Your current car!

[Roadgeek Adam]

I have a 2015 Chrysler 200C that I love. I drove one as a rental car and fell in love with the car. Was so glad I could get one after hitting my Toyota Rav4 into a deer on IL 116.

[jakeroot]

Can one perform engine braking (Jake's brake) with the Diesel engine in a motorcar or SUV or can that be accomplished only in one of the big rigs?

Wikipedia says no:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_braking

I am not sure how owners of diesel-equipped cars avoid burning out the brakes on long downhill grades.

Turbo diesels seem to have more engine braking than non-turbo diesels. Personally, I pop my TDI down a few cogs on a long grade, and it definitely slows down. Granted, it's a manual, so obviously it's going to slow down if it's in fourth at 70, rather than sixth. But I certainly don't have to use my brakes. I frequently change down to fifth or fourth in freeway traffic to avoid using my brake lights/scaring the car behind me.

I will say that my last gasoline car, an Oldsmobile Bravada with the I6 and 4-speed auto had very good engine braking on hills. I don't know if this was due to the larger gear ratios or because it was a petrol engine, but I still need to tap my brakes in my TDI on long grades, even in a lower gear. Only taps, granted. But I usually can't forgo any brake use.

[paulthemapguy]

I have a 2015 Chrysler 200C that I love. I drove one as a rental car and fell in love with the car. Was so glad I could get one after hitting my Toyota Rav4 into a deer on IL 116.

On IL 116?  Where?

[jakeroot]

I have a 2015 Chrysler 200C that I love. I drove one as a rental car and fell in love with the car.

Interesting. When I was a valet, the one car every valet consistently hated was the 200C with its 9-speed auto. Worst...transmission...ever. Might get better after warming up, but you'll have a headache by then since it throws you forward & back at every gear change or throttle stomp.

[DaBigE]

I have a 2015 Chrysler 200C that I love. I drove one as a rental car and fell in love with the car.

Interesting. When I was a valet, the one car every valet consistently hated was the 200C with its 9-speed auto. Worst...transmission...ever. Might get better after warming up, but you'll have a headache by then since it throws you forward & back at every gear change or throttle stomp.

I didn't think there was something worse than Ford's PowerShift 6-speed in the 2012-17* Focus & Fiesta.

* It appears as they have finally found the right clutch pack that makes the shifts much more comfortable/reliable.

[roadman]

I have a 2015 Chrysler 200C that I love. I drove one as a rental car and fell in love with the car.

Interesting. When I was a valet, the one car every valet consistently hated was the 200C with its 9-speed auto. Worst...transmission...ever. Might get better after warming up, but you'll have a headache by then since it throws you forward & back at every gear change or throttle stomp.

I didn't think there was something worse than Ford's PowerShift 6-speed in the 2012-17* Focus & Fiesta.

* It appears as they have finally found the right clutch pack that makes the shifts much more comfortable/reliable.

I have a 2012 Focus with the PowerShift that I bought in 2014.  It had been given the updated software at the time.  So far, I haven't had any problems with the transmission like harsh shifts.  Then again, I researched it beforehand and know you're not supposed to drive it like you would a conventional automatic.

[PHLBOS]

Then again, I researched it beforehand and know you're not supposed to drive it like you would a conventional automatic.

Out of curiosity, how does one drive this PowerShift 6-speed... like a manual, a type that many newer drivers aren't familiar with nor accustomed to?

[abefroman329]

2013 Toyota Camry.  It's an automatic, for the same reasons I don't make copies on a mimeograph machine or grind coffee beans with a hand-cranked grinder.

[DaBigE]

I have a 2015 Chrysler 200C that I love. I drove one as a rental car and fell in love with the car.

Interesting. When I was a valet, the one car every valet consistently hated was the 200C with its 9-speed auto. Worst...transmission...ever. Might get better after warming up, but you'll have a headache by then since it throws you forward & back at every gear change or throttle stomp.

