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Quite disappointed with the 5-shift gear (3.6l)

6K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  3840 
#1 · (Edited)
I am driving my 2011 GC 3.6l now since a week. And yes, I testdrove it. And yes, I noticed that you nearly have to perform a kickown to bring the 290hp into play.
However, the behaviour of the 5-shift gear is just not acceptable. The positive side - cruising works fine. As long as you treat the accelerator pedal carefully (up to 3000rpm) the vehicle reacts fine. But then, as soon as you want some decent acceleraion, not only that you really have to significantly kick the pedal, from that very moment when you kick the pedal until the engine reacts at least 1-2 second(s) passes (...and thats quite a lot). During that time I even have the feeling that the rpm goes down a little bit at first. So rather than the expected acceleration you first got stuck on the current speed for an instance or even got a slight deceleration.

Are you experiencing this as well?

I know that this has been a topic in multiple threads already ...and I did read that some of you already brought your 2011 GC back to the dealer due to that. Can anyone report that the dealer was able to improve the engine/gear behaviour? ...or is that just something one has to accept?
 
#3 ·
This is another reason I am waiting for the 2012. The hope that the 8-speed box will be present as well as all the kinks worked out of the first year production of a new vehicle.
 
#5 ·
Are you experiencing this as well?

I know that this has been a topic in multiple threads already ...and I did read that some of you already brought your 2011 GC back to the dealer due to that. Can anyone report that the dealer was able to improve the engine/gear behaviour? ...or is that just something one has to accept?
I would love to know as well. The same symptoms you describe are driving me nuts on my wife's Jeep. Hers has about 1,500 miles on it now.
 
#6 ·
I'm suprised how quiet this thread is......

Hopefully guys its possible they'll do a software update to make it better. No doubt it sub standard calibration between the electronic throttle (has there been a worse invention????) and the gearbox module.

Anyway, I hope they sort it for you!
 
#10 ·
I'm suprised how quiet this thread is......
I think it's quiet because on the whole, most of us are pleased with the 3.6L Pentastar/W5A580 combo.

Yeah, punching the throttle isn't immediate, but it's a hell of a lot better than it was in my Patriot (with the 2.4L/CVT). A bit of hesitation seems to be the norm with electronic throttles, and with the current emphasis on fuel economy you can forget about aggressive throttle calibration. I tend to tool around with my Select Terrain knob in "Sport" mode- I don't know for sure that it does much with the throttle response, but it seems to and it does hold a gear longer.

If I want to get the engine on boil for passing, I just use the autostick lever to kick it down a gear or so manually so the engine is already spun up and ready to run before I push the pedal any more.

I think a lot of people are expecting something closer to a sports car than the Grand Cherokee ended up being. It's tuned more for luxury than it is for sport (by "sport," I mean acceleration and handling, not the off road prowess).
 
#7 ·
Have a 2011 Overland with v6 on order since late Sept. with no D1 status as of yet and am wondering if I should just cancel the order. Very concerned about the lack of interest in the 5 speed tranny and feartureless 430n. Or am I just frustrated and overacting:mad:
 
#9 ·
Have a 2011 Overland with v6 on order since late Sept. with no D1 status as of yet and am wondering if I should just cancel the order. Very concerned about the lack of interest in the 5 speed tranny and feartureless 430n. Or am I just frustrated and overacting:mad:
Go do a long test drive again.
I didn't think the transmission was that bad. All automatics take a second to kick-down when you hit the gas. That is why manual is better for agressive driving, and these transmissions allow manual shifting. If you want better acceleration, get the Hemi.
 
#11 ·
Originally Posted by Technosavant
Yeah, punching the throttle isn't immediate...
It is not the immediate power not being available that I am criticizing. I am not expecting the WK2 to be a sportscar.
What I am saying is that it is not even possible to have a smooth constant acceleration. Thats what I am refering to as 'not acceptable'. I want to smoothly cruise through the city without being shaked in the car. Overall, as mentioned, beyond the 3000rpm's you never know when the vehicle is switching gears.
 
#12 ·
See, mine is perfectly smooth, so I can't commiserate with your complaint.

The V-6 is a spinner, not a grunter. You have to punch it to get serious power. The easy way to tell this about an engine is to check the HP and torque numbers- if one is significantly higher than the other, that indicates a preference for that kind of power. Lots of torque (like the Hemi), it's going to give more immediate grunt off the line but run out of steam at higher RPM. With more HP than torque, you have to get it to rev to get it going.

IMO, if something is truly amiss, then it's not a systemic problem with the powertrain but a more isolated issue with a small number of vehicles.
 
#16 ·
If you HOLD the gear lever to the left (instead of individual taps), it will shift down to the lowest gear for you without over-reving the engine.
 
#20 ·
I took another WK2 test drive tonight of a Limited V6 and never felt the transmission was slow to respond. When I punched the gas it kicked down right away; I did this over & over to the great enjoyment of the salesman. Tried what Technosavant suggested too and it worked perfectly; holding the shifter left or right to drop to the lowest gear for passing or jump to drive afterward is quick and easy.
 
#24 ·
Hmm, mine was build late October. So, not sure it will resolve the issue. But still, good point Abby.
 
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