I'm waiting for announcement of the facelift models before placing an order, but would like some opinion on auto vs. man boxes. The cars I have at present have an auto and manual, and to be honest I have no burning preference for one over the other. Judging by what's in the used-car market, the majority seem to be manual. However I've read on this forum that the auto version is a much superior drive.

Also... any news on the much-anticipated facelift?

Skirkpat

The auto is the better drive, but not by much at all.

The manual will return anything from 36 to 40 mpg
and @ £1.21 pl it has to be the sensible choice.

The manual is an excellent drive, the engine &
gearbox are very good.

Hi Skirkpat,

I have done 38,000miles in a manual and have always thought it drives really well. However most people on here seem to believe the auto is better to drive.

Of course things arent equal and the auto is both dearer to buy and to run (most of the people oh this forum querying the MPG they are getting seem to be driving an auto), particulary since the TD4 E stop-start technology was added to the manual.

However i did pickup the bit of news below from Auto Express this week which might be interesting as like me you seem to be interested in the facelift.

Land Rover is also likley to benefit from the new two wheel drive powertrain. Though no official announcement has been made, it seems likley that the technology will be made available on a front wheel drive edition of the facelifted Land Rover Freelander - which is due on sale later in 2010. Land Rover is also planning to introduce a new version of the TD4 E stop and start Freelander - this time paired with an automatic gearbox.  2011 SD4 HSE Ipanema Sand
Gone but not forgotten - 2007 TD4 SE Izmir Blue

Last edited by Ricardo on 13th May 2010 1:46 pm. Edited 3 times in total

Thanks Twodogs.. I do about 12-14k miles per year, so economy would play a big role in my decision.

On the otherhand, I've heard the Auto box may feature stop/start technology in the MY11 Freelander. As I do a fair amount of town driving, this could sway my decision!

I guess I might have to sit this out until the new specs get released shortly..

Skirkpat,

I've had my FL2 manual for just over 12 months, it's got just under 10,000 on it
and most of my driving is around town.

On my last fill up, driving 20 ish miles per day around town, a trip to Leeds & a
trip to Sheffield it has returned 37.6 mpg.

My FL2 was in for a service last month and I had a GS TD4_e loan car, I drove 28 miles
in it around town and it never stopped once !!!!!

When I purchased my FL2 in April last year I was told if I waited 6 weeks or so I could
buy a TD4_e, but it would cost around £1200 more....I'm I glad I saved that money.

Wait and see what the facelift is, but I would save the money and buy a manual.
I bet a TD4_e auto will have a drink problem

On a recent long trip I averaged 47.4mpg in my manual. It peaked at 52mpg around the A roads - I don't think an auto could achieve these figures. I do have a little box fitted which seems to help economy though.
Another thing I personally don't like about autos is their unpredictable engine braking gear shifts, and the fact that I prefer to choose what gear I'm in generally.
The lack of low box in a FL2 however does mean that your clutch needs care when off-roading in a manual.
Each to their own though, I guess.

With todays modern cars I don't see the point in a manual gearbox, auto's are now superb. Economy is a very subjective matter I feel. If you are talking Bugatti Veyron with 8MPG I can understand, but an extra 3-5MPG is sweet FA between the manual and auto. Also the FL2 loses quite a chunk of money, which is a greater more drain on your pocket than an extra £5 because you have to fill up 50 miles sooner.

Buy the auto, it is all about the joy and ease of driving, not about the cash or you wouldn't consider buying a new LR in the first place.Maybe a used Prius is a better bet?  2010MY Freelander 2 HSE Auto
Santorini Black with Ebony Napoli Leather

Triple7 wrote:

but an extra 3-5MPG is sweet FA between the manual and auto.

AndyT wrote:

Also, the manual is not exactly hard to drive. Autos offer more boredom than they do "ease".

Skirkpat
My preference was for the Auto. When I placed the order for my car I had use of a manual HSE before hand for 3 days whilst my old model Freelander was getting warranty work done. The car I was replacing was an auto and an auto was what I really wanted.

A problem arose because the auto had only been out for a couple of months so the dealers did not really have stock of them. When I went trough the list and colour combinations that I wanted the dealer could not supply any. In the end I had to wait 3 months for a special order.

I could have bought the manual off the peg however having driven the manual for three days the critical fault that I had was that the clutch seemed to be heavy. I had this previously with a Classic Range Rover and whilst it didn't really stop me driving it in town with a lot of gear changes it became uncomfortable. This was why I waited fro the auto rather than the maunal.

Don't get me wrong I was completely blown away with the car after 1 hour of driving and my endearing memory of the fisrt drive was traveling down the M74 on my way to visit a project, going the long way round whislt phoning the dealers (bluetooth headset on) getting quotes.

That was on the Monday by the Saturday I had secured a deal and placed an order. Simon

2007 Freelander 2 Rimini Red HSE Auto
(Daily Driver)
1991 Range Rover CSK No. 98
(Toy)

AndyT wrote:

Triple7 wrote:

