Land Rover to debut 9-speed gearbox on Evoque at Geneva

Land Rover will debut a new nine-speed automatic gearbox on the Evoque compact SUV at the Geneva Motor Show next week.  The gearbox, titled the ZF 9HP is one of the most advanced systems to be brought into production and is expected to find major use in transverse engined vehicles as well as for off-roading. 

The increase in ratios improves fuel-efficiency as well as reduces emissions.  Due to the close nature of the gear ratios, the acceleration will improve as will the quality of ride. The ratios at the lower end are also much closer than before and this is expected to improve response of the engine during activities like off-roading and towing.  

The new gearbox has been fitted with a skip-shift function which allows the driver to skip a gear during heavy deceleration or rapid downshifting. The system has also been programmed to memorise the driver’s shift patterns thus aiding him/her in having a better driving experience. 

The ZF 9HP will replace the current six-speed one found on the Evoque and funnily enough it is lighter than the latter by almost 7.5kgs.