Welcome to Must Read, where we single out the best stories from around the automotive universe and beyond. Today we have reports from The Truth About Cars, Autoblog and Petrolicious.
The notion of a 9-speed automatic is a little baffling, but you have to appreciate the ambition. Unless you're unhappy with the way the 2014 Jeep Cherokee shifts, in which case you need to talk to their engineers. Regardless of your feelings, this is an excellent, detailed analysis of the 9-speed.
I give a Colbert Tip of the Hat" to the engineers at ZF for this design. It is obviously a clever design but one that could cause some drivability surprises to an average driver, though durability-wise, I see nothing that causes major concerns. Design and development of a transmission concept like this ranges from 20 million dollars to 50 million dollars, so the ZF management had some serious cojones to OK this design, it is a risk that has paid off to an extent.
That's some headline, but then this is some story with great reporting from Autoblog.
It's no coincidence that a majority of the incidents, which contain elements of assumption of drug possession or racial profiling, have occurred in states across the southern U.S. border, where America's war on drugs is waged on a daily basis.
If the headline wasn't enough, then the photos in this piece are more than enough to make your jaw drop.
What does a man who has spent the majority of the past fifty years in a garage, working on some of the world's most beautiful and rare cars, look like? Well, he appears to not be much taller than 5'6", wears tired jeans, and drinks tea from a floral cup and saucer.
Apart from the dark stains at the ends of his fingernails from a morning working with grease and oil, you would never guess that Mr. Bob Wilson is one of the UK's top restorers of historic sports and racing cars.
Photo: Chrysler
Take A Good Look At The Transmission In The 2014 Jeep Cherokee