Well I was just reading about the new Cherokee which is to be the first to use ZF's new nine-speed transversely-mounted all-wheel-drive transaxle. It will have multiple off road settings that toy with the suspension and the three electronically actuated differentials. On top of the obvious complexity of this I can only imagine it's controlled by a very complex computer. Does anyone else see this being a very finnicky piece of machinery (very unlike the original Cherokee)?

I've always said the less a machine does aside from the necessary (its simplicity), the lesser the chance of a critical failure. It's the same reason people still use bolt-action rifles.

 

Don't know anything about it, and don't care.

 

You should go to allpar.com. There will be plenty of discussion about it there, if you so desire.

 

Electronics thus extending to computer control is a way of life. Just look at the number of subjects brought up on a variety of Saturns that are directly related to how the computer runs things and the electronics involved many of which are beyond the scope of back yard involvement of the owners that are asking of them on a make that is now out of business and has been for a what almost 10 years now and models that were designed 23 years ago and in many cases parts are being suggested to replace to solve things that can not be proved to effectively need replacement. The plus? Function and reliability have made quantum leaps forward. The minus? When they do break or if they do, it takes very deep pockets in order to fix them.