Has anyone driven/owned a WK2 jeep (2011-2013) with the 6 speed transmission, and now owns (or has driven) the new 8 speed found in the (2014+ model years)?
The reason I ask is because back in 2013, as some may remember I lemoned my WK2. Brief background on why: The transmission had the hardest problem tackling paved roads that had an incline. The engine would rev and produce power, but it wasn't making it to the wheels. You would have to really push the gas hard for it to want to lock the Torque Converter. Once the TC was locked it would "fish bite" or sling shot you up the inclined street. Most annoying thing ever.
When the TC locked it then felt like the power from the engine was going directly to the wheels, and not getting lost. But in order for this to happen I would have to really give significant additional throttle input for it to register.
Other quirks consisted of delayed, if not nonexistent kick down abilities. I noticed if for whatever reason I needed power at a given moment and I kicked down the pedal to the floor. The transmission would have a cup of tea first and think about it before giving me a lower gear. Thats not only dangerous, but not good.
So reason I ask if any of you have had the opportunity to drive both transmissions is because I am looking to buying a 2016 WK2 Overland Summit. I really enjoyed the look and feel (and fit and finish) of my WK2 therefore I am on the fence about buying another one. But just want to make sure first I dont run into the same issues as before.
I owned a 2012 Overland V6 and put around 10,000 miles on it. Although the vehicle was reliable and the transmission worked as designed, it was a terrible driving experience to put it bluntly. it would never shift when you would want it to, or when you think would be the best time for it to shift. Whoever designed the software that controls how that tranny shifts should be canned. I eventually sold it.
I then owned a 2014 Summit V8....amazing transmission!! I now own a 2015 High Altitude V6....amazing transmission!! Makes the V6 feel completely different compared to my 2012. If you are on the fence and tranny/shifting is your concern, you will LOVE it! Interiors are significantly better on the 2014+ as well IMO.
The V6 uses the W5A580, a 5 speed transmission.
The V8 used a 5 speed in 2011 and then the 65RFE 6 speed starting in 2012.
All of them use a computer.
If you drive like a 'granny' it holds the gears as long as it can, which means on inclines it tends to lose speed unless you really kick it down.
If you tend to drive more aggressively, then it would kick down on inclines/hills earlier.
I tend to not drive aggressively (most of the time), so on larger inclines I use the shifter to manually down-shift the transmission. Wish I had paddle shifters like my Legacy 3.6R.
While mine has the 6 speed, I've driven the 8 speed. The latter is a great way to go and I look forward to my next one when I'll have it.
BTW, it's just "Summit". Since MY14, the Summit has been a separate trim level rather than an option package on the Overland from MY11-13. Summit has completely different fascias front and rear from the Laredo/Limited/Overland.
I had purchased a 2011 overland new and have driven it 81,000 miles. Actually pretty trouble free. Other than the left head problem and a/c unit and power steering. The transmission was never a problem requiring any maintenance. But always was aware of the less than perfect shifting.
Have passed the 2011 on to my son and purchased a 2015 summit,have immediately noticed a smoother ride and smoother shifting. I've only put 500 miles on the car, but the difference is obvious.
Oh and I should mention the actual shifting itself on my 2012 Overland was fine, I don't recall any harsh or rough shifting, but the shift timing was terrible.
I had a 2012 Overland 5.7L V8 with 6 speed transmission and it shifted smooth, but delayed acceleration from a stop and at the base of an incline or hill which I often dealt with by manually downshifting.
I now have a 2015 High Altitude V6 with 8 speed and it shifts smooth and actually seems quicker with less gas. And eco on, eco off , and especially sport mode gives it much different shift aggressiveness. At times though it seems If I give it too much gas it revs way up and doesn't really accelerate more just revs the engine. I don't know if this is normal or not, and if it's attributable to the power-band of the Pentastar V6 or if it's the transmission shift points or just from me changing driving style.
I have a '12 and my wife's is a '14 so some times I drive them on the same day. The 8 spd makes the whole vehicle seem more responsive; it drives much smaller. While the 8 spd shifts are quick and smooth I feel every one of them, and some times it feels like it's hunting. We get better milage with the 8 spd, too.
