[AMC-List] Lexus LS460 Eight Speed Automatic

["Brien Tourville" <hh7x@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

DETROIT - General Motors has formally announced its new Hydra-matic 
6L80 transmission - a high-torque-capacity gearbox designed for use 
in such high-performance, rear- and four-wheel-drive vehicles as the 
2006 Chevrolet Corvette, the 2006 Cadillac STS-V and XLR-V, and the 
2007 GMC Yukon Denali.

The 6L80 is the first in a series of new six-speed automatics planned 
by GM. The automaker has jointly developed with Ford Motor a new six-
speed transmission for front- and all-wheel-drive applications. That 
unit goes into production next year, and will be used on the new 2007 
GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook crossover vehicles, as well as the 2007 
Saturn Aura sedan.

GM is coming relatively late to the six-speed party. Volkswagen, for 
instance, has been offering six-speed automatics in Europe on its 
smaller models, including the Golf, for more than a year. Mercedes-
Benz last year introduced a seven-speed automatic, and Lexus is 
expected to announce a new eight-speed automatic in January when it 
formally unveils the 2007 LS 460 sedan.

GM's 6L80 transmission was designed to handle the extra torque 
generated by the company's latest generation of high-performance 
engines, including the new 6.2-liter V8 in the '07 Yukon Denali and 
Cadillac Escalade, which produces 380 horsepower and 415 pound-feet, 
and the supercharged 4.4-liter V8 in the V-Series Cadillacs, which 
delivers 440 hp and 430 lb-ft.

The 6L80 six-speed automatic has a wide, 6.04-to-1 overall ratio, 
including two overdrive gears, that is designed to deliver a good 
balance of performance and fuel economy. The 6L80 also has a "tap 
up/tap down" capability that allows the driver to manually select 
upshifts and downshifts with a button on the column shifter.

What this means to you: GM is finally coming to the six-speed party - 
just as Lexus dusts off a new eight-speed.



===     ===


First I'm up by 3 gears with the LS430 A761E -vs- my TorqueFlite -
now I'm down by 2 against the LS460..........

sheesh......
  
        =Bt=
  milnersXcoupe


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