidentally, I seem to get better mpg off the highway, where I spend less time in sixth than I do in fifth. Lower speed, lower drag.]

Taken to the extreme, remember the bad old days of 3 and 4 speed autos? Big rpm jumps when often just a hundred rpm may have been required. The OEM's got around that by unlocking the convertor pretty liberally (and cooking more than a few while towing).

That aside, I'm not sure just how much more is being gained past six or so gear ratios myself. The incremental gains are getting incrementally smaller.

Funny how the trend has been to ramp up gear number. I recall when 4 speed autos ruled the earth, and it seemed they were here to say. They did, for a couple of decades--the OEM's were reluctant to change. Now change is the only thing they seem to want to do... them and what gear the automatic is in.
 
When they loan you a brand new car while your current car is in for service, you're supposed to be wooed by that car and ready to trade in your current car as soon as it's ready. It's the oldest trick in the book.
 
Yep, I meant TLX.

I just did not get wooed even though I was just forced to sell some stock and have the money to burn on a new car :)

It definitely shifts through all the gear. It has the paddle shifter buttons on the steering wheel and you can wring it through all gears and see it on the dash.

I think Acura should use different programming. The kick downs were quite slow and leisurely. In sports mode, it should do double kick down but it does not. By the time it has done four gear change, it is too late by the time tac zooms past 4500.

One would have thought that this being a loaner, it must have been driven quite aggressively by the previous driver and the shift pattern should have reflected that.
 
Originally Posted By: Errtt
Seems gone are they days of straight 6 with 3 on the tree

A good thing too....a 77 Nova 250/3spd tops out at 80mph and takes forever to get there.Not to mention how bad they are in traffic and merging onto the interstate.
 
Is it just me or are the sport mode settings in all cars just weird and pointless? Seems like you simply drive around in higher rpm burning up fuel? Ever seen a comparison on 0-60 times in sport versus normal mode?
 
My sons Tundra trans changes 3 times before it gets across an intersection. It's probably a fine transmission and I'm probably just not accustomed to it, but it seems like overkill to me.
 
I have been saying all along with the continued bashing of CVTs on this forum.....just wait till the 8plus speeds automatic transmissions come out. Then those CVTs might start looking more attractive all the time.
 
I haven't been impressed with the 9 speed AT's I've driven or the CVT's. Given a choice I'd take the 9 speed, but in all honesty I wouldn't be happy with either one.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Taken to the extreme, remember the bad old days of 3 and 4 speed autos? Big rpm jumps when often just a hundred rpm may have been required.


My mom had a '67 Buick Skylark with a two speed auto.
 
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