"No other component in the driveline can provide that kind of fuel improvement," said Head of Transmission and Driveline Engineering, Mircea Gradu. Second in importance was comfort—more gears and smaller gear steps result in transitions that are almost imperceptible.
At 176 lbs (or 80 kg), the new transmission is lighter than the six-speed it will replace. The 8-speed transmission will debut in the rear-wheel drive V6 platform; questions on future V8 applications resulted only in the familiar, enigmatic smile and "no comment".
I've got the okay to tell you that the new transmission is already in use in the V6-equipped 2012 Chargers and the "other" four-door platform that I'm not yet allowed to name.
Yes we drove them. No, I can't give you any concrete driving impressions until the embargo is lifted the first of September. Suffice it to say, if you're familiar with any of the German vehicles packing the ZF 8-speed transmission, you might find the performance remarkably similar.
Several uber-cool customized 4-wheelers were on display at the off-road area. The most impressive of these was the Moab Desert-tested "Blue Crush", a highly-modified Jeep Wrangler with 540 horsepower and gigantic 39-inch claw-like tires. Built for high-speed racing across the desert plains and clambering over any boulders strewn in its path, Blue Crush features a lengthened frame for stability, a performance suspension with Fox shocks, 545RFE transmission, full Baja-style cage and fuel cell. Fingers crossed that we see this bad boy compete in that ultimate rally race: The Dakar.
My day concluded with an off-road tour in the new trail-rated Compass. I've never been too impressed with this watered-down Jeep, dismissing it as a Caliber with the trademark seven-bar grille tacked on. Surprisingly, it's now worthy of being called an off-roader, inching down the steep declines in hill-descent mode, clambering over logs and up a "staircase" built out of railway ties—while demonstrating its hill-hold ability—pausing motionless on a near-vertical incline.
We'll have a full report on the entire line-up once the embargo is lifted.
At 176 lbs (or 80 kg), the new transmission is lighter than the six-speed it will replace. The 8-speed transmission will debut in the rear-wheel drive V6 platform; questions on future V8 applications resulted only in the familiar, enigmatic smile and "no comment".
I've got the okay to tell you that the new transmission is already in use in the V6-equipped 2012 Chargers and the "other" four-door platform that I'm not yet allowed to name.
Yes we drove them. No, I can't give you any concrete driving impressions until the embargo is lifted the first of September. Suffice it to say, if you're familiar with any of the German vehicles packing the ZF 8-speed transmission, you might find the performance remarkably similar.
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| Photo: Lesley Wimbush/Auto123.com |
Several uber-cool customized 4-wheelers were on display at the off-road area. The most impressive of these was the Moab Desert-tested "Blue Crush", a highly-modified Jeep Wrangler with 540 horsepower and gigantic 39-inch claw-like tires. Built for high-speed racing across the desert plains and clambering over any boulders strewn in its path, Blue Crush features a lengthened frame for stability, a performance suspension with Fox shocks, 545RFE transmission, full Baja-style cage and fuel cell. Fingers crossed that we see this bad boy compete in that ultimate rally race: The Dakar.
My day concluded with an off-road tour in the new trail-rated Compass. I've never been too impressed with this watered-down Jeep, dismissing it as a Caliber with the trademark seven-bar grille tacked on. Surprisingly, it's now worthy of being called an off-roader, inching down the steep declines in hill-descent mode, clambering over logs and up a "staircase" built out of railway ties—while demonstrating its hill-hold ability—pausing motionless on a near-vertical incline.
We'll have a full report on the entire line-up once the embargo is lifted.