Disco TDI Manual v Auto

[Rooey]

G'day folks,
This is first my post on this site and I must say after trawling through the net looking for Landrover related information, this is the bible.
Anyway, I'm presently in the market for a '96 to '98 Disco 2.5 tdi. As a lot of my driving will be offroad, I favour a manual. They must be popular because there's not a great number for sale in that year range.
My question is, Manual or Auto? Can any of you who have been there and done that tell me how the auto compares with the manual and if it matches up.
Looking forward to your comments
Rooey

[discoute]

Both are good, I 'm lazy so I also favour the manuel

glen

[B92 8NW]

OH GOD!!

If I'm not mistaken this thread is going to turn into an all out argument by the pro-autobox race! Go for whatever you prefer, both are great.

People say that the Manuals have more turbocharger lag, well I thinks its the opposite, oh yeah and Land Rover statistics favour the manual on top speed, economy and 0-100 time.

[Lucy]

They must be popular because there's not a great number for sale in that year range.

Autos were way more popular, thats why there are more for sale.

I have driven both extensively, and for both on and offroad prefer the auto

[Lucy]

OH GOD!!

If I'm not mistaken this thread is going to turn into an all out argument by the pro-autobox race!

:D


People say that the Manuals have more turbocharger lag, well I thinks its the opposite, oh yeah and Land Rover statistics favour the manual on top speed, economy and 0-100 time.

Where did you get that info from? My handbook says the exact opposite to what you just said, at least as far as fuel consumption goes, and its been my experience that the auto was quicker to 100, top speed about the same (and a friend and I tested by drag racing;) our discos several times - on a private road through a dairy farm).

[B92 8NW]

Thats not really a fair test. I got my figures from the genuine workshop manual for the 1994 MY and the owners manual for the 1994 MY. I can go out and dig them up and post the actual figures.

I suppose it all depends on what you prefer, I do a lot of country kms and provided the road is flat (or slightly downhill) I prefer to shift into the highest possible gear and maintain speed using ~1800 revs. It will satisfactorily maintain 80 using the least throttle. If the road rises however, dropping down a gear (or two) gives best economy. Obviously with the auto this goal is unattainable and it will always be revving.

[B92 8NW]

Drag racing a diesel disco:confused: !!

I must try that:)

[disco_ute]

joel good to see u made it back to aulro:D

u know u are playing with fire when u say manuals have no turbo lag:p

these guys will eat u alive:lol::lol:

[rangieman]

ok here we go a auto will keep you in the boost when accelerating cause you dont take your foot off the go pedal to change gears

a manual you take your foot off to change gears one bad point for manual turbo diesels

next is the important part as you state you will be off road a bit , i own a Tdi manual

the manual is far better for engine braking where as a auto WILL run away on a down hill run not good for a slippery hill cause you will need to keep the speed down with the middle pedal (brakes) WHICH IS DANGEROUS

thats my 2$ worth

but there will be plenty of knockers that will try and debunk my understanding dont worry:D

[B92 8NW]

if you change gears truck driver style, sort of simulating the effect of an autobox you can minimise the lag, but yes I grant that autos probably have the edge there. I have had reports from a neighbour with a Tdi Auto of chronic turbo lag, especially when towing.

rangieman, I agree with what you are saying "in its entirety".

I find that taking of at lights, planting the foot reveals chronic lag, but from 1-2, 2-3 etc, if you "feather" the throttle the lag isnt so bad.

[rangieman]

belive me ive driven both if your towing or accelerating the auto is better but off road the manual excells:p

[B92 8NW]

and if you buy a land rover, its the latter that really counts isnt it? why would one want a land rover that performs on road:confused:
:)

[rangieman]

you got it in one shot mate:p

[incisor]

if you change gears truck driver style, sort of simulating the effect of an autobox you can minimise the lag, but yes I grant that autos probably have the edge there. I have had reports from a neighbour with a Tdi Auto of chronic turbo lag, especially when towing.

rangieman, I agree with what you are saying "in its entirety".

I find that taking of at lights, planting the foot reveals chronic lag, but from 1-2, 2-3 etc, if you "feather" the throttle the lag isnt so bad.
your neighbour smokes too much green weed me thinks!:D
i have owned both manual and auto and i would never go back to the manual. for my money there is simply no comparison in performance, esp when hauling a load. the auto tdi will eat the manual every time.

