More gear is faster when you just launch from stop.
^ This. Case in point look at C&D Hellcat top gear acceleration kickdown numbers.
Other way around. Under hard acceleration, it'll use every gear to maximize torque to the wheels. Under casual driving it'll skip gears. The 6R80 also does skip gears. You'll see 1-2-3-6 under a lot of driving situations.
The ZF 8 speed is perfect in my 2 litre diesel BMW. Just what you need for a diesel with a narrow power band. At least 2, possibly 3 gears too many in that box for a petrol engine with its wider power band tough. Why they feel the need to put a 10 speed box in a car with a 5 litre petrol V8 is beyond me. Must be purely down to emission legislation
That was an Acura first of all. The new 8 speeds from Dodge and Chevy get little complaints as far as acceleration goes. I have an 8 spd Hellcat and that tranny is an absolute beast. More gears enable easier access to a cars powerband, in addition to better fuel economy. After hearing how the ZL1 shifts and being that this is a joint venture between 2 of the big 3, I'm gonna predict this 10 speed will be a welcome change for Mustang transmissions. 6 speed autos are dead.
Fan boy comment.
It's funny you mention that, because the transmission you are talking about is a 9 speed auto that is shared with the Jeep Cherokee and Chrysler 200 (FWD based platforms). It's just a bad transmission with plenty of complaints and known issues. The 8 speed we are talking about is shared with BMWs and is a really well reviewed and liked transmission. The Jeep 8 speed issue is not an issue with the transmission but the actual console shifter design, as it affects all Jeep Grand Cherokees V6 and V8 (V6 and V8 have different ZF 8 speed autos) and no other vehicles with those same transmissions.
