Manual for me. Total control plus easier for cruise control. My two wheel drive manual diesel Hilux has 85,000 on the clock. Last service by dealer and report said, 5mm tread left, 1.5mm is legal and yes original tyres. More than 50% of front and rear breaks left. Clutch was perfect. Cant fault it. Cheers. Col
Manual for me. Total control plus easier for cruise control.~~~SNIP Cheers. Col
Gday...
Fully understand how you prefer manual transmission. Up until my current vehicle I swore I would never own an auto - particularly for bush work. However, this vehicle didn't come with a manual trans as standard - take the auto and live with it.
Having now owned it for eight years and having done 200,000+Km I would NEVER go back to a manual. Driving includes city (very rarely) suburban (too often), highway - 85% (both towing and not towing), off-road - incl firetrails and much low-range work.
Your comment that you feel a manual is "easier for cruise control" interests me.
How do you arrive at that conclusion? Obviously, that is your 'experience'. However, if in 'top' gear, on highway, cruise control activated, and there is a rise (even slight) encountered, how does the cruise control automatically select a lower gear to crest the rise? Or does it just let the motor's rev drop down to 'labour' and use up all the torque to get over?
An auto, with cruise activated, will continue to change down gears progressively to maintain the motor's revs at peak torque level - right back to 2nd gear if necessary if the 'rise' is substantial.
However, if such a 'rise' was encountered I would have changed it back manually to 3rd then 2nd (which disengages cruise) by overriding the 'drive' function. One can also manually select low(er) gears for descending hills as well rather than leaving in 'drive' - obviously not using cruise downhill.
Just wonderin'
Cheers - John
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2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE Auto - 2008 23ft Golden Eagle Hunter Some people feel the rain - the others just get wet - Bob Dylan
It really comes down to which you prefer to drive. We have an auto now and personally I wouldn't ever buy another manual. We live in Melbourne, and who needs the extra hassle of gears when navigating the city traffic. And for towing our auto Landcruiser is great, and cruise control works perfectly too. I can't really see that for us there would be any benefit at all in a manual.
Extra engine braking downhill is only thing I miss from a manual vehicle and yes I do manually select lower gears in the auto when going downhill.
-- Edited by Bill B on Saturday 13th of October 2018 01:26:14 PM
I was surprised whe I first descended a steep grade with my vehicle in cruise control that once the engine increased in revs it did change down a gear in the auto trans without me doing a thing.
Maybe some cruise controls are different to others..
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"Seek the truth or bury you head in the sand, both require some digging"
Manual for me. Total control plus easier for cruise control.~~~SNIP Cheers. Col
Gday...
Fully understand how you prefer manual transmission. Up until my current vehicle I swore I would never own an auto - particularly for bush work. However, this vehicle didn't come with a manual trans as standard - take the auto and live with it.
Having now owned it for eight years and having done 200,000+Km I would NEVER go back to a manual. Driving includes city (very rarely) suburban (too often), highway - 85% (both towing and not towing), off-road - incl firetrails and much low-range work.
Your comment that you feel a manual is "easier for cruise control" interests me.
How do you arrive at that conclusion? Obviously, that is your 'experience'. However, if in 'top' gear, on highway, cruise control activated, and there is a rise (even slight) encountered, how does the cruise control automatically select a lower gear to crest the rise? Or does it just let the motor's rev drop down to 'labour' and use up all the torque to get over?
An auto, with cruise activated, will continue to change down gears progressively to maintain the motor's revs at peak torque level - right back to 2nd gear if necessary if the 'rise' is substantial.
However, if such a 'rise' was encountered I would have changed it back manually to 3rd then 2nd (which disengages cruise) by overriding the 'drive' function. One can also manually select low(er) gears for descending hills as well rather than leaving in 'drive' - obviously not using cruise downhill.
Just wonderin'
Cheers - John
Totally agree with Rockys post.
Auto transmissions and cruise control make for hassle free cruising..
-- Edited by Dickodownunder on Saturday 13th of October 2018 08:48:35 PM
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"Seek the truth or bury you head in the sand, both require some digging"
The latter 5 or 6 speed auto has it over the old 3 speed autos of old . Just change down manually where theres wind or reasonable resistance . To keep engine in its sweet spot . At times the ECU doesnt read the load . Turbo boosts . To maintain speed . Which hac heat things up . From trans, turbo to engine. The higher ratios are for fuel economy. This should be done on either auto or manual . The issue is at TIMES the ECU doesnt always change down .
Thanks guys this has been really helpful I am about to post another question as I am setting up to hit the road and live in my van. Let me know if I am overdoing it with the questions
Thanks guys this has been really helpful I am about to post another question as I am setting up to hit the road and live in my van. Let me know if I am overdoing it with the questions
Gday...
there are no limits in the membership fee on how many questions one can pose. Some of our responses might not be as wise as the question though.
Jest think em up ... and fire away.
cheers - John
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2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE Auto - 2008 23ft Golden Eagle Hunter Some people feel the rain - the others just get wet - Bob Dylan
More and more automatic transmissions can be used in manual mode which you can shift up and down as much as you like - its pretty easy when you have the paddle shifters mounted on your wheel. They are also utilising 7 or 8 speed boxes as they reckon that they get the best out of the smaller turbo diesels with them. With my previous 2.4ltr Pajero sport I used the manual mode when approaching climbs because if the speed dropped away it was hard to get it back up again and it drank a lot of fuel doing it. The current Jeep GC is a different story it will cruise happily along in auto all day and I have rarely needed to use the manual function - the bigger 3ltr V6 certainly doesnt work anywhere near as hard as the smaller diesel did.
I have never owned an auto. I have a Mazda T 3500 m/home with a 10 speed g/box. To me, being able to change gears is essential. Plus the vehicle can, if needed, be towed to start.
I don't think that an auto can be tow started.
Pipes.
A vehicle that is big enough to tow start .is big enough the have battery, charging system to start . Yes you need good leads . But you need a good tow rope also . Keep in mind modern diesels require battery for ECU to work .
don't know if it counts for anything but the only 2 guys I know who tow in manuals both swear that their next vehicles will be autos.
They both speak of that lovely clutch smell when trying to push a van back up a sloped driveway or similar.
I have a steep driveway and reverse up with the van in my auto, no probs. sometimes, it just takes a bit more right foot.
Not checked the trans temps when doing it though.
If you're buying new , check that the tow package comes with an additional transmission cooler.
I had a manual hilux and with no warning the clutch fell apart going from 3rd to 4th gear,no more manuals for this bloke,I have since changed to a 2007 Ranger Auto ,it has done 316 000 kms and still drags the van without a problem,I do lock it out of overdrive tho when towing.
-- Edited by grahos on Saturday 20th of April 2019 07:44:43 PM
A vehicle that is big enough to tow start .is big enough the have battery, charging system to start . Yes you need good leads . But you need a good tow rope also . Keep in mind modern diesels require battery for ECU to work .
Yep tow or bump starts is about the only remaining argument for a manual - if you have enough juice left to drive the fuel pump and ECU, but not crank. It's a pretty weak argument now.
Love a manual transmission.......in my race car!
For towing and offroad, auto everytime. The Ranger's 6 speed is very good with a good manual mode, so best of both worlds.
there are no limits in the membership fee on how many questions one can pose. Some of our responses might not be as wise as the question though. 
