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View Full Version : td5 manual vs auto that is the question



29dinosaur
20th March 2008, 10:53 PM
So finances might be better now and I might be looking at a td5 sooner than thought. What re pros/cons auto vs manual in the td5? My old 300tdi was a dog at take ofs but ok once going... Can a manual be chipped for better performance?

Slunnie
20th March 2008, 10:55 PM
If you want better control, especially when 4WDing and sheer driving pleasure... then an auto.

If you anticipate break downs and the need for clutch starting... then a manual.

MickG
21st March 2008, 09:04 AM
I drive a manual TD5 D2 and love the control a manual offers but really, the TD5 engine is better suited to the auto box. Yes you can chip either auto or manual and they perform much better but really it boils down to personal choice. I will always drive manuals off road but as Slunnie says, for more control off road the auto is the go.....and in sand etc.

Do a search though as there are a few threads on this very subject with lots of opinions and experiences.

Aye, Mick

BMKal
21st March 2008, 01:29 PM
And just from another perspective - compared to a lot of other vehicles, the clutch pedal in a TD5 manual is quite a long "throw" and is fairly heavy.

It doesn't bother me, but SWMBO hates it (good thing really - she generally leaves it alone).

I'm comparing to Prado manual petrol and diesel, plus many conventional cars.

Scouse
21st March 2008, 01:37 PM
Auto all the way with the Td5. The engine is more suited to the auto IMO (the opposite of the 300Tdi).

Bear in mind though that the auto can't cope with the power developed by some Td5 chips & will go into limp mode. The milder chips aren't a problem.

2 rocks
21st March 2008, 03:01 PM
Well I never wanted an auto 4wd, ever....till I drove a mate's GU in the sand and had a re-think. The car I chose I picked because of everything else that was going for it - just happened to be an auto.
With a 140kw chip I've not had a problem with the trans yet...maybe I haven't booted it hard enough!
Only thing that bugs me a little is the lag on take off which on some occasions seems worse than others - just easier to build the revs in the manual prior to take off. Love the auto in the peak hour traffic though, but after 6 months I did miss changing gears, hence the arrival of the Wrangler.

justinc
22nd March 2008, 11:32 AM
My opinion, If I was to get a Td5 D2, it would definately be auto. I would also try and get something after 2001, as the auto's can deal with more torque/ chipping etc. '03 onwards is the go, better auto trans software, able to take more torque(400+Nm) without limp mode, and a much nicer shift pattern/ feel.

The manuals, as has already been stated by a few, are busy to drive, and the clutch is heaps heavier than the 300Tdi model.

Auto all the way with these, better with the later models.

Enjoy.

JC

Hendrik
2nd July 2008, 07:16 PM
Moving from a 300Tdi to a Td5 i did notice a stiffer clutch pedal, but i figured that the pedal can be pressed with much greater ease if only it could be bend slightly upwards. So i heated the pedal slightly and bent it upwards, and hit feels a lot lighter as you can press it with your leg now instead of just your foot.

feraldisco
3rd July 2008, 04:57 PM
I love my manual, but I was just lucky that one came up in my local area at the time I was looking to buy...the issue is that you'll have much greater choice in which D2 you buy if you're looking for auto as the manuals are relatively rare c.f. D1s...

BradM
5th July 2008, 04:44 PM
For towing, definitely the auto.

ToombRaider ECU remap, remove EGR, close wastegate right up with engine off, Fit vortex muffler.. What Lag off idle? :)

BradM

Narangga
5th July 2008, 06:01 PM
Moving from a 300Tdi to a Td5 i did notice a stiffer clutch pedal, but i figured that the pedal can be pressed with much greater ease if only it could be bend slightly upwards. So i heated the pedal slightly and bent it upwards, and hit feels a lot lighter as you can press it with your leg now instead of just your foot.
Moving from a 300Tdi Defender to a manual TD5 (2000) D2 I thought the clutch in the Disco was on the way out it was that soft!

Having bought mine in March the market seemed to say that a manual was worth a few grand more - I assume because there are more autos around.

Anyway - Horses for courses and manuals for us blokes that like 'em.

Blknight.aus
5th July 2008, 06:09 PM
for the regular readers, if you havent already worked out what Im going to recomend go slap yourselves...


Manual for a variety of reasons.... :)

Narangga
5th July 2008, 06:15 PM
for the regular readers, if you havent already worked out what Im going to recomend go slap yourselves...


Manual for a variety of reasons.... :)

I like the boy, I like the boy...

Basil135
9th July 2008, 08:31 AM
Having owned / driven a variaty of 4wd's in my short life that have always been manuals, I vowed that I would never own an auto...

That theory lasted until I bought the D2. The auto box in this seems to work a treat. I can just push the button in low range, and drive it as a manual if I want. Push the button in high, and we have "sport mode".

And, as already mentioned, if you are doing any amount of towing, then the auto is the go. I cooked the clutch on my last car towing the boat, and backing it up the drive.

simonr23
9th July 2008, 10:33 AM
i agree, in low range the manual mode does work really well. i would assume an auto's 1st gear isnt quite as short as a manuals, but it still does a good job of maintaining control and engine braking. in regular driving, auto haters will still hate it i guess, but it is a very consistent and in my case, smooth shifting box. i only wish it would lock up in 3rd and lock sooner in 4th, without unlocking so often afterwards.

Piddler
9th July 2008, 12:29 PM
Remember what Ted Bullpitt said years ago on the subject on Kingswood Country.


cheers

Blknight.aus
9th July 2008, 12:33 PM
no, what did he say about autos?

Piddler
9th July 2008, 01:34 PM
no, what did he say about autos?

Men have gears ***** have autos

scarry
9th July 2008, 06:47 PM
Men have gears ***** have autos


that was 30 years ago....they only had 3 speed traumatics in those days.slow,guzzled heaps of fuel etc:(

how times have changed

i will have the auto in the td5 any day....remember to use the sports mode in the sand,its great.:)

cheers

Blknight.aus
9th July 2008, 07:22 PM
yeah but back in those days they also only had 3+4 speed manuals as well....

simonr23
9th July 2008, 08:00 PM
its just human nature (as a generalisation) to have opinions that cant/wont be changed. like the whole holden vs ford, LR vs any other brand.

to the O.P. if u can drive both transmissions, do so. from what ive learned, they are both durable and if serviced, will last a long time, while performing consistently. its a nice feeling, knowing that u are in control of when and how the car changes gear, as well as a pleasing action for most of us. but really, the auto's are a good way to drive a bit smoother when off-road. makes climbing, descending, sand, mud, braking and difficult starts easier too until you have the experience and confidence to do it all.

scarry
9th July 2008, 08:53 PM
ummm.......had one of those , 3 on the tree once....wasnt to bad,but used to jam every so often,usually happened in traffic....nothing a good hit on the linkages didnt fix...till next time

then came the 4 speed..a major improvement...but no bench seat,although some of the jap stuff around had 4 on the tree& later on even 5 on the tree.

as for the 3 speed autos they were the pits,not much of an improvement on the 2 speeds they replaced

cheers

Trevhoare
12th July 2008, 12:33 AM
After having a manual TDI200 for 6 years for towing a horse float we bought an auto '99 TD5 two years ago with only 120.000 Ks because we could not find a manual with SLS and ACE. We had generally been manual drivers for many years but accepted the consensus that towing with an auto was the way to go and bought it with some reservations but prepared to give it a go.

We found it very smooth to tow with but in the end we just could not come to terms with the way it works on the TD5. The problems for us are:
- too few gears. we live in the Strzleckis and have an 8 KM long 300 Metre hillclimb from the nearest town to our place. With only 2.5 litres pulling a full horse float we did not expect to run in top gear but 3rd was just too low for us.. to maintain 70 km/hr the engine is revving at well over 3000 revs rather than using the torque at lower revs like we are used to.
- lack of torque converter lock up under 80 km/hr. After years of manuals the feel of the engine revs not matching road speed was uncomfortable for us. Under load this adds to the high revving mentioned above .. and is a source of inefficiency and higher fuel consumption on the auto.. while dropping back to idle under no throttle is also a problem - see below.
- inability to use the engine's low rev torque with in the bottom three gears.. The computer controlling the gearbox keeps the engine above 2500 revs under almost any throttle opening when working. Like other turbo diesels the TD5 has heaps of torque between 1800 and 2500 revs that is totally inaccessible in the auto.. another reason why the auto is less fuel efficient.
- lack of engine braking - the free wheel in the torque converter means that the brakes have to be used more than we are used to.. gentle braking is the essence when towing horses... and there is a sense that this reduces the feeling of control - it is not recommended to free wheel in a manual so how is it OK in an auto..?


We recently bought a manual TD5 because we just could not stand the auto.. We are much happier with the manual and feel it performs better.. more gears for towing and we are able to use the torque of the motor better. We feel that we will get much better economy as well.. We are rural residents so do no city driving where the heavy clutch might be a trial.

The whole character of the car is different and it seems to be more responsive to us..

So it is the manual for us every time..

Trevor Hoare