Auto or manual

Trying to stir up a hornets nest are we.

The auto owners like me will say its best as will the manual owners say theirs is best.

Entirely up to you Go and drive both and decide, depending on what you are used to.

main difference seems to be the third pedal and lack of T-bar on top of the gear stick. :)

G'day Peter, got to agree with Stefan, and from my experience i have always owned manuals mates have autos and there 4bys are nice to drive, chuck in front and rear air difflocks and it will basically drive for you.

For the amount of off road you do i think an auto is better and, they will go any where a manual will go.

Autos are better for going up hills, city driving & sand while manuals are better for coming down steep hills, have better econemy, cheaper purchase price & towing. Auto's also generally wear out their brakes considerabley quicker.
Having driven manual 4x4's all my life I must conceede the new auto's are as good if not better offroad than a manual but still can't see myself owning a girls gearbox particually as I enjoy driving my cars.
Cheers Craig...........

Used to have manuals. Now have my first auto and the jury is still out after six years.
Some times I wish I could have both in the same vehicle.
The DiscoTD5 is close in low range however it is not much different from any other auto in high.

Tony

Its not really the auto/ manual Peter its the combination of the gearbox and engine.

What you have to be able to do is deliver sufficent steady torque to the wheels over a wide speed range.

E.G. Many of todays turbo'ed Diesels no longer have a wide powerband and need an auto to keep them in the powerband.

Whereas my manual Petrol can deliver a high torque from below 1000 to over 5000 rpm making the advantages of the auto in assisting to get of the line not needed - i.e. you have your cake and can eat it to.

As others have said ,if you plan to do a lot of sand an Auto is better ,the advantage being that no matter how adept at cog swapping anyone is in a manual ,power is lost for that split second that a manual gear change takes ,,if you live in a city with the miriad of traffic lights ,go the auto unless u like to have your left leg bigger than the right,,lol ;)

heaps of difference
autos arnt available on the best bush wagons sold in oz in recent years

4.2 patrol wagon or ute or the cruiser ute or solid axle wagon

if you dont require a a no comprasmise bush 4by then you get a choice

I have two manual and one auto 4wd's.

I would suggest that you start with the idea that you want an auto and try and find reasons why not. I reckon you can't go past an auto in any 4wd conditions and the only thing that you can't do in an auto is crash (bump) start it.

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Peter,
It all depends on what you want to do with the car, but the only time that I would buy a manual would be if I needed to do a lot of heavy towing. Light to moderate towing is better in an auto, but very heavy towing will get the transmission hot unless it’s modified.
Personally, I will never buy another manual but I do modify my auto’s and if set up properly they can be a pleasure to drive. A modern auto is no less efficient than a manual and can do everything easier than any manual including down hill a decent if you know the tricks.
Auto’s put less shock on the driveline and you won’t need to periodically replace clutches, much easier to negotiate obstacles and that’s why most comp cars are auto’s.
Also if you feel inclined, you can always change gear manually.

I've had manual 4wd's for 30+ years and now into my 4th year with an auto. Love the auto allround particularly the better control of speed for steep rugged ascents reducing the risk of damage to vehicle and track. For steep descents I believe the torque convertor locks up in low first anyway.
The only disadvantage with auto I see is you cannot bump start!