[carbontax]

I read many reviews on MY14 but not been able to find info about the 8 speed and the CRD engine combinations under Australian driving conditions. Given few members on this forums have the MY14 CRD I would like to get some opinions on the 8 speed.
Few questions to start with..
(1) I read some 5 speed owners reported turbo lag on take offs, how does the turbo lag feel on the 8 speed?
(2) How adaptive is the transmission in changing driving conditions? (eg does it kick down promptly when trying to overtake?)
(3) What RPM does the engine sit at 100km/h and 110km/h on a flat road?
I have been offered exceptionally good deal on MY 13 CRD. Given the how good the deal is : only reason that would make me get the MY14 CRD if the 8 speed transmission worth getting compared to 5 speed.

 

[Swampy]

If it was me, I would go the 8 speed. I have an MY12 & I think that the 5 sp is probably the weakest (worst) thing about the vehicle, but that is because I compare it to my other drive that is a ZF 6sp. The ZF 8 sp I would expect to be even better.

 

[Clubby360]

I read many reviews on MY14 but not been able to find info about the 8 speed and the CRD engine combinations under Australian driving conditions. Given few members on this forums have the MY14 CRD I would like to get some opinions on the 8 speed.
Few questions to start with..
(1) I read some 5 speed owners reported turbo lag on take offs, how does the turbo lag feel on the 8 speed?
(2) How adaptive is the transmission in changing driving conditions? (eg does it kick down promptly when trying to overtake?)
(3) What RPM does the engine sit at 100km/h and 110km/h on a flat road?
I have been offered exceptionally good deal on MY 13 CRD. Given the how good the deal is : only reason that would make me get the MY14 CRD if the 8 speed transmission worth getting compared to 5 speed.

I personally think trading in solely for the 8 speed isn't worth it, the crd's torque works beautifully with the 5 speeds longer gearing and my opinion is that it's much more of a relaxing drive when the gearbox isn't constantly changing gears all the time.

 

[captainjunket]

Can anyone enliten us on the questions that carbon tax asked about the 8 speed transmission on the CRD.

 

[carbontax]

I am surprised that no one has posted about 8 speed and CRD. Anyway I test drove the 8 speed and 5 speed CRD back to back. This is my personal review based on 20 minutes driving around Wollongong.

• 5 speed is slow to react compared to 8 speed for pedal to floor acceleration.
• Turbo kick in is more noticeable in 5 speed compared to 8 speed.
• 5 speed feel like jeep climbing a mountain on each gear. 8 speed has a linear feel to gear changes eg: felt like mountains are flattened off with a bulldozer.
• 8 speed gear changes are smooth and fast compared to 5 speed.
• Driving at 60km/h then slowing down and taking a 90 degree turn I could feel a twitch/kick/unsettled 8 speed transmission.
• Slowing down on a flat road without hitting the brake pedal 8 speed slowed down faster compared 5 speed.
• going down a steep hill , I found the 5 speed much better for keeping constant speed (manual gear change) downhill compared to 8 speed.
• As pointed out above post 5 speed is a more relaxed drive compared to 8 speed when vehicle is moving . For lot of 0-60km/h stop start traffic I would say 8 speed is better.
• I had to drive like a boy racer to really see the difference between 8 speed and 5 speed. If I drove normally the difference negligible.

Overall I would say 8 speed is the winner. 5 Speed close second. I was too busy trying out all the features on the jeep and forgot to record the RPM at 100km/h for 8 speed transmission. Difference between 5 speed and 8 speed was not significant enough for me to pay extra. I ended up buying a 2013 5 speed CRD 10k less than RRP. Dealer wanted another 12k for 2014 CRD.

 

[iwantanotherjeep]

Nice review carbontax and congrats on the new purchase. Sounds like you got a great deal and you are happy with it. At the end of the day, that is what matters the most. :thumbsup:

 

[SNUKE]

Going from the whatever it was 4sp in my Falcon to the 6sp ZF box was night and day (engine was too though).
I used to manually change gears all of the time, but with the ZF, I think I have touched it twice, and that was just to try it.
Several have said it engine brakes more when lifting off the accelerator, does this also happen when cruise control is active and going down a hill.
IE, my old car, I had to change down manually and apply the brake to stop the speed from climbing like crazy down a steep hill, but the ZF takes care of it now I don’t have to monitor the speed increasing by a massive amount.