[B92 8NW]

Auto disco owners, is it possible to accelerate whilst ascending steep inclines and let the box change up, somebody argued that point once whereas with a manual you cannot obviously. I would imagine however that putting one's foot down in an auto on a steep hill would induce a lot of wheelspin?

[rangieman]

i change gears in my Tdi going up hills


can i have some of that weed to smoke please:p

[B92 8NW]

your neighbour smokes too much green weed me thinks!:D
i have owned both manual and auto and i would never go back to the manual. for my money there is simply no comparison in performance, esp when hauling a load. the auto tdi will eat the manual every time.

I suppose its down to usage.

I am a student in yr 11, I drive offroad a lot, I like driving a manual. I have gotten used to it, I was always going to get an auto disco but a good deal came up. My father uses it a lot to tow and doesnt mind it being manual, he had a td landcruiser (manual) which was more flexible to tow with. I'm not intending to tow so manual is the go (for me):p .

Personally I think the hell with "flexibility" and remind him that a 4cyl running with 288,500 is better than a 6cyl with 240,000, complete with cracked block, bent crankshaft etc:)

I also like to juice economy out to 35MPG plus:cool:

[disco_ute]

weed?:spudnikwinky:

auto's are good when u smoke weed too :cool::cool:

[B92 8NW]

I was meaning steep hills (35+) offroad (loose ground etc).

Obviously on road one does change gears on hills:cool:

[rangieman]

autos are good if you drink cola too

hey ive heard of plenty of turbo diesels cruisers blowing up befor the 100k mark:p

[disco_ute]

I liked manual too when i was younger but then i drove and auto in the sand and i never looked back!!

[rangieman]

hey mickrangie going by your default avatar a auto is the go for you :eek:

[B92 8NW]

Its quite spectacular watching a TD landcruiser self destruct. First the idle becomes very rough and lumpy, then it starts making a hissing noise, and then just as you lift the bonnet, it goes BANG!!, seizes, the bending of metal can be heard and in a final gesture of years of good service, it becomes a fountain of oil and coolant:)

Then it gets binned, where it belongs:D

[disco_ute]

ROFL!!!

I only have my knees to drive with so changing gears is way too hard!!

[rangieman]

knee,s cans and a Tdi manual are a hassle:)

[disco_ute]

Its quite spectacular watching a TD landcruiser self destruct. First the idle becomes very rough and lumpy, then it starts making a hissing noise, and then just as you lift the bonnet, it goes BANG!!, seizes, the bending of metal can be heard and in a final gesture of years of good service, it becomes a fountain of oil and coolant:)

Then it gets binned, where it belongs:D

U should tell the guys over at 4wdmonthly how good Toyotas are..... u should read some of the posts... they actually think leaf springs are the next best thing to slice bread !!! BWHAHAHAHAHA

[dungarover]

I'm a auto advocate, so I speak from the auto camp.

I've had both, manuals only advantage is downhill and that can be controlled to a degree using your trans handbrake (LR's have a drum mounted transmission handbrake) to control your descent and mimimise using the foot brake.

But for everything else, autos have many more advantages. Autos allow more control for ascents (easy hill-starts), negotiationg rocks, sand, mud and many other terrains.

The idea that manual is best has become a bit old-fshioned. Now in the last 10-15 yerars that auto boxes have been more refined and so forth it's not such a contensious issue. But it's like petrol or diesel, the debate over manual and auto will never come to a conclusion.

Buy what you think is best suited to yourself and have fun doing so.

Regards,

Trav

[Rooey]

Thanks everyone for your input. The reason I was curious about the auto is that I've driven an auto Patrol and found it sluggish compared to it's manual counterpart. Not that I'm a big fan of the Patrol. The consensus seems to be that the auto is the better performer except under compression down hill.
Anyway plenty of food for thought. I'll let you know how I get on.
All the best
Rooey

[one_iota]

Rooey,

My daily driver the Holden Commuter is an Auto...You know what I prefer to drive...the Disco Manual Tdi..I just like being in control so I look forward to the weekends and going for a real drive

[ak]

I had aTdi manual and after 3 years sold it. I found the clutch so heavy that if I drove across the city and back by the time I got home my left leg felt like it was stuffed. After a Td5 Auto you would never get me back in a manual. Now I know a Tdi and Td5 are poles apart.

I think it comes back to personal preferance and if you live in the city or country.

[Utemad]

I've driven auto and manual D1s although I haven't bought one yet.

As was stated above the clutch is extremely heavy. This is the number one reason I am looking for an auto.

At the moment I do a lot of highway so it wouldn't necessarily be a big problem but circumstances tend to change.

[Pavo]

Heavy clutch? I live in Sydney and don't commute daily, but I have done my fair share of traffic and I've never come home with a sore leg or anything. Don't even notice the clutch 'heaviness'.

But then I've never driven other manuals to compare to - when my brother in law drove it, he goes "heavy clutch, hey?"...(his comparison would have been to a Corolla).

Either way, it has been interesting to read this thread because I bought a manual 300Tdi 4 years ago because the NRMA review of them said "we found the auto to be lethargic and the manual more responsive"...or something like that.

[Utemad]

Clutch weight depends on what you are used to. I used to have a VH Commodore and if my Mum borrowed it she would always complain of the heavy steering and clutch. I always thought she just liked complaining;)
However when I bought a manual Nissan hatchback I drove the Commodore for the first time after about 2 weeks of not using it and the steering felt like the lock was still on and the clutch had a brick under it!

After the hatch I bought my Rodeo and thought it had a heavy clutch. Now I'm test driving Discos and when I get back into my Rodeo I have zero pedal feel as it is so much lighter than a Disco. It is embarrasing getting back into my own car and stalling it straight away after driving a Disco:eek:

However my Wife had some trouble driving my Rodeo so if she ever needs to borrow the Disco she wouldn't be able to push the clutch in at all I think (she is a lightweight). Now I think about it.............maybe I should get a manual!

[DiscoDan]

I have a 97 300Tdi Auto, now lets see........:rolleyes:

Up hill better


on sand better

across country better

in city better

towing better

and when you have front and rear lockers and the centre diff locked as well, down hill nil problems.

Not that I do this every hill but if you are desending a steep hill and there is a possablity that skidding may occur, lock the whole lot up, then if one wheel stops, all stop!....

I have seen manual Patrols that have to change up gears going down a slippery hill as the car locked up under compresion. The driver had to change thru angle gear to achive this and lost his seat covers in the process. The auto had nil problems as I could control the brakeing better.

So the main tip

AUTO"S BETTER:D

The only down side that I have found is whel the car is cold, on a steepish hill it doesn't want to move until it stalls up against the torque converter.

As for drags try this in town, pop it into low range for a sprint from one set of lights to the next,:lol: Boy does that throw the cat amounst the pigens:p

[JohnM]

Personal preference I guess. We bought the manual 97 TDI Disco in 98, and its never let us down or been in issue. My wife drives it more than I get to, running the kids around etc, and never has complained about it. She might be just used to it). I drive a variety of vehicles for work from 110's, 6*6 to heavy rigids etc so I guess it also depends on your perspective....But my personal preference is for the manual.

[DeeJay]

When I did my Landie club of vic driver training, they got the auto drivers ( there was only a couple them thar days) to put it in reverse on the steep hills.
There is plenty of comments about how the auto's are not much chop on steep descents but no mention of this technique ???
Apparently it does no harm and works well.
I have never asked anyone I go 4wding with what they do now that I have read these pages:huh:

[disco_ute]

It is a good technique BUT u wont catch me doing it with 35" Simex tyres on!! They have a lot of traction on very slippery surfaces....

Mick

[BigJon]

You can put your auto in reverse on steep ddescents, but it will creat a lot of heat in the transmission. It is not something that I would recommend doing regularly.

[dungarover]

I always use reverse in my auto to go downhills and I have yet to encounter any problems. I agree with Discodan though, autos ARE beter overall. Also my philosophy is 'why change gears when you don't have to'.

I've killed an auto in Aquarangie, but it had 300K on it and it wasn't well looked after prior to my ownership (always serviced it in my ownership). Probably driver inflicted as well :D .

Trav

[one_iota]

Reverse gear and down hill.... I guess it depends on the slope?

What happens when the rear wheels break traction and the rear end starts to try to overtake the front?

On a manual you give the accelerator a jab to re-gain traction and bring the rear into line.

Can't be done when in reverse gear.