Transmission
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Time was that the most gears you could get in an automatic transmission was three or four. Then came five- and six-speed automatics, which are now pretty much the standard (along with increasingly prevalent continuously variable transmissions, or CVTs). But the transmission wars have continued to escalate. DON'T MISS: Auto Industry Doing Fine In Meeting Gas-Mileage Goals, It Turns Out (Aug 2014) Today, seven-, eight-, and nine-speed automatics are offered in everything from large European luxury sedans to the Jeep Renegade subcompact SUV. Now Autoguide has reported on a patent filing by Ford...
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GM To Fit CVTs To Many Car Models For Higher Fuel Economy
Most car buyers don't think a lot about transmissions. In the U.S., more than 9 out of 10 of them opt for an automatic, and that's that. But transmission technology turns out to be one of the major ways automakers are boosting gas mileage to meet tougher fuel-economy rules. And it appears GM is...
John Voelcker -
Why CVTs Won, Direct-Shift Gearboxes Lost Fuel-Economy Fight
If you're reading this in North America, the vehicle sitting on your driveway probably has an automatic transmission. So do around 95 percent of other new vehicles on the U.S. market right now, though the Canadian figure is slightly lower. The numbers don't lie: Drivers just aren't buying cars with...
Antony Ingram -
2015 Ford Focus EcoBoost Three-Cylinder: Manual Gearbox Only
Sales of the 1.0-liter three-cylinder version of the 2015 Ford Focus compact are likely to be dwarfed by those of the more powerful and familiar 2.0-liter 1.6-liter four. After all, in a segment that's often price-sensitive, Ford is asking buyers to pay more for a slower car--although one that's...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen Developing Twin-Turbo 2-Liter Diesel, 10-Speed Direct-Shift Gearbox
Volkswagen has set itself a target of improving the efficiency of its future models as much as 15 percent by 2020. To do so, the firm is working on a new generation of twin-turbocharged diesel engines, as well confirming its plans for a new ten-speed dual-clutch transmission. Both will find their...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Dodge Dart Dumps Dual-Clutch Automatic, Except On Aero Model
The Dodge Dart compact sedan launched as a 2013 model hasn't sold as well as hoped. One thing that hurt its debut was the unfamiliar feel of its dual-clutch automatic gear gearbox, brought over from Europe to boost the fuel economy of versions fitted with the 160-horsepower turbocharged 1.4-liter...
John Voelcker -
Slightly more than 7,000 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid sedans from the 2013 and 2014 model years are being recalled for a potential problem that could allow the car to be shifted into gear without the brake pedal being applied. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's SaferCar.gov lists a recall notice for 7,153 MKZ Hybrids assembled between April 2012 and September 2013. According to the notice, an error in the manufacturing process may affect the transmission's range sensor and cause it not to function properly. If that component malfunctions, the hybrid mid-size sedans could be shifted...
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Future MINI Models: Engine And Technology Details Released
Future MINI models will be powered by three- and four-cylinder engines the brand says will combine fuel economy and sportiness.
Stephen Edelstein -
New Gas Mileage Rules Will Reshape What Americans Drive: Engines And Transmissions
Smaller, more efficient engines better matched to more complex transmissions will have some of the biggest effects in making tomorrow's cars more fuel-efficient. The 2025 corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) level of 54.5 mpg translates to about 42 mpg on the EPA window sticker. And while Toyota...
John Voelcker -
2014 Chevrolet Spark To Get CVT, Replacing 4-Speed Automatic
The Chevrolet Spark, the smallest Chevy sold in the U.S., will get some mechanical changes next year, according to Christi Landy, the brand's small-car marketing director. The 2014 Chevrolet Spark, which will go on sale late this year, will offer a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) in place...
John Voelcker -
2013 Dodge Dart Limited: Gas-Mileage Drive Report
The 2013 Dodge Dart has gotten off to a slow start in the market, but it's a vitally important car for Chrysler. The first vehicle based on shared underpinnings from its parent Fiat, the Dart has to show Chrysler can build competitive cars--and, even more important, top-quality small cars that...
John Voelcker -
Fake 'Shifting' For Electric Cars: Dumbest Idea Of The Year
Gosh, those crazy electric cars. They're so different and confusing, eh? We've now come across a new and thus-far unparalleled example of just how far people will go to avoid dealing with the realities of electric cars. Which are, of course, smooth, quiet, and torquey, meaning they're fast off the...
John Voelcker -
To those who remember "three on the tree" or "four on the floor", today's seven and eight-speed automatic transmissions seem to offer a bewildering amount of gears to choose from. Chrysler will go one better in 2013 with a nine-speed automatic transmission, as the maker looks towards improving transmission technology as a way of creeping towards the 54.5mpg 2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy targets. Several carmakers now offer seven-speed trasmissions--sports car maker Porsche even offers a seven-speed manual--while a select few also supply you with eight gears. If you've not driven a car...
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Hyundai Developing 10-Speed Automatic For Future Luxury Cars
Engines might be getting smaller in the pursuit of saving fuel but transmissions are going the opposite direction. Over the last few years different carmakers have rapidly increased the number of ratios available to drivers, with Mercedes-Benz giving us 7-speed autos, Lexus developing an 8-speed...
Antony Ingram -
How Does Your New Car Get Better MPG Than Your Old One?
Almost every day we hear of a shiny new car that gets a certain number of miles to the gallon, a number often greater than its predecessor. It sometimes seems like witchcraft - until significant steps towards high-tech materials are taken, rarely do cars lose weight from one model to the next (with...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Fiat 500 Cabrios, Manuals More Popular Than Projected
Launching the 2012 Fiat 500 minicar in the U.S. market was a gamble to begin with. But it's one that is paying off in some unexpected ways. Fiat's top North American executive, Laura Soave, told trade journal Ward's Auto that the Cabrio model with the roll-back cloth roof is proving far more...
John Voelcker -
Ford's Gas Mileage Goals Spawn 3-Cylinder Engine, New Hybrids
Smaller, more efficient engines that equal the power of larger, lazier ones are how automakers all over the world plan to raise fuel economy. Today Ford [NYSE:F] doubled down on engineering as the best way to boost gas mileage, with announcements about three separate technologies it plans to use in...
John Voelcker -
2011 Revenge Verde: Hybrid Vaporware On Steroids
Auto shows have always been the forum for unveiling the wildest, wackiest, most over-the-top drool-worthy vehicles. The shows have been more subdued over the past two years of economic turmoil, but this year, the folks at Revenge delivered something to smile about. The Revenge Verde takes its...
Robert Scardino -
• What is it?: The first-ever hybrid version of the big Mercedes-Benz sedan • The basics: All the S-Class virtues, much better gas mileage • On sale: This fall • Price: $87,950 This weekend, GreenCarReports.com will be one of the first media outlets in the States to test the new 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid. We'll offer our impressions, and the gas mileage we get, next week. Meanwhile, we wanted to preview the car for you. Unlike Asian carmakers, European manufacturers have been slow to adopt hybrid-electric technology. As recent comments from German executives show, many feel...
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2010 Ford Transit Connect Small Delivery Van Selling Well
Today seems to be Ford day; this morning's e-mail included a news release on the early sales success of the 2010 Ford Transit Connect small delivery van, just while we're in the middle of writing up our four days of travel in a 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid. We first drove the 2010 Transit Connect in...
John Voelcker