Planetary Gear Trains: Notes
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2018 Jaguar XE and 2017 Jaguar XE. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The eight forward gears and the reverse gear are produced by a combination of four simple planetary gear sets, three clutches and two brakes. The front two gear sets share a common sun gear. Power is output always through the planetary carrier of the fourth gearset.
Five shift elements comprising three clutches and two brakes, are responsible for all eight forward and reverse gears. High efficiency is achieved by the use of only two shift elements disengaged in each gear which reduces drag and so increases the efficiency.