The shifter is the problem for me. I hate the '14-15 trans control switch.
I had a 2012 V8 Overland. Then a 2014 V8 Overland. I hated the 2012. That transmission is a joke. I only put 7k miles on it because I hated it. Not that it had any issues, it was actually problem free. It was horribly slow and got poor MPG. I swear by the 8 speed transmission.
Short story. There's an abandoned drag strip near where I live. It wasn't ever crazy legit or anything. People still go and mess around there occasionally. My sister and I took our rides there once.
Her 2010 LTZ Suburban vs my 2012 GC Overland Hemi. It wasn't anything serious, just a rather safe (for what it is) place to see how they'd run next to each other. We did it twice.. Neck and neck. The GC never outran her. That's when I decided to get rid of it. What's the point in 360hp and not being able to do 0-60 in under and hour??...
My 2011 was a 6 cylinder and I think it had a 5 speed, not 6. Anyway, I had no complaints with it. I find the 6 cylinder with the 8 speed to quieter and smoother shifting. So 5 speed was nice, 8 speed is nicer.
I didn't think the 8spd drove much different while doing normal driving. Driving in mountains is a pain with the 8spd. Hunts for gears so much, so annoying. Plus the quality on the 8spd is a Joke
The shit products fiat used with the perfect tranny is the problem. Chrysler's quality has been so bad the past few years. Everyone drives different so your normal driving could be completely different than mine.
This really helps me out a lot. Like I mentioned I really miss my 12 Overland but the lack of tuning on Jeeps part with the tranny kept me pulling back on getting the new 2016.
Living in a hilly area I am constantly going up and down. The inclines just killed me. In my closing arguments with Chrysler when dealing with the lemon case, I mentioned to them that Prius's would pass me going up hill. A hemi V8 would be passed up by a prius, as if mine was parked motionless. The only way that Jeep would go up the hill is if I really buried my foot into the gas pedal.
Good to know that issue has been rectified. On a side note, my 2000 Grand Cherokee 4x4 v8 was actually faster (in both performance 0-60, and driver input) than my 2012 was. And that thing had 180k on it. Now it has 246k on it, and still runs on factory engine and transmission, never rebuilt. Talk about quality.
I've got both a 5 speed and an 8 speed with V-6's and will admit I am a little jealous when I drive my wife's '14 limited. I don't dislike my '11 with the 5 speed. It actually is and has been pretty smooth after they finally got the shift points right after several TSB's. But there is no question that the 8 speed is a really good match to that V-6 engine and I hardly notice it when it downshifts going up a hill. The wife has been very happy with the V-6 and 8 speed and she likes something with a little zip when she steps on it.
I was actually considering doing a 5 year trade for my '11 to get a '16 with the 8 speed tranny and 8.4AN radio/nav but 1) They apparently don't have my Cashmere Pearl/White Gold color and 2) They put that Engine Start Stop on the V-6 so I have to wait and see how that works out and can it be permanently disabled. I may be glad I bought that Max Care Lifetime for the '11.
I was actually considering doing a 5 year trade for my '11 to get a '16 with the 8 speed tranny and 8.4AN radio/nav but 1) They apparently don't have my Cashmere Pearl/White Gold color and 2) They put that Engine Start Stop on the V-6 so I have to wait and see how that works out and can it be permanently disabled. I may be glad I bought that Max Care Lifetime for the '11.
You'll be fine on both points. The engine stop start can be turned off. And there is a color coming that's similar to what you want...it's just a late introduction.
^^^Start/stop can be turned off and my understanding is even when it's on it's pretty seamless based on the same system that's already in use in the V6 Cherokee. I was talking to a coworker yesterday actually about the system and what he thinks of it in his new Cherokee. He says he has no gripes with it.
While we didn't own a model with that tranny, we did test drive both the V6 and V8 with the 6 speed before we ordered and absolutely hated how it behaved on the V6. The V8 ran better and the power helped offset the poor shifting habits where the V6 was lacking. It wasn't enough to turn me away from ordering since I knew it had to get better with the 8 speed and it sure did prove itself.
I did the same, for two weeks in the Yellowstone area, and fell in love with it. Liking the way the tranny worked with the 3.6L was a big part of that. My report on that experience is here.
