Andy131 wrote:

For once I agree with CG

Speed (lets say 15mph) is your friend, and those with low range will call you foolish.
in ruts keep one wheel in the center an one on the embankment - this can sometimes be a little scary, but after you have ripped out a couple of sidewalls on nearly new AT2's you will wish you had.

The instructor at Cheshire LR experience had a laugh when he first saw my driving style and pointed out that their course was no where near as bad as some that I had obviously been "playing "on. Not that it was wrong, just not necessary on their course.

er thanks your the confidence vote vaners always come round to my way of thinking

If its smoother and more comfortable then it is the correct way, the difficulties come if one axle slips into the tramline ruts as next thing your a 90 degrees to the road direction,. especially if the ruts are caused by somethinfg with a bigger track width than your motor.
Our defender could get in terrible difficulties going down rough tracks created by tractors if it had rained an the top was slippy At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

I have discovered that my wife is very keen on the TV programme "Ice Road Truckers" - probably since one of the drivers is a woman. Driving a 40 tonner across a frozen lake is serious off roading. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

I was always a firm believer that you had to have a manual box with low range to do anything serious off-road - then my partner got me a driving day in the Lakes with the Kankku guys (bright orange 4x4s based in Windermere). We did the full day extreme experience which although they led us in a fully sorted Defender we all followed in short wheel based Shoguns (mid 90s vintage i think). These were all autos which caused me to raise an eyebrow! However I was pleasantly surprised as to how capable and controllable they were using both feet to drive as instructed both up and down hill therefore overcoming the issue of the torque convertor either being overcome (and hence lurching to a stop) or running away with you. Effectively you are 'driving through the brakes' regardless of terrain and it becomes possible to control the car to be inch perfect even over some massive rock steps on a near 45 degree incline.

Admittedly we also used low ratio but I suspect that this was more to control a bunch of amateurs of very mixed capability from getting ahead of themselves. I elected not to engage low ratio on a few occasions and the car behaved perfectly well - if a little quick at times. I was impressed by the Shoguns but more impressed by the controllability of the the autobox so much so that when it came to buying my FL2 (after three years of a manual Evoque as a company car) I went for the auto based on this experience (and comments on this forum).

Absolutely the right decision and loving the car. Not managed any recreational off roading yet but have had to use the car to tow a trailer of rocks weighing about a ton up a muddy rocky incline of about 40 degrees and then across rutted muddy grass and then back again. Did this four or five times in the same day in the rain so the track was getting into a right state - have to say that the car did exactly everything I asked of it and at times it was hard to realise I was towing a dead weight - having the auto box was definitely a boon.

Happy days!
John

taztastic wrote:

No need to ride the clutch, the manual models are fitted with anti stall mechanisms, crawl along and leave the clutch alone let the car do the work, if if feels like it is going to stall, it won't, at that point apply a bit more power.
The better option, of course, get an auto.

taztastic wrote:

No need to ride the clutch, the manual models are fitted with anti stall mechanisms, crawl along and leave the clutch alone let the car do the work, if if feels like it is going to stall, it won't, at that point apply a bit more power.
The better option, of course, get an auto.