Thread: Manual transmission

Will be surprised if you find one. One of the members on here who works at one of the big city LR dealers posted up how many manual D3s his dealership sold. If I rembember rightly, it was some very low number, like 3.

Thanks mate!

Good to know the odds. It's a shame, I just really enjoy driving a manual, autos can get a bit boring on a long trip, plus I like to have the ability to roll start if necessary (there's not much you can fix on a D3 on the road but at least you can get started).

Still, if there is someone out there with the experience of driving one? If it's an awesome vehicle I can be more patient in my purchase to find one, if it's average then there are plenty of autos available.

Thanks

Poke around disco3.co.uk, you might get some answers. There are a lot more manuals in the UK/EU than most other places. South Africa may be another option for info on manual D3's.

As for roll starting, good luck. There are a lot of electrical systems that need to be up and running before it will start.

As was mentioned in a previous post. It is very difficult to 'push start' a modern diesel manual vehicle. Most modern diesels have more electronics than in a petrol vehicle and the fuel solenoid requires power in order to open to let fuel flow. Without enough battery power, to lte this happen, it is hard to start a modern diesel vehicle.

Your best option is to 'jump start' the vehicle with another battery.

I would imagine you must lose at least some of the TR functionality with a manual. I gues you would still get all the suspension and body management assuming air and some of the throttle response but there is a fair bit of trickery in the transmission as well I am assuming.

Great point being made everyone thanks. Might have to learn a bit more about modern cars if I'm going to get a D3 it's hard to re-learn what you know. I can't think of a nicer more comfortable vehicle to cover the k's in on trips but it hard to let go of the ability to fix things that go wrong (even with all the preparation) I've read a few post from people saying things like "now that I've got used to" or "since I've been re educated" which gives me a lot more confidence.

I drove one at a Land Rover Experience day I had when I lived in the UK. The instructor was puzzled why I asked to drive a manual, saying that the auto gets the best out of the car. From memory the gearbox wasn't unpleasant in its action but given how intelligent the auto shifts work I'd be more than happy to buy another auto.


I've had to borrow a car for the last few weeks (a 2014 mazda 6 diesel auto) as mine's off the road after an accident, and I can honestly say that the disco box beats it hands down for shift smoothness and timing.

Compared to the auto, the D3 manual is horrible. The auto give you sooo much more control. Also, thanks to the sound proofing, people end up stalling the manual loads to begin with too. (You don't realise how much you listen to the engine for the bite point...)

M