Manual vs. Auto

Just curious who runs an auto and who runs a manual & also has anyone ran both. My previous Freelanders have been Auto's and the auto box has always been the cause of me selling it on. Last one went at 70k and is the reason I sold the car for next to nothing as getting the car to ashcroft & having a recon box fitted where out of the question due to financial restraints at the time. I struggled so hard to get someone to even look at the box and never received a definitive answer.

I've never driven a manual FL and everyone I know who has owned one has always gone for the auto. I did love the auto but looking at buying them now they are considerably more money to buy used & have considerably less miles on them. I'm seeing manuals with 150K+ on the clock still going strong, while people with auto's are selling them with 100k. I've test drove 2 while looking and both have had clunky, horrible Jatcos. I drove my last FL Kalahari from almost new so I know how they are supposed to feel. These feel like mine did just before it gave up.

It's a bit of an incoherent ramble I know, but just trying to figure out if I should risk another Jatco (I did love it) or if the Manuals are better to live with long term? I have time & a small car fund to put Landy problems right (learned the hard way with my first Landy), but when huge components start to fail it's another story. I know I'll be buying a good car, everything that can go wrong has gone wrong on previous FL so i know exactly what to look for, but it is feasible to get the same high mileage out of the jatcos as it is out of the manuals?

I'm in the market for another FL but just wanted to run this by you.

Thanks guys.

Try doing a poll. Both mine are manual. 152k l series and 110k td4

Kizzeh said:

Try doing a poll. Both mine are manual. 152k l series and 110k td4

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Any problems with the manuals over your use? Also have you had to change any cylinders or clutches yet?

Changed a clutch in the L series's as the Arm that goes into the gearbox siezed and was causing the clutch not to properly re-engage after taking your foot off the pedal. Still a fair bit of meat on the friction plate but as it was off I changed it anyway that was at about 135k miles maybe possibly

It depends on what you intend to use it for. Mine is a manual, and while I have had no trouble with the box yet, if I were going to buy another Freelander, it would be an auto.
I have said this a few times on here before.... Any kind of off road use will suit the auto much better. Im not talking about full on trials or anything but just lane work and other light stuff.....the lack of low ratio means that you have to tear the arse out of the clutch to get over obstacles. There is not enough torque at low RPM in first gear to crawl over rocks without it stalling, and taking things with the revs high enough to prevent a stall and perhaps provide a bit of turbo boost means rolling at a speed that is way to fast for comfort or safety. The only option is the slip the clutch a lot.
Whereas an auto will not stall and can be eased slowly over bumps without wearing out.

I said above that I have not had trouble with the box yet - The emphasis is on the "yet". Again today, pulling a trailer up a muddy track I was leaving a stinking cloud of clutch smoke as I went.....its only a matter of time till it gives up. The td4 uses a dual mass flywheel, and while it is in bits, the hydraulics should be changed too, so even if I do it myself, I am still looking at several hundred pounds in parts - a garage will probably charge quite a bit over a grand.

Oh and I had to change the master cylinder last year, but its £60 and 15 minutes to change it, so no biggie I suppose. If the slave fails though.....as above, it all needs to come apart.

I've had both manual and auto. My current Freelander is an auto. I prefer a manual but but as I only like the V6 I'm stuck with the auto box.

Thanks guys. It's a tough one as during the week I'm doing city driving around Manchester, but at the weekends its rural Tayside or Cornwall. the auto was always brilliant in the mud & snow and it worries me a bit regarding burning the clutch. My old TD4 auto used to be able to get me through a foot of snow & rutty lanes & is perfect during the week for stop start.

Might be worth going for a cheap auto and using the money saved to put to one side for a recon box if/when needed. Last one I had the flower pot piston (or similar, according to auto specialist) failed/cracked & was replaced for £800 parts & labour. Shortly after a speed sensor went in the box and gear changes where bangy and laggy. Ended up cutting my losses and selling it on only to buy a Mercedes C230 estate. It's a nice car but I miss the Landy & it's shocking in any kind of weather. Drove to Scotland in the storms before/after christmas and aquaplaned most of the way, few hairy moments. Also can't do the tracks so got to walk the last few hundred yards. Not ideal.

I destroyed my clutch/DMF/hydraulics while laning a few months ago, got a new HD carbon clutch with Valeo SMF and all new hydraulics for a few quid under a grand! Keeping the DMF in the replacement would've added about £300 to the price

As said, auto way better for off road, as you can crawl at a slower pace without stalling

Lower mpg on the auto compared to the manual.
What's the comparison on cost for 2 cutch changes compared to a recon auto fitted?

