I'm afraid I'm older, and wiser?.

My FL2s were my first auto cars, but now I have tried auto there is no going back.

Its so convienient and easy, and that equals stressfree driving, and a feeling that with the FL2 will handle anything.

Auto suits the FL2 extremely well. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

... and wiser ????

Then you proclaim "Its so convenient and easy, and that equals stress-free driving"


Then why is it the Government have two car driving test, one for Auto and one for Manual WHICH ALSO ALLOWS THE DRIVER TO DRIVE AN AUTOMATIC VEHICLE ????

Drivers who pass their test in an AUTO ONLY ....... are not licenced to drive a manual ! ..... and have to sit another test, to be able to do so ???

.

Largered wrote:

Manual, gives a more drivers ..... DRIVE .... !!

..... and better MPG ......

Old men seem to like automatic ........ you watch.

.

What age qualifies as "Old men"? I'm early 40s......  Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

IanMetro wrote:

I'm afraid I'm older, and wiser?.

My FL2s were my first auto cars, but now I have tried auto there is no going back.

Its so convienient and easy, and that equals stressfree driving, and a feeling that with the FL2 will handle anything.

Auto suits the FL2 extremely well.

Bobupndown wrote:

Largered wrote:

Manual, gives a more drivers ..... DRIVE .... !!

..... and better MPG ......

Old men seem to like automatic ........ you watch.

.

What age qualifies as "Old men"? I'm early 40s......

Having my left knee driving L/R series and Defenders over the years when I brought my D2 TD5 I went for an auto and boy what a difference it made, so naturally the Freelander is Auto too,
and yes I'm in my seventies but not quite an old fart yet!!
Dave DAVE.

Largered wrote:

..... I always thought there are lots of "Old Men" on this forum

It sounds like you are the kind of dyed-in-the-wool manual gearbox user that I once was. I wouldn’t consider an auto and hated them! Then autos got better and better and I found that some cars and some kinds of driving are just better suited to autos. Big 4x4’s are a case in point.

It took me a long time to find that out! Don’t wait until you’re an “old man” to find that one out

My first auto was a F1 V6. Instantly found it much easier and relaxing without constantly stirring the manual box. Hill starts, traffic lights etc etc...........not that I'm not a capable or competent driver, but stuff like this gets tiring on long journeys or even to and from work with the amount of stop/start traffic and traffic lights in such close proximity. Just can't be arsed grabbing for that gearstick all the time. Especially when off roading, constantly slipping the clutch, which I found myself doing a lot in the Freelander 1.
I found the only draw-back to auto, higher fuel consumption aside, was when I first switched back to manual. A few times I stalled the vehicle because brain was in auto mode and left foot remained redundant while the brake was depressed
Would I go back to a manual ? Yes,of course, why not.I prefer auto's, but I wouldn't turn something down because it's manual.You soon get used to them again .
After all, I still have my S3 Lightweight.

I prefer my current SD4auto over my previous TD4 manual. Some of that is probably down to being able to apply all of the 190bhp (and the torque) rather than having to be careful when applying the throttle on the 160bhp TD4 because the clutch would start to slip. The clutch on my TD4 was going (badly) at 70000 miles.

My first ever auto was a Renault 9TL in the early '90s but it's autobox black box gave up and cost more than the car was worth. So that made me very wary of autos. Since then I have driven quite a few autos as hire cars in the USA so I built up confidence in them again. That and the fact that everyone recommends the SD4 FL2 as being the pick of the crop made me determined that I would change to one as soon as I could afford it.

I have to add that I think the autobox has made me more relaxed at the wheel around town. I still shout at the 45mph numpties out of town but now I can whizz past them easier.  MY13 Santorini Black SD4 HSE

I've had autos in the past, as hire cars.

I like to drive and be in control of my drive. I don't want the car to dive me.

On my Freelander I hate the little green light coming on to "tell me to change up" !!!
The car does NOT know and see all the variables I can, I make the decision, not a consensus of micro-computers.

Not only that ........ I have a left leg for a reason.

.

Did a bit of off road recently crawling over rocks, I would not want to have a manual! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

Having had hire and loan cars that were automatics, I hated them. It wasn't until my first, of many, trips to LRE centres that I got to use automatic Freelander 2's off road that it started to click. One of the first things that the instructor said was that all of the cars (with the obvious exception of the Defenders) were autos as it made them easier to use and train in off road.

I'd always felt a complete lack of control in them before, but then realised that I had more fine control with the auto's creep, had a lot more control when starting steep descents and never had to think about avoiding clutch damage and stalling under extreme abuse! The creep and low speed control even helped make up for the Freelander's lack of a low range transfer case.

It took two FL's before I finally overcame all of those preconceptions and went for one. I would never volunteer to own a manual LR again, but would if it was a light and nimble (and preferably quick!) road car.

Two legs for two pedals and both hands on the wheel, is it that hard to understand.

Had both a manual and an auto, also I tow a tin tent. The auto is a dream to drive both with and without the tintent on the back,
I'll never go back to any sort of manual car. The command shift gives you the option of driving as a manual without the use of a clutch, so its win win. Updated- Waiting for a Scotland v England 6 Nations home win. 24th Feb 2018
Gone-1972 88 SWB Soft top
Gone-1981 24v FFR Lightweight
Gone-2009 Freelander 2 TD4 GS manual
Gone before it bankrupted me- 2008 Discovery 3 TDV6 Auto
2013 Freelander 2 SD4 GS Auto

Lol! I was beginning to believe the Commandshift propaganda on this thread until I read the parallel thread about Commandshift! http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic30950.html

I agree that the manual is pretty poor at low speed manoeuvres and that the clutch (or at least the DMF) is a weak point. But I am still to be convinced that any auto box copes well with single-track roads - you would surely need to be using Commandshift to be in the correct gear for doing any sort of speed through the bends?

My wife and I once had identical Volvos, the only difference being that hers was an auto. I found the auto great on the big roads but could feel car-sick driving it at speed on single track roads. Doubtless auto boxes have improved, but I’m yet to be converted! 2005 D3 2.7 Auto
Previously:
2010 MY FL2 TD4e GS - Now gone at 199,500 miles, about 135,000 of them mine.
‘93 Defender 110 200TDi CSW
‘87 Defender 90 4 cyl Petrol
‘83 110 CSW V8 - best ever!
Range Rover 2-door V8 (not sure of year - 4-speed box and vacuum diff switch)
Series III SWB Diesel