Auto Or Manual

[Super_Shaun]

I'm new to the forum but I have used the search forum option but with no luck.

I'm currently looking at buying a Discovery around the £1500-£2500 mark.

It will be a diesel as I belive it will work out cheaper in the long run.

The question is do I buy an Automatic version or a Manual? If I have a choice of two very similar cars.??

I would like to eventualy do a bit of green laneing but the majority of the time I shall be using it to go to and from work and taking my girls to school.

Thanks in advance.

 

[fanatic]

manual as an auto is horribly slow

 

[jyhelle]

ask 10 people and you'll get 10 answers ... at least

my own choice would be immediate since I never feel safe off-roading with an auto gearbox, but that's my personal view and I ask noone to share it !

 

[jailon]

Mines auto, love it. But it's not as heavy as a disco

It's personal preference, I agree auto's are a tad slower and just a little less economical but if you wanted speed and economy you wouldn't be buying a 4x4 that weighs nearly 2 ton

 

[Super_Shaun]

I suppose thinking about it the question should of been when used for off road what would be best Auto or Manual?

The diffrence in MPG on the road would be 1-4MPG at best I would imagine and as said by Jailon I'm not buying it for economy, but im also not buying a petrol as I'm not made of money.

 

[jamesmartin]

id go auto any time as you can go from zero torque at wheels to as much as engine has ,but not so good for engine braking down hill

 

[Mike Hunt]

id go auto any time as you can go from zero torque at wheels to as much as engine has ,but not so good for engine braking down hill

Hill descent ftw

 

[jamesmartin]

only on disco 2

 

[DEFENDER90-DAZ]

Engine braking if you select 1st gear for hill descent in low range

Daz

 

[Steve2a]

Never driven an auto, mines a manual 300tdi, unstoppable offroad and very torquey onroad.

People say autos are slow, but lets be honest even the manuals are snails off the mark.

I suppose it depends on your driving style, an auto would be more relaxed and sometimes I wish I went for one, but I love mine all the same.

 

[wiltshire landyman]

driven a 300 tdi auto and it was painfully slow .

but the auto box in my 4.2 v8 bobtail i absolutely love and would never go back to manual,but a doozil auto unless a bigger enjin than the 300 tdi aint very good,but thats my opinion and you asked for opinions

 

[Dr_evil]

My 300tdi auto is slow but no where near as bad as some of the other things I've driven

 

[iwantone]

I was in the same position as you a few months back. Tried a manual 1st & hated it; felt clunky & didn't like it much. Then tried an auto & bought it, the Disco is no ball of fire (300tdi anyway) in the first place but the whole driving experience was much more relaxed to me. Haven't really tried much off road although when I have the engine braking doesn't feel as good as I thought it would be but I just cover the brake.

Overall I'm glad I chose an auto; point,go & just chill!

Paul

 

[Dr_evil]

Auto's are more useful for general use, mine still overtakes fine and makes life a ****load easier in town
No constant gear changing etc


But I do miss a manual box so the 109 will make a nice difference, manuals are more fun anyway

 

[jamesmartin]

no there not

 

[Dr_evil]

Never had a problem using my autos, they've made their way through mud and snow just fine

Stick it in low range 2nd for most things and they're perfectly capable of everything a manual does, round town no gear changing, easier to drive, easier to cruise in

You lose out on a bit of speed and a few mpg but thats about it

 

[jamesmartin]

why would you want to drive in low range in snow or mud ?

 

[Dufty]

I don't have the luxury of choice (disability forces me to drive an auto), but if I did, I'd choose an auto every time. Like driving a 2 ton go-cart!

In a sporty little number I can appreciate the need to be at one with the transmission, to extract every available horsie, but in a lumbering beast there's nothing quite so relaxing when chugging through streets laden with mothers rushing to/from school as the ease of point-and-go.

 

[cornish rattler]

had both and prefure the auto a lot easier to drive aspecialy on long jurneys and towing, the 300 auto is suposed to be slightly more powerfull something to do with the fuel system at 120 bhp as aposed to 111 bhp for the manual.

both the manual disco i used to have and the auto disco i still have both had.

1 de - catted.

2 de - egr'd.

3 de fanned but fan and spanner kept in the back of the disco.

i also found the auto was slightly better on fuel aswell.

 

[ratty]

If it were for towing I woulda said auto. If it's for normal road and offroad driving then manual every day of the week.