I didn't think there was something worse than Ford's PowerShift 6-speed in the 2012-17* Focus & Fiesta.

* It appears as they have finally found the right clutch pack that makes the shifts much more comfortable/reliable.

I have a 2012 Focus with the PowerShift that I bought in 2014.  It had been given the updated software at the time.  So far, I haven't had any problems with the transmission like harsh shifts.  Then again, I researched it beforehand and know you're not supposed to drive it like you would a conventional automatic.

You apparently are one of the lucky ones. OTOH, my wife's '13 Fiesta went thru 3 clutch packs in less than a 2 year period (all on Ford's dime, luckily). We were fully-aware of how it would/should behave; it did not and the service department completely agreed. It wasn't just hard shifts, it was extremely delayed shifts and slippage. I'm not sure of the exact year range, but Ford has extended the warranty on certain transmission components of the PowerShift because of said issues.

[roadman]

Then again, I researched it beforehand and know you're not supposed to drive it like you would a conventional automatic.

Out of curiosity, how does one drive this PowerShift 6-speed... like a manual, a type that many newer drivers aren't familiar with nor accustomed to?

The Powershift, also called a dual clutch transmission or DCT is more akin to a manual transmission than an traditional automatic with a torque converter.  The only difference between a DCT and a manual is that, instead of a foot clutch to change gears, it uses computer driven solenoids to drive a pair of internal clutches that control the gears.

In researching the Ford Focus and the DCT transmission, it was emphasized that the best way to drive the car was to treat it as if it were a traditional manual transmission.  Principally, this means avoiding sudden or harsh changes in acceleration and deceleration.  These actions can often confuse the computer, thus affecting gear shifts.

And yes, I've been on the forums and am well aware that many Foci have problems with the DCT that go beyond driver behavior.  However, just as many (if not more) Foci with the DCT run perfectly fine (like mine - so far). 

[J N Winkler]

I frankly don't understand why people would take on the technological risk of a DSG transmission when a traditional hydraulically controlled automatic transmission that has overdrive in every gear except first (e.g., the Saturn TAAT, or the five-speed automatic in the US-spec second-generation Honda Fit) offers better launch behavior and, if properly maintained, is more robust.  DSGs offer the prospect of reduced pumping losses, but IMV this is outweighed by the far greater likelihood of expensive replacement of hard parts.

[jakeroot]

I frankly don't understand why people would take on the technological risk of a DSG transmission when a traditional hydraulically controlled automatic transmission that has overdrive in every gear except first (e.g., the Saturn TAAT, or the five-speed automatic in the US-spec second-generation Honda Fit) offers better launch behavior and, if properly maintained, is more robust.  DSGs offer the prospect of reduced pumping losses, but IMV this is outweighed by the far greater likelihood of expensive replacement of hard parts.

Unless you drive stick, Ford's only automatic gearbox option was a dual-clutch. The last Ford I considered was a Fiesta 1L, with the 5-speed manual (one of the few cars where there was no automatic option). It was a lot smoother than the other Fiesta's with their dual-clutches! Ford's newer automatic gearboxes are much better, but they also aren't dual clutches. For a while, Ford's dual-clutch gearbox was second only to Chrysler's implementation of the ZF 9-speed in terms of worst gearbox ever.

Now, I have heard of reliability issues beyond dual-clutch gearboxes. ZF's 9-speed has been pretty renowned for not being very reliable, despite being a traditional automatic. It seems you can't win these days, unless you're lucky enough to buy a car with an in-house gearbox, or a car with less than 9 gears (though I will say that Ford's new 10-speed's are pretty good).

[J N Winkler]

Now, I have heard of reliability issues beyond dual-clutch gearboxes. ZF's 9-speed has been pretty renowned for not being very reliable, despite being a traditional automatic. It seems you can't win these days, unless you're lucky enough to buy a car with an in-house gearbox, or a car with less than 9 gears (though I will say that Ford's new 10-speed's are pretty good).

