What is the difference between a transmission and a transaxle?

Answer 1

TRANSMISSION VS TRANSAXLE As times have changed so has the automobile, and as these changes have occurred some new terms have come about. Terms that may seem confusing for many people with basic auto knowledge from the past. One such term is Transaxle, what is it, and how does it differ from a transmission? The term transaxle came into being with the advent of front wheel drive. On cars with rear wheel drive the transmission served the function of transferring power from the engine to the drive shaft. The drive shaft then transferred the power to a differential at the rear of the car, which distributed it to the rear wheels to propel the car. Although this system was durable, it wasn't very efficient, due to power losses through the many moving parts. It was also very heavy, which led to poor fuel economy. When the front wheel drive system became popular in the early eighties the term transaxle also became popular. The big difference between a transmission and transaxle is that power is again routed from the engine to the transmission but now there is no driveshaft running to the rear wheels. Instead in the front wheel drive system the differential that used to be in the rear of the car is now a component part of the transmission sharing the same housing in the front of the car. This configuration reduces the number of moving parts, the weight of the parts involved in the drive train and, in general, leads to better fuel economy and performance with no decrease in durability