Puma 6 Speed Gearbox?...I like it.

[Pickles2]

I've heard & read various opinions of Defender owners who are not a fan of its 6 speed gearbox.
Why is this?
Our 2013 Defender is the first we've owned, but as far as driving is concerned, the gearbox, as far as we're concerned, is a major plus.
I've owned many manual cars before, & have "suffered" many with poor, indecisive shift mechanisms, none of which apply to our Defender.
In addition, probably the best feature, is the overdrive 6th gear, which makes long distance cruising a breeze.
So, if there can possibly be a complaint, I don't know what it could be?
Pickles.

[Summiitt]

I've had every defender ute made and I will never ever go back to the old 5 speed box.. The 6 speed is a cracker, anyone who doesn't like it needs to go back to the old 2a non synchro box.. They are by design a notchy commercial box, but they are a great, tough box that has made the defender easy to live with, esp for fast highway work and towing 2+ton load..

[PAT303]

The both of you can say whatever you like,there are people who will not accept the TDCi and will make up all types of totally pointless arguments based on nothing but opinion and hersay.You will notice they have nothing but scorn for the Tdi either,the motor that saved Land Rover. Pat

[tcf]

All I can say is I've come from a 5sp auto diesel, but much prefer the 6sp manual in my 2.4L Puma.

[Orkney 90]

I also love the gearbox in my MY13 Defender 90. It sure beats the computerised automatics that I have had in recent times before. At least I can actually drive my Defender the way I want to, not the way some computer thinks I should do.

[specwarop]

Yeh I love the 6spd, and when you put it in that 6th speed, that apparent surge of power is a good feeling.
It does clunk a bit when changing gears, not sure if that is normal though.

[FeatherWeightDriver]

The biggest gotcha I have is that the first 4 gears are very short. Not an issue, just a thing to get used to.

But on the other hand when loaded and / or going up hill that means good power / torque, and when unloaded / on the flats you can skip every other gear.

Good stuff:

- 6th gear high range on the highway is great - 110km/h with no issues apart from a minor hit to fuel consumption.
- 5th gear low range is very versatile and sits well for torque, power and speed.
- 2nd gear low range is almost unstoppable, even just idling.
- 1st gear low range is hilarious. First time I geared in I thought something was broken / slipping in the driveline!

It can be driven smoothly, but even with the odd clunk it's pretty good for a truck...

[voltron]

I really like the 6 speed, granted I haven't driven any other in the Defender.
Everyone who I let drive it, says that first gear is short, but one benefit for me is that you just take your time and pot along, no point trying to race out of the hole. You can actually get the jump on people if you take off from 2nd at the lights.
I have my gear changing down to perfection, tip is to not be in a hurry.

Off topic but one thing I am disliking is, the anti stall. Sometimes after turning a corner and coming back on throttle I get caught out lurching and bunnyhopping because I assume anti stall kicks in at the same time i put my foot down and they have a little fight over who is in control.

[Rurover]

Having previously owned a 5 speed Td5, I really DO like the Getrag 6 speed in the Puma.
You do need to take your time changing gear to get a really smooth shift, but then I'm an old fart, so tend to drive for smoothness and fuel efficiency anyway.

And I know it's not a function of the gearbox, but I also like the feature where you can put it in first gear, take your foot off the clutch and let the computer govern the speed.

Would be great for cockies feeding out hay from a trailer! Just put it in first low, jump out and feed out all the hay at a very steady leisurely pace and jump back in.
(Yes I know OHS and all that, but that's how they do it when no one's looking!).

Alan

[Chops]

haha,, I came out of a V8 Auto, (about 15 years worth), never shifted a stick so many times and missed so many slots in all my life in the first week of driving it
And then, every now and then,, I'm still looking for 7th

Its an excellent truck to drive though,, I love it