I think it has been a brave new world since the industry began moving to new-generation lower-viscosity transmission fluids in 2005.  Previously, unless the transmission had really serious design weaknesses, one could extend life by using a fluid that was more shear-stable than the factory fluid.  Owing to semi-synthetic formulations, the newer fluids shear down less, so there is less scope for improving performance by using a boutique synthetic fluid.  And pretty much anything an automaker can do to try to improve efficiency in an automatic transmission also compromises NVH performance.

[Takumi]

I frankly don't understand why people would take on the technological risk of a DSG transmission when a traditional hydraulically controlled automatic transmission that has overdrive in every gear except first (e.g., the Saturn TAAT, or the five-speed automatic in the US-spec second-generation Honda Fit) offers better launch behavior and, if properly maintained, is more robust.  DSGs offer the prospect of reduced pumping losses, but IMV this is outweighed by the far greater likelihood of expensive replacement of hard parts.

Unless you drive stick, Ford's only automatic gearbox option was a dual-clutch. The last Ford I considered was a Fiesta 1L, with the 5-speed manual (one of the few cars where there was no automatic option). It was a lot smoother than the other Fiesta's with their dual-clutches! Ford's newer automatic gearboxes are much better, but they also aren't dual clutches. For a while, Ford's dual-clutch gearbox was second only to Chrysler's implementation of the ZF 9-speed in terms of worst gearbox ever.

Now, I have heard of reliability issues beyond dual-clutch gearboxes. ZF's 9-speed has been pretty renowned for not being very reliable, despite being a traditional automatic. It seems you can't win these days, unless you're lucky enough to buy a car with an in-house gearbox, or a car with less than 9 gears (though I will say that Ford's new 10-speed's are pretty good).

On the flip side, Honda uses the ZF 9 in some of its V6-powered offerings (the TLX and Pilot, to name two), and it's probably an improvement over an in-house one, given their history of building automatic transmissions for V6s... (full disclosure: I had a TLX with said transmission as a loaner this week, and it wasn't too bad with AWD.)

[jakeroot]

I frankly don't understand why people would take on the technological risk of a DSG transmission when a traditional hydraulically controlled automatic transmission that has overdrive in every gear except first (e.g., the Saturn TAAT, or the five-speed automatic in the US-spec second-generation Honda Fit) offers better launch behavior and, if properly maintained, is more robust.  DSGs offer the prospect of reduced pumping losses, but IMV this is outweighed by the far greater likelihood of expensive replacement of hard parts.

Unless you drive stick, Ford's only automatic gearbox option was a dual-clutch. The last Ford I considered was a Fiesta 1L, with the 5-speed manual (one of the few cars where there was no automatic option). It was a lot smoother than the other Fiesta's with their dual-clutches! Ford's newer automatic gearboxes are much better, but they also aren't dual clutches. For a while, Ford's dual-clutch gearbox was second only to Chrysler's implementation of the ZF 9-speed in terms of worst gearbox ever.

Now, I have heard of reliability issues beyond dual-clutch gearboxes. ZF's 9-speed has been pretty renowned for not being very reliable, despite being a traditional automatic. It seems you can't win these days, unless you're lucky enough to buy a car with an in-house gearbox, or a car with less than 9 gears (though I will say that Ford's new 10-speed's are pretty good).

On the flip side, Honda uses the ZF 9 in some of its V6-powered offerings (the TLX and Pilot, to name two), and it's probably an improvement over an in-house one, given their history of building automatic transmissions for V6s... (full disclosure: I had a TLX with said transmission as a loaner this week, and it wasn't too bad with AWD.)

Yikes! That's not saying much good about Honda's previous transmissions, if the ZF 9-speed is an improvement. I seem to recall reading about quite a few issues with the ZF sourced gearboxes. Oh how I yearn for the days of manual Honda's galore. At least the HR-V still has the option.

[Takumi]

I frankly don't understand why people would take on the technological risk of a DSG transmission when a traditional hydraulically controlled automatic transmission that has overdrive in every gear except first (e.g., the Saturn TAAT, or the five-speed automatic in the US-spec second-generation Honda Fit) offers better launch behavior and, if properly maintained, is more robust.  DSGs offer the prospect of reduced pumping losses, but IMV this is outweighed by the far greater likelihood of expensive replacement of hard parts.

Unless you drive stick, Ford's only automatic gearbox option was a dual-clutch. The last Ford I considered was a Fiesta 1L, with the 5-speed manual (one of the few cars where there was no automatic option). It was a lot smoother than the other Fiesta's with their dual-clutches! Ford's newer automatic gearboxes are much better, but they also aren't dual clutches. For a while, Ford's dual-clutch gearbox was second only to Chrysler's implementation of the ZF 9-speed in terms of worst gearbox ever.

Now, I have heard of reliability issues beyond dual-clutch gearboxes. ZF's 9-speed has been pretty renowned for not being very reliable, despite being a traditional automatic. It seems you can't win these days, unless you're lucky enough to buy a car with an in-house gearbox, or a car with less than 9 gears (though I will say that Ford's new 10-speed's are pretty good).

On the flip side, Honda uses the ZF 9 in some of its V6-powered offerings (the TLX and Pilot, to name two), and it’s probably an improvement over an in-house one, given their history of building automatic transmissions for V6s... (full disclosure: I had a TLX with said transmission as a loaner this week, and it wasn’t too bad with AWD.)

Yikes! That's not saying much good about Honda's previous transmissions, if the ZF 9-speed is an improvement. I seem to recall reading about quite a few issues with the ZF sourced gearboxes. Oh how I yearn for the days of manual Honda's galore. At least the HR-V still has the option.

Yeah, Honda doesn’t exactly have a good track record when it comes to building automatic transmissions for its V6s. Around the turn of the century was the worst, but I think improvement has only been marginal since then. The only issue I’ve heard of on the V6 TLX with the ZF 9-speed is that some of the first-year models would roll away when in park; there was obviously a recall but a temporary solution for that was simply putting the parking brake on. Manual Hondas aren’t as common as they were 15-20 years ago, but it’s still available on the Fit, Civic (in fact, the Si and Type R are only available with a manual), and even the new Accord. No more manual Acuras though; the last one available was the 2015 ILX. Since 2016 the ILX (and the 4-cylinder TLX, which exists for some reason unbeknownst to me) has only been available with a Honda-built 8-speed DCT, which, no surprise, has had issues.

[Brandon]

A 2017 Jeep Renegade Altitude.  1.4L in-line 4 cylinder turbo engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.  It's just the FWD version, but it seems to sip fuel, getting 32-36 mpg on average. This last tank is at 38 mpg so far.  With A/C on, and going 75 mph.  I'm up to 45,000 miles already.

My last one, as many of you at the roadmeets saw, was a 2011 Dodge Caliber with a 2.0L engine and 5-speed manual.  Got that puppy up to 261,000 miles before the trade-in, on the original clutch.

My first car (and the last of the three) was a 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser with a 2.4L engine and 4-speed automatic.  At trade-in it had 178,000 miles.

All are/were bought new, and all miles are mine.

[Brandon]

I have a 2015 Chrysler 200C that I love. I drove one as a rental car and fell in love with the car. Was so glad I could get one after hitting my Toyota Rav4 into a deer on IL 116.

On IL 116?  Where?

IIRC, Adam hit the deer somewhere around Hanna City or Farmington on the way back to Macomb (WIU) from the 2016 Battle Creek meet.

[jakeroot]

A 2017 Jeep Renegade Altitude.  1.4L in-line 4 cylinder turbo engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.  It's just the FWD version, but it seems to sip fuel, getting 32-36 mpg on average. This last tank is at 38 mpg so far.  With A/C on, and going 75 mph.  I'm up to 45,000 miles already.

I commend your decision to opt for the manual. It looks like you would have anyway, based on your history, but I've heard nothing but bad business with those FCA automatics.

[Mr. Matté]

though most of my roadgeeking is done on the vehicle in the foreground

[oscar]

The other one is my 2006 Nissan Titan pickup truck, with an aftermarket walk-in camper shell. Even though I've owned it longer, it has fewer miles on it (over 145,000 miles), due to its sucky gas mileage. I use it mainly for road trips in the winter or taking me off-pavement when its 4x4 might come in handy, and also for camping.

I pulled the plug on the Titan in December, with about 182,000 miles, after three breakdowns during last summer's 25,000-mile cross-country mega-road trip. Basically, would've cost more than it was worth to keep it running, and I didn't trust it for any more long road trips.

In May, I bought the replacement vehicle, a 2018 Subaru Forester, which has all-wheel-drive and high ground clearance while fitting better into inner-suburban parking spaces that had been a tight squeeze for the Titan. It's already been on one major road trip, to Colorado and back.

I still have the 2008 Prius I mentioned upthread, now over 306,000 miles. I've fixed some hybrid-related mechanical problems that had relegated the car to local use, though it still has some annoying problems in its old age (right now, the rear hatch won't open, so it's going to the dealer for a fix). I expect the Forester will become my new road-trip vehicle, and ultimately my only vehicle when the Prius bites the dust.

[jakeroot]

In May, I bought the replacement vehicle, a 2018 Subaru Forester, which has all-wheel-drive and high ground clearance while fitting better into inner-suburban parking spaces that had been a tight squeeze for the Titan. It's already been on one major road trip, to Colorado and back.

A few months ago, I really seriously considered trading in my Golf for a 2018 Forester with a 6-speed manual (not a fan of CVTs). I ended up not pulling the trigger, but it remains one of my favorite vehicles with a manual due to its size; "large" vehicles with manual transmissions just don't exist anymore. Since the 2019 model is doing away with the option, the closest now is probably the Golf SportWagen, or the Kia Soul (and until last year here in the US, the Mazda CX-5). I'll probably end up buying the SportWagen at some point in the future.

[Takumi]

I’m in the process of selling the TSX and picking up something with an automatic. I’ll still have the Prelude for when I feel like rowing my own.

[jakeroot]

I'm in the process of selling the TSX and picking up something with an automatic. I'll still have the Prelude for when I feel like rowing my own.

I'm pretty sure that, in order to "save the manuals", one must not own an automatic.

Left foot getting tired?

[AsphaltPlanet]

In May, I bought the replacement vehicle, a 2018 Subaru Forester, which has all-wheel-drive and high ground clearance while fitting better into inner-suburban parking spaces that had been a tight squeeze for the Titan. It's already been on one major road trip, to Colorado and back.

A few months ago, I really seriously considered trading in my Golf for a 2018 Forester with a 6-speed manual (not a fan of CVTs). I ended up not pulling the trigger, but it remains one of my favorite vehicles with a manual due to its size; "large" vehicles with manual transmissions just don't exist anymore. Since the 2019 model is doing away with the option, the closest now is probably the Golf SportWagen, or the Kia Soul (and until last year here in the US, the Mazda CX-5). I'll probably end up buying the SportWagen at some point in the future.

The problem with the Forester is that you can only get the manual gear box in the 2.5L engine configuration.  While most manufacturers offer a 2.5L option for that size vehicle, that engine size generally only offers about 170hp,  so it's not a very powerful drivetrain.

I test drove a Forester when I bought my Escape a couple of years ago, and while I really liked it, you need to go with the 2.0L turbo option to really get any sort of feeling of power.

My 2.0L Escape is actually pretty fun to drive.  There is a touch of turbo-lag, but otherwise the car really accelerates nicely.