Thanks everyone for the really helpful advice. I guess I just need to really confirm my priorities.

People talk about the better MPG of manual...but that is a minor cost of owning a Freelander. If depreciation is say £2k-3k per annum, then mpg saving from auto to manual for average 10k per annum is only £250. Is that really going to persuade you on the decision of man v auto? My opinion?....been driving autos since 1976..would NEVER have a manual. That's through 3 Range Rovers, and 5 Freelanders. In one of the RRs I did 275,000 miles in 11 years with a 3 speed auto box, which many mechanics described as "unburstable" !

Pray that you get 2/3 of FA extra when you eventually sell it!

vs

Enjoy relaxed driving for the entire period you own the car.

You are dead a long time. 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

Wigbo60, if you are asking then it's better to have automatic

I went from manual TD4 (2007) in March this year to an automatic SD4 (2014), initially I was a bit unsure of the auto & if I really liked it, there were days I thought mmm I think I made a mistake & should have bought a manual.

Five months on & now a bit more used to the auto I am more than happy with it & find it a nicer drive. Fuel consumption is about the same, my dash MPG on the 2007 was always around 33 around town , my 2014 is currently showing 31.8 so very little in it. I am not a heavy footed driver.

Don't particularly like the auto car creeping while stationary & often put it in neutral if I have to wait a minute or 2, if I hold the creep on the brake I think that something must be wearing out but thats probably just me, a bit like riding the clutch on a gradient to hold the car which must be wearing the clutch drive plate.

I still drive my van which is manual & have no difficulty getting out of one & into the other. 2014 Freelander 2 HSE Orkney Grey. Now sold.

I keep pushing the escape button but I am still here.

"if I hold the creep on the brake I think that something must be wearing out but thats probably just me, a bit like riding the clutch on a gradient to hold the car which must be wearing the clutch drive plate."

Not really . In FL2 autobox the torque convertor replaces the clutch in the manula gearbox. When stationary in an auto FL2 then only thing "wearing/slipping" is the ATF inside the torque convertor - it doesn't wear out like a overheating/slipping clutch does. Everything downstream of the torque convertor is stationary, so not wearing.

However just like a clutch the torque convertor converts the friction into heat. You can get a warning message about the autobox getting too hot (not seen it on my FL2 but my TD5 Discovery did once when towing off-road). Jules

Hi,

have you not decided yet

there seems to be a large dose of bias to the replies as out of about 15 the 12 or so that have Autos have all said "Auto"

I will still sit on the fence (and I am very happy with my Manual) and say its what you like the best and what you want to use it for, there is No Right answer (or wrong one)

the forum has 17253 members so 15 replies is not even a 0.1% response (manmaths strikes again )

look at some, drive some, buy the best example you can, which could be an auto or a manual

 .
my first ever FL2 and I did keep it longer than most other cars!
But its now gone way up Norf

jules wrote:

"if I hold the creep on the brake I think that something must be wearing out but thats probably just me, a bit like riding the clutch on a gradient to hold the car which must be wearing the clutch drive plate."

Not really . In FL2 autobox the torque convertor replaces the clutch in the manula gearbox. When stationary in an auto FL2 then only thing "wearing/slipping" is the ATF inside the torque convertor - it doesn't wear out like a overheating/slipping clutch does. Everything downstream of the torque convertor is stationary, so not wearing.

However just like a clutch the torque convertor converts the friction into heat. You can get a warning message about the autobox getting too hot (not seen it on my FL2 but my TD5 Discovery did once when towing off-road).