Well I guess I will be the odd duck. I have a 2012 with the Hemi and 6 speed and I can't think of one thing I dislike about the tranny. It always seems to be in the proper gear, shifts smooth and fast. I'm somewhat impressed with the tranny. I have not driven an 8 speed, but the 6 speed in my JGC gives me no reason to look at one. In a nutshell I like the 6 speed just fine. After reading all the negative comments makes me wonder if mine may have been tweaked by a previous owner. I bought my car used.
filter', there's absolutely nothing wrong with the six speed in the MY12-13, especially with the Hemi and even more especially if it had the latest TSBs installed. It's a good combination. The 8-speed, however, adds a bit of additional smoothness for city and local driving.
The 8 speed in my 2015 is smoother. I owned a 2011 Hemi for several years and loved it, but occasionally experienced the jerky "fish bite" as others have described. The 8 speed tranny overall has better shifts. :thumbsup:
I had a 2012 grand and loved it, never had a problem with the 6 speed auto.
Bought a Durango in 2014 and after a couple of month with the 8 speed auto and the bigger screen nav just ordered a 2015 overland to get the 8 speed.
The new transmission is flawless in my jeep and works better then the Durango (same ZF box) so I would say a definite improvement
Perfect example of shity modules and poor Chrysler tinkering for the exact same applications operating differently.
The 8 speed should be so bomb but so many Chrysler applications have bad reviews and issues.
I doubt you will ever read some one on a German forum taking about their identical cars having different tyranny experiences.
Just to many hands in the pot with these rigs and they haven't ironed it all out yet.
Anyways back to the original person posting the tread, you just need to drive the same optioned jeeps back to back and see what you think.
When it came down to it for me, I wanted a 14-15. I couldn't find the color i wanted and after 6 months I went to buy the 12 overland I know own, and a 14 model showed up the same day . It was going to cost about 12k more. I couldn't justify spending that based on the difference in the way they drive. Screw all the tech with the nav, when is the last time you used any of that crap? Sure it's cool talking to your nav and telling it you want cheeseburgers and a list of restaurants comes up. But is that really something you need help with? If I'm hungry for cheeseburgers I don't need to mess with a process of asking my car where the F! I need to eat.
Useless crap...
Back in 2010 I purchased a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo X with the Hemi and it performed flawlessly. I drove it 95% of the time in Sport mode. I now have my 2015 Limited with the Hemi and although it drives excellent in D it still has shifting issues in Sport going from 1st to second when in auto mode and hard down shifting when approaching a stop. If I turn on the paddles it's fine since I'm controlling the shift points but I don't like having to do that. I prefer Sport mode in auto and I'm hoping that it'll learn for me and get better ( I only have 3000 miles on it ) If I lay on the RPM's on take off ( providing I have room in front of me to do that ) it'll shift like I expect it to but if I'm not pumping the RPM's and I'm trying to leave a stop easily it sometimes hangs the gear before shifting up ( my 6 speed did not do that,also at highway speeds it doesn't get up and go when attempting to pass like my 6 speed did ???? So basically to answer your question I prefer the performance of my 6 speed, and I also miss the stereo it had since this one does not have a cd player or dvd or the 24gb hard drive for music storage, I have to use my usb stick ... Oh well it is what it is I guess.
Love the 8-speed compared to the 5-speed in my 2008 WK. The 2008 would be running at 2,000 RPM at 55 MPH in the highest gear and 8th gear doesn't hit 2,000 RPM until 77 MPH.
Thanks guys for all your advice and thoughts on this.. I now can rest assured a new WK2 will be in my sights. I read somewhere that the 2016 or 2017 will have an updated Hemi? Something about Variable valve, or something. Apparently more HP and MPG. Will have to look into this.
On another note, I just returned on friday from a business trip to Philly and had an amazing time with the new Renegade Trailhawk. I didn't know National had the trailhawk in the emerald lineup. I got off the shuttle bus and saw a fresh fleet of limited and trailhawk models. Of course I had to pass on limited model. All I can say is wow! For a little Italian based Jeep, that sucker is pretty cool, and fun to drive. Not to mention it got plenty of looks.
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