Drove 'em all, going with CX-5

be thankful you did not go with the Tucson 1.6T with Dual Clutch Transmission, tons of issues, overheating, intermittent acceleration from red lights, just a total nightmare, my co-worker has one and says it's the worst car he has ever owned.....
Thanks for the warning! I wasn't really serious about it in the first place and drove it just for fun (and to collect a $40 Amazon gift card). It was missing a couple of my must-haves, and besides Hyundai is one of the brands that I simply have an aversion to -- very much doubt I'd ever get any of their products.
 
That doesn't change the fact that you're driving one of the most poorly designed vehicles on the road right down there with GM which has aso been bailed out by the government. ZF's brilliant 8 and 9 speed transmissions used in dodge was beaten to death on the dodge forums for being unreliable because that company could not properly tune a transmission for the life of them. BMW in comparison had zero transmission failure reportings in this time period.

ZF 8HP and 9HP are completely different. The 8HP is a relatively conventional longitudinal (RWD) transmission that's used by a lot of different manufacturers (BMW and Chrysler included). The 9HP is a compact transverse (FWD) transmission which is somewhat unique for using dog clutches. So far, the 9HP is used by FIAT Chrysler, Honda/Acura, and Jaguar Land Rover. There was a recall of the transmission for inadvertently dropping into neutral which was fixed with a software upgrade. All three manufacturers were part of the recall. Also, when the transmission was new (2013-2015), there were numerous complaints about its shifting behavior from Land Rover, Jeep, and Acura owners. Several software upgrades later, it seems to be working well. I've driven a 2017 Cherokee, 2017 Pacifica, and 2017 Pilot with the latest ZF 9HP and it worked great in all three cars. When my wife wanted to buy the Pacifica, I read everything I could online about this transmission and there haven't been any issues with reliability in any of the vehicles it's been put in.
 
Funny video by Autotrader.com they carry a lot of forums as well - the car brand that was associated most with the term Lemon was : Hyundai, and indeed for the DCT it did buy back quite a few vehicles.
Surprisingly - there were Acura and Subaru as well in the top 10. Guess FCA owners know their cars are pretty much lemons and just hope they dont die before the see the resale offer (then most die anyways).
 
be thankful you did not go with the Tucson 1.6T with Dual Clutch Transmission, tons of issues, overheating, intermittent acceleration from red lights, just a total nightmare, my co-worker has one and says it's the worst car he has ever owned.....

check the youtube videos, there's going to be a class action lawsuit soon...

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tucson+dct+problem

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/2016-tucson-ix35-models/454074-dangerous-horrible-dct.html

the DCT cannot handle stop and go traffic, it overheats and shuts down, if brakes are released when this happens the car rolls backwards, and pressing the accelerator will do nothing

video below shows an owner who had the recall software re-programming done and still not fixed....


Putting a DCT into a non sporty, daily driven car... what a horrible idea...

Thanks for the warning! I wasn't really serious about it in the first place and drove it just for fun (and to collect a $40 Amazon gift card). It was missing a couple of my must-haves, and besides Hyundai is one of the brands that I simply have an aversion to -- very much doubt I'd ever get any of their products.

There is more to selecting a car then rebates, features and a good price. The car needs to be well built with passion, reliable and well designed. Manufacturers like Hyundai and jeep are none of those things.

ZF 8HP and 9HP are completely different. The 8HP is a relatively conventional longitudinal (RWD) transmission that's used by a lot of different manufacturers (BMW and Chrysler included). The 9HP is a compact transverse (FWD) transmission which is somewhat unique for using dog clutches. So far, the 9HP is used by FIAT Chrysler, Honda/Acura, and Jaguar Land Rover. There was a recall of the transmission for inadvertently dropping into neutral which was fixed with a software upgrade. All three manufacturers were part of the recall. Also, when the transmission was new (2013-2015), there were numerous complaints about its shifting behavior from Land Rover, Jeep, and Acura owners. Several software upgrades later, it seems to be working well. I've driven a 2017 Cherokee, 2017 Pacifica, and 2017 Pilot with the latest ZF 9HP and it worked great in all three cars. When my wife wanted to buy the Pacifica, I read everything I could online about this transmission and there haven't been any issues with reliability in any of the vehicles it's been put in.

It goes to show how important good programming is to ensure that the transmission operates well and lasts long.

I have however heard of numerous transmission failure issues in the 9 speed for the Little jeep crossover, whatever it's called.

Note how you mention that Land Rover, Acura and jeep had issues with transmission shifting? BMW is excellent at drivetrain tuning and that is likely why it didn't make the list.
 
No, BMW never used the transmission. That's why they're not on the list.

BMW uses the ZF 8HP, which is a conventional rear wheel drive transmission. Lots of companies are using it, including Dodge, and AFAIK nobody has any complaints about it. The 9HP is a more unconventional design. The link below provides a good explanation of it. One notable feature is its use of dog clutches where friction clutches are normally used, to save space and reduce losses. Unlike a manual trans where dog clutches are also used, there are no synchros in the ZF tranny to match shaft speeds prior to engaging a dog clutch. It relies on the computer to time the engagement perfectly. That's one reason why it's taken several iterations of software to get it to shift smoothly in the lower gears without clunks or pauses.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/02/zfs-9-speed-9hp-transmission-puts-dog-clutches-on-the-leash/
 
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Wait, what is knee bag coverage? And do you have a flip phone? GPS? Or is it just an older smart phone. I bet your phone still has bluetooth though. I know its a law here in Maryland that you can't talk on the phone and drive.
jhu8 - Knee bag coverage is just knee airbags that many new cars have (The Buick Encore has add'l knee airbags for both driver & passenger). Yes, I do have bluetooth in my "dumb" cell phone. We leased a 2017 CX-5 GT Premium on Sat & it's very nice. I taught myself the NAV & even paired my old "dumb" phone. Took 20 tries but I wouldn't give up. Then it paired! I'm thrilled. Now to learn everything else! ;)
 
jhu8 - Knee bag coverage is just knee airbags that many new cars have (The Buick Encore has add'l knee airbags for both driver & passenger). Yes, I do have bluetooth in my "dumb" cell phone. We leased a 2017 CX-5 GT Premium on Sat & it's very nice. I taught myself the NAV & even paired my old "dumb" phone. Took 20 tries but I wouldn't give up. Then it paired! I'm thrilled. Now to learn everything else! ;)

Congratulations. I've enjoyed reading your posts. Enjoy.
 
jhu8 - Knee bag coverage is just knee airbags that many new cars have (The Buick Encore has add'l knee airbags for both driver & passenger). Yes, I do have bluetooth in my "dumb" cell phone. We leased a 2017 CX-5 GT Premium on Sat & it's very nice. I taught myself the NAV & even paired my old "dumb" phone. Took 20 tries but I wouldn't give up. Then it paired! I'm thrilled. Now to learn everything else! ;)

Good to hear you got it working!
 
My wife and I have driven quite a few vehicles in this class and we're going with the CX-5 too! We drove the CRV, RAV4, Tucson, Forester, RDX,
Outback, etc., etc. and the CX-5 is hands-down the best handling in the bunch. I feel more engaged in the driving experience with the Mazda.
We are getting rid of a 2011 Nissan Rogue SL that's been nothing but trouble the last couple of years. I think we may have gotten a lemon because 3 out of 4 door handles have fallen off the car because of a design flaw where an internal part rusts and allows the handle to fall off!
Also (and much more life-threatening) it has a design flaw where the internal latching mechanism inside the driver and passenger front door rusts and causes the doors to NOT OPEN from the inside or outside!!! Talk about a multi-million dollar lawsuit when driver and/or passenger are trapped inside the vehicle and can't get out in time!!! Example of where you might die from something like that...car stalls while crossing railroad tracks, car slides off road in winter into lake or river, car catches on fire, etc., etc.
Sorry for venting about my Nissan on a Mazda forum...I'm done now.
 
My wife and I have driven quite a few vehicles in this class and we're going with the CX-5 too! We drove the CRV, RAV4, Tucson, Forester, RDX,
Outback, etc., etc. and the CX-5 is hands-down the best handling in the bunch. I feel more engaged in the driving experience with the Mazda.
We are getting rid of a 2011 Nissan Rogue SL that's been nothing but trouble the last couple of years. I think we may have gotten a lemon because 3 out of 4 door handles have fallen off the car because of a design flaw where an internal part rusts and allows the handle to fall off!
Also (and much more life-threatening) it has a design flaw where the internal latching mechanism inside the driver and passenger front door rusts and causes the doors to NOT OPEN from the inside or outside!!! Talk about a multi-million dollar lawsuit when driver and/or passenger are trapped inside the vehicle and can't get out in time!!! Example of where you might die from something like that...car stalls while crossing railroad tracks, car slides off road in winter into lake or river, car catches on fire, etc., etc.
Sorry for venting about my Nissan on a Mazda forum...I'm done now.

Nissans build quality has went down the shitter since their partnership with Renault. With that being said, they're decent cars otherwise.

Good choice on the Mazda. Enjoy it, it's a great car.
 
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