Loved my auto V6. No messing changing gears all the bloody time. However both my Td4's are manual. After driving the auto for 5 years + I found that I would stall the manual constantly by just breaking.Took some getting used to I can tell you. The V6 was my first and only auto. Would I have another? Hell yes ! Far less stressful to drive.

RealBeale said:

Loved my auto V6. No messing changing gears all the bloody time. However both my Td4's are manual. After driving the auto for 5 years + I found that I would stall the manual constantly by just breaking.Took some getting used to I can tell you. The V6 was my first and only auto. Would I have another? Hell yes ! Far less stressful to drive.

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the difference in modern autos are not that much different than a manual. The convenience and reliability far out ways the difference.

The 2014 Camaro SS model's 6.2-liter V8 makes 426 horsepower with the standard manual gearbox, and is rated to get 19 mpg in combined city and highway driving. If you can't shift your own gears, an automatic transmission is optional, dropping power output to 400 hp and fuel economy to 18 mpg.

View ratings, prices, trims, photos and compare vehicles at J.D. Power. ... Cruze LS with manual transmission: 25/36/29 mpg (city/highway/combined); Cruze LS with automatic transmission: 22/35/27 mpg; Cruze LT/LTZ with manual ...

so maybe 20-30 miles per tank full.

Hippo said:

Lower mpg on the auto compared to the manual.
What's the comparison on cost for 2 cutch changes compared to a recon auto fitted?

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I Know Aschroft supply & fit a recon Jatco with 12 months warranty for £1500. Local quotes for a clutch & DMF range from £700 to £1100 on the manual.

After messing about last time, if any fault required the jatco to come out I would just have a recon done by Ashcroft. After spending so much last time for it all to go wrong again it seems a no brainer.

I don't have a problem driving Manuals, driven them for years but an auto is a luxury I enjoy. Just trying to gauge everyones experience on here. Over the next 12 months I expect the amount of work I can take on to decrease due to Illness in the family. It's also the reason for giving up my house in Cornwall & moving back up north. Just trying to figure out how much more life you can eek out of a manual.

I have been driving autos for 10 years now. Would never go manual again. It is fun to drive a petrol manual for a few days, but the novelty soon wears off and I wish I was back in my TD4 auto.

I've had 2 BMW e39 autos which I sold both at around 150,000 miles with no problems (ZF gearbox) and I did 50k in both. The I moved over to DSG in Skoda's and did about 100k in 2 cars, Octavia & Yeti. Decided to not risk the expense of a DSG going out of warranty - you think £1500 is expensive? The DSG would be in the region of £4k! Hence buying the Freelander. To me it seems cheap to repair!!!!

I drive mine mainly around South London and Surrey. Also too many short journeys. I had 9 visits on Saturday but only drove 23 miles. Not good for a diesel auto, so my fuel consumption is crap. The only other option is the V6 auto. That would be even worse

I only drive about 15-20,000 miles a year.

Auto every time.

Epicuser said:

I have been driving autos for 10 years now. Would never go manual again. It is fun to drive a petrol manual for a few days, but the novelty soon wears off and I wish I was back in my TD4 auto.

I've had 2 BMW e39 autos which I sold both at around 150,000 miles with no problems (ZF gearbox) and I did 50k in both. The I moved over to DSG in Skoda's and did about 100k in 2 cars, Octavia & Yeti. Decided to not risk the expense of a DSG going out of warranty - you think £1500 is expensive? The DSG would be in the region of £4k! Hence buying the Freelander. To me it seems cheap to repair!!!!

I drive mine mainly around South London and Surrey. Also too many short journeys. I had 9 visits on Saturday but only drove 23 miles. Not good for a diesel auto, so my fuel consumption is crap. The only other option is the V6 auto. That would be even worse

I only drive about 15-20,000 miles a year.

Auto every time.

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Thanks for that. Good to see some folk getting decent mileage out of an auto box. I do around 20k a year too so anything to save the left leg in traffic. I was just curious to see views from both camps. My current merc is an auto, 10 years old with 90k on the clock. The c230 Kompressor is a very different beast to my previous Landy's & this gearbox takes a lot of punishment. With those fat rear tyres if I pull out of a junction too quick the back end always steps out & spins up the back tyres & that's with the auto in Comfort as opposed to sport which is just brutal. The TC and ASC are much morelenient and let you have a little fun before they kick in. But I need something more versatile like the Freelander for weekends & can't afford or warrant running 2 cars.

Like I say I did love the jatco box when it was working, silky smooth until it's last few thousand miles & a great workhorse. Just got no experience of the Manual Freelanders & wanted opinion before I bought another. This will be my third TD4.

I didn't choose an auto as mine was inherited. My dad always said he would never have an auto as when it's broke'd it's difficult to fix. Can't push start it etc. If I were to have another Freelander I would want an auto. It would be a diesel. I would hope for the Freelander 2, as opposed to the Freelander 1. The v6 Freelander 1 I currently have is the first auto I've had. I've driven lots of different manuals and auto's as hire cars for site visits for work.

I think auto's are becoming more popular over the years. The buying trends would suggest that. As auto's become betterer to drive with a greater number of gears, betterer economy and the intelligence to make them perform betterer for the driver, more people are buying them. Auto's are generally more popular in larger or more expensive vehicles. Owners prefer the easier drive and have the additional money to pay for them. This is noticeable when the Freelander 1 went more upmarket when the Freelander 2 was launched. It's getting to the stage where Disco's and RR's will be auto only when sold new.

An interesting comparison below:

LR second hand, shorry nearly new:
Freelander 2 manual = 507
Freelander 2 auto = 778

Auto trader Freelander 1
manual = 903
auto = 266

Auto trader Freelander 2
manual = 868
auto = 963

my wife's a manual mine is a auto, I love the auto even though it take more fuel than the manual .I did drive my wife's car a few months back and nearly ended up through the windscreen through accidently pressing the brake for the accelerator.

Hippo said:

I didn't choose an auto as mine was inherited. My dad always said he would never have an auto as when it's broke'd it's difficult to fix. Can't push start it etc. If I were to have another Freelander I would want an auto. It would be a diesel. I would hope for the Freelander 2, as opposed to the Freelander 1. The v6 Freelander 1 I currently have is the first auto I've had. I've driven lots of different manuals and auto's as hire cars for site visits for work.

I think auto's are becoming more popular over the years. The buying trends would suggest that. As auto's become betterer to drive with a greater number of gears, betterer economy and the intelligence to make them perform betterer for the driver, more people are buying them. Auto's are generally more popular in larger or more expensive vehicles. Owners prefer the easier drive and have the additional money to pay for them. This is noticeable when the Freelander 1 went more upmarket when the Freelander 2 was launched. It's getting to the stage where Disco's and RR's will be auto only when sold new.

An interesting comparison below:

LR second hand, shorry nearly new:
Freelander 2 manual = 507
Freelander 2 auto = 778

Auto trader Freelander 1
manual = 903
auto = 266

Auto trader Freelander 2
manual = 868
auto = 963

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It's true that Land Rover seem to be favouring the auto. I personally love Autos. If I'm buying a sports car it will be manual, anything else I'd rather have an auto. Had a Cooper S in manual which was great fun but a pig on a journey. In comparison my TD4 auto was wonderful on journeys. Monthly trip from Carlyon Bay, Cornwall to Dundee Scotland & back was actually a breeze. I think you guys have confirmed my desire for an auto. For the few benefits of a manual, extra few mpg and perhaps marginally cheaper repair costs it doesn't seem worth giving up the ease of use & the better off road capability.

And this photo always makes me smile, taken in Perth, Scotland a few years ago, only my freelander (the silver one) and another blokes freelander (an auto also) made it up a steep slope by Broxden roundabout in a foot of snow. Well 30 minutes after this was taken a chap in a disco G4 showed us both up, but we enjoyed chatting about the cars & he was impressed we had both made it.

To be honest, I'd love an auto, but the late models are £400 + road tax and I wanted a late model when I bought mine
Although the tax on mine now is nigh on £300 anyway!

Got a TD4 Auto & a manual at the moment , both bulit Dec 2003, Auto has done 104,000 miles manual 68,000, both have been abused offroad, the manual is on its 3rd clutch & the Auto box hasn't cost me a penny (except for fluid) despite 2 heavilly overloaded trips offroading in the Pyrenees in the middle of summer. I did replace the Auto fluid cooler with an air to fluid cooler, this backfired spectacullarly when one of the hoses let go in the Pyrenees & spilled about 5 litres of fluid onto the camp site entrance !!, all I could get locally was Repsol Dexron II so in it went for a couple of days until I could get the proper stuff put in. Never could get the hoses on the modded cooler to seal properly & ran it low on fluid at least twice. It had some super duper liquid gold put in by a transmission specialist when the modded cooler went in but returned to Land Rover stuff when I returned to the standard cooler. God knows what kind of a mixture is in it now because you can only drain about 1/3 of the fluid the rest lurks in the torque convertor. The box still changes smoothly & does all the fancy stuff like change down to help with braking when going down hill, I love the command shift, makes me feel like that little lad that does the formula 1 racing.....err whats his name...oh yes Lewis Hammerdown.
I constantly read of people having trouble with there Jatcos ( oo err missus !! ) All I can say is you aren't giving it enough abuse.....its definately the Auto for me.
Incidentaly versions of the same box were used by Jaguar & Mitsubishi, does anyone know how they performed in those vehicles ?