[dubfun]

I recently saw a 2014 Grand Cherokee SRT on a local dealer lot and it is equipped with the 8 speed auto trans. Will the rest of the 2014 SRT line-up have the 8 speed trans?

 

[Sir Moses Wellington]

I recently saw a 2014 Grand Cherokee SRT on a local dealer lot and it is equipped with the 8 speed auto trans. Will the rest of the 2014 SRT line-up have the 8 speed trans?

The 8 speed is coming to all the vehicles with RWD, from the V6 to the 392. And for all we know, the Hellcat motor as well, which may or may not exists...

 

[Christopher]

I'm just happy I wasn't saddled with the 8 speed transmission on my R/T.

 

[rapidtrans]

Sure hope they improve the "e shifter" before they spread it across the line-up.
It's my only complaint, and a minor one, with a great auto trans.

 

[Christopher]

Sure hope they improve the "e shifter" before they spread it across the line-up.
It's my only complaint, and a minor one, with a great auto trans.

That was the primary reason I got an R/T. I absolutely detest the e-shifter and you can be sure that when talking about why I got the R/T, that comes up. A buddy of mine was out in my car the other day and I was letting him drive it. He liked it. A lot. But he thought that the v6 would be sufficient for him. I told him my opinion on the eshifter and told him unless they fixed it to drive the car with it because in my opinion, while the trans was supposedly fantastic and I wanted to get a v6, the e shifter is a piece of garbage.

 

[dubfun]

Sure hope they improve the "e shifter" before they spread it across the line-up.
It's my only complaint, and a minor one, with a great auto trans.

I saw a track test review of the 2014 GCSRT on youtube. They seemed to have high praise for the way the 8-speed was programmed when in sport mode. It held gears longer (didn't try to find a higher gear for fuel economy) and "always seemed to be in the correct gear" when blasting around the track. Hopefully this will hold true for all SRT vehicles. I imagine that the programming will be much more aggressive in these higher performance models, as opposed to the fuel economy programming in V6 equipped cars.

 

[JoshMHam]

That was the primary reason I got an R/T. I absolutely detest the e-shifter and you can be sure that when talking about why I got the R/T, that comes up. A buddy of mine was out in my car the other day and I was letting him drive it. He liked it. A lot. But he thought that the v6 would be sufficient for him. I told him my opinion on the eshifter and told him unless they fixed it to drive the car with it because in my opinion, while the trans was supposedly fantastic and I wanted to get a v6, the e shifter is a piece of garbage.

To each his own, I guess. I have had mine for a little over a year, and never had any real problems with it. The only shift that has ever slowed me down is Drive to Reverse, and that one doesn't come up often. Not enough puts you in Neutral, too much puts you in Park. Other than that, it is either one click or all the way.

 

[Christopher]

To each his own, I guess. I have had mine for a little over a year, and never had any real problems with it. The only shift that has ever slowed me down is Drive to Reverse, and that one doesn't come up often. Not enough puts you in Neutral, too much puts you in Park. Other than that, it is either one click or all the way.

On the several test drives I drove with a v6/8sp I was never able to hit reverse on the first try. If you can't do that on a test drive, there is a flaw with the equipment. If that is functioning properly, then I think there is a flaw in the design.

Engineers may disagree on the basis that it is functioning as designed, but when it comes to something like that, if I can't hit the gear on the first shot on multiple occasions, there is a problem.

 

[JoshMHam]

On the several test drives I drove with a v6/8sp I was never able to hit reverse on the first try. If you can't do that on a test drive, there is a flaw with the equipment. If that is functioning properly, then I think there is a flaw in the design.

Engineers may disagree on the basis that it is functioning as designed, but when it comes to something like that, if I can't hit the gear on the first shot on multiple occasions, there is a problem.

It's no different than learning any new shifter. I used to miss shifts with my dad's minivan (column shifter). The first few times I drove a car with the serpentine shifter, it would take me a little bit to get it to the gear that I wanted. When I first learned to drive, I know I didn't shift perfectly for quite a while. Dont' even get me started on driving manual transmission. There was nothing inherantly wrong with any of those, I just wasn't familiar with them.

 

[Christopher]

You know how often I've missed reverse when shifting from drive in my R/T? None. The last automatic I owned was my '93 Daytona. Can't say I ever missed reverse in that either. My Eclipse? Nope, don't recall ever having a problem getting into reverse there either. I maintain that the 8spd shifter is a crap interface. That is my opinion. You may like it. That if fine. I am glad it works for you. Truly, I am. My opinion of it though will not change until the interface changes.

I agree I wasn't familiar with it, but over the course of about 8 test drives, not being able to hit reverse from drive once is a problem and not one I'm willing to deal with. Put a slotted/notched interface in there like the R/T or a regular old automatic and I would bought the v6. But I guess it worked for them since it pushed me into a more expensive car.


I've got a friend who has a v6/8sp. He said it took awhile getting used to it, but now it isn't too much of a problem, though he still misses reverse sometimes. That's great, but something like that should take 'getting used' to and after a year of ownership, he shouldn't still be having the problem.

The sad thing is, I can't believe that it needs to be that way. When I tell people about it, I tell them that my opinion is that while the transmission may be great, the interface is garbage and they should avoid it. They may like it, but I don't.