When the 2023 Jeep Compass was first announced, the transmission was a mystery: it was an eight-speed, which could have been the ZF nine-speed with programming that ignored the top gear, or an Aisin, or any number of others. Then Jeep made it clear that it was a true physical eight-speed, not a nine-speed with software changes.
Some thought it must be an Aisin; they make a front-drive eight-speed automatic which is quite popular. Toyota, BMW/Mini, General Motors, and Stellantis’ DS, Citroën, and Peugeot all use it; Stellantis calls it the EAT8, or Efficient Automatic Transmission 8-speed.
That’s all very nice, but we know the gear ratios of the Compass’ 8F30, and they don’t line up with the Aisin. They do line up completely with the Hyundai A8F27, which, if you take off the A, rounds up to 8F30. Aisin does have numerous gear ratios for their eight-speed, so one could argue they copied Hyundai’s, but why would they?
The Hyundai’s A8F27/A8MF1 is rated for up to 195 lb-ft of torque; beefing it up a little would take it to 300 Nm, or 221 lb-ft. That is the 2.0’s peak torque in the Compass; it also explains the 8F30 name (drop the A, and you get a Hyundai designation). Finally, the last nail in the coffin of doubt, Mopar lists the same fluid for this as for the last Hyundai automatic they used.
The same gearing is used by the Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, and Sonata; a heavier-duty version of this transmission is used by, among other vehicles, the Carnival and Tucson.
| Gear | Hyundai | 8F30 | Aisin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.72 | 4.72 | 5.20 |
| 2 | 2.91 | 2.91 | 2.97 |
| 3 | 1.86 | 1.86 | 1.95 |
| 4 | 1.42 | 1.42 | 1.47 |
| 5 | 1.22 | 1.22 | 1.22 |
| 6 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 7 | 0.79 | 0.79 | 0.82 |
| 8 | 0.635* | 0.64 | 0.69 |
* 0.635, rounded to the hundredths place, is 0.64
The original Compass and Patriot, which were based on Mitsubishi platforms, used earlier six-speed versions of the Hyundai automatic. Rumor has a PHEV coming in for the next-generation Compass, with a transmission supplied by a joint venture with Punch Powertrain. That would give this powertrain roughly two or three years of life—a short enough time that a short-term contract with Hyundai would be too hard to pass up.
(Credit for this find goes to Allpar’s pbrutsche and mentallica.)
What we see here is a decades long process of sorting out, simplifying and improving the Stellantis portfolio. No one thought, with all the brands and models it would be easy or simple like just three announced platforms and we are good to go, sorry no way Jose. Chrysler North America has outstanding building blocks, established brand to work from and many market segments to fill and models to introduce that surprises, compromises and disappointments along the way should be expected. Having run a complex operation in my lifetime, I soon learned never to relax thinking everything was finally “in place”, that sense of solace was short lived when the next challenge came fast and immediate.
The path forward will not be just a transmission bandaid or a bad model launch, it will be decades of constant effort that if anything, will be entertaining to watch unfold. Imagination and innovation will be mainstays in this industry, rest and relaxation seldom and the process eternal.
What I don’t understand standard is, they finally got the 9 speed straight, and the 2.0 was the engine needed to handle that 9th gear, so why not just use the 2.0 with the 9 speed? Hell, is the 2.0 a Hyundai/Kia? It’s like Mopar has no identity or backbone anymore. GM just announced an investment for the 6th gen small block v8, and Mopar is losing the Hemi all while outsourcing components from other random manufacturers. I might be going Ford on my next vehicle, because I’ve come to hate GM and Mopar is practically dead after 2023.