Are there any Canadian 2016 TLX 9AT owners here experiencing the jerky shifts commonly found in the 2015 TLX? I have been trying to search the forum for any 2016 TLX 9AT problems but I cannot seem to find one. I have read some comments on the big '9 AT Hard Shift 1-2 and 2-3' stating that the 2016 TLX 9AT transmissions are much more refined and smooth. In fact, none of them are experiencing the problem but they seem to be US TLXs.

I am about to purchase a 2016 and I cannot test drive the vehicle I am about to purchase because it is still being made/shipped. I have driven a 2015 TLX 9AT and that thing shifts worse than my daily 2007 Honda Accord. Thanks in advance!

 

Have you driven a few 2015 models and experienced shifting you cannot live with? There are lots of complaints and I really feel the "jerkiness" is the nature of the new transmissions. I don't expect there will be a magic bullet in the 2016 models to eliminate this. If you really don't like it, don't buy now.
Lots of other options out there, including the Honda family.

 

I have driven a 2015 TLX 9AT with 30k kms. The transition from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 were very rough. I have also driven a TLX with 7 kms that was just off the trailer and they were fine. The jerkiness seem to come out once the transmission has been broken in.

 

It's not really a matter of the transmission being "broken in" ... it is a "learning transmission" that gathers information based on your driving, and adjust the shifts based on that. That's why some people have more problems than others - they just drive differently and under different traffic conditions.

Firm shifts are considered a highly-desirable thing in high-dollar exotic sports cars, and even though the TLX is positioned as a sport-luxury car, we all expect buttery-smooth shifts, don't we. The reality, though, is that firm shifts are apparently the trade-off we get for exceptional gas mileage. 23-24 city/38-39 highway for a 290hp V6 are numbers none of us would have expected only a couple of years ago.

Taken in that context, I can deal with the firm shifts. After all, they happen only when you're taking off from a stop, and don't affect the rest of your driving.

I'm not trying to whitewash the situation, just saying that this is a really nice car, and to write it off because of firm shifts in one or two gears is a shame IMO.

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^^^^^

Firm shifts doesn't = jerky shifts.

 

Sorry but i dont buy that the firm shifts our TLX has are desirable in exotic cars. The tranny is faulty, plain and simple. Maybe it learns how much throttle you like but thats the ecu, not the tranny.

 

I was up in the DC area for Thanksgiving and rode in my partner's brother's 2015 S4. That car had an amazingly fast shifting 7 speed in it (DCT I believe).

You could not feel a single shift... up or down.

My transmission replacement that I received from Acura has not changed to my driving style. It is still smooth and consistent, like the first day I drove it after being fixed.

I have now tried all 4 drive modes. Eco is smoothest, Normal is fun and great for my everyday use. Sport has a little bit more feel to the shifts (but nothing harsh), and Sport Plus is still ridiculous and fun.

Before being replaced, I blamed a lot on the learning style of the tranny. Now I know my early built transmission was just faulty.

 

LOL. You haven't ridden in my brother-in-law's Lambo Aventador, or the Mclaren that recently replaced it.

The shifts in those cars will chip your teeth. DCT or AMT, but still.

 

Are you saying that it has the same hard/jerky shifting as the tlx?

 

I own a 2015 v6 sh-awd. The shifts are not good. Car is a dealer for past 4 days. I have driven a 2016 and the shifting feels much, much better.

I have not spent enough time in the 2016 to see if it has the same hesitation and jerk when in a "rolling start" or the 2-3 second hesitation when putting the accelerator down hard at 60 mph.

 

If the shifts were "crisp and firm" that would be one thing, but "sloppy and firm" is unacceptable. The 2016 TLX shifts as I would expect it to. My 2015 does not.

 

I believe the firm shift/head snapping back in exotic sports cars is a result of the high horsepower/rapid acceleration of the cars, not due to the transmission itself. Plain and simple, there is something wrong with the ZF 9 speed in the 2015 TLX. It was not listed as one of the 20 least reliable new cars just because people do not like the driving style.

 

Canadian here. The 2016s don't seem to do it. I take delivery of mine on the 24th, but the dealer let me test their 2016 demo models (both a base model and tech - both V6 SH-AWD since FWD is no longer offered for V6), and both were perfectly smooth. There is still a slight hesitation when you jump on the gas in 9th gear as it shifts to 4th, but that's just because it's doing a lot. It's much less of a delay than before though, closer to 1.2 sec instead of 2-3 sec. No hesitation at all when getting out of the parking lot or anything like that though.

Keep in mind that the Canadian models are built in the same factory as the US models with the same transmissions, so if their 2016s are fine so are ours.

 

In driving a 2016 SH-AWD, I found the two initial shifts (and all the others) to be smooth without that notched or jerky feeling, in all modes, and at various rpms. My 2015 SH-AWD still has a notched 2-3 shift every time in the 2 - 3k rpm range. I can avoid that range when driving on residential streets much of the time, before the car warms up, or using more throttle and shifting over 3 k rpms will usually avoid the notched shift, but the 2-3k range is the most common shifting point. The 1-2 shift improved with the update and is generally okay.

 

Hi there I have new 2016 TLX SH-awd and it shifts great no noticeable hard shifts between 1-2 or 2-3. This Car replaced a 2015 TLX SH-awd that had the hard shift between 3-4, the 2016 only has 700miles on it so hopefully it keeps shifting well. It also seems the 2016 shifts differently seems to be more snappy.

 

Oops I meant the 2015 had the hard shift from 2-3 not 3-4

 

Thanks for the input people. I have decided to get a 2016 TLX SH-AWD Elite on BWP/Espresso. The vehicle is still on its way here to Edmonton. Delivery will be on the 29th of January.

 

Congrats and look forward to just enjoying the car and not worrying about shifts and such!

 

Yeah delivery seems to take forever here in Edmonton. Ordered mine in October. It's not getting here until Dec 24...

 

^Awesome, what color combination are you getting?

 

Obsidian Blue Pearl with Ebony interior (only interior option with that exterior colour). OBP is not a common colour and I think that dark blue is really handsome in the sun, so I wanted it. They had a Tech on the lot (2015) but I wanted the Elite 2016 and thus had to order.

Given all the sun we get where you and I live (320 days a year on average), I think I made a good choice. I am coming from 2 consecutive black cars. I kinda wanted CBP but I also wanted a change and add some colour to my life, lol.

 

This car looks good in all colour combos, but the blue is quite unique. Look forward to the pics.

 

I bought my 2015 TLX 3.5L SH-AWD in Vancouver about a week ago. I also have noticed shifting jerkiness in the 1-2nd gear change and 2-3rd gear change. The 1-2 gear change does go away after the car is warmed up but the 2-3rd gear change still persists 90% of the time. Based on what I've been reading I called the dealership and they said the car at delivery didn't need any software updates and that its all up to date. That being said; they still wanted me to bring in the car and they will do some tests. I tried calling Acura (Canada) customer relations and they said to just go to my dealer :/ Will let you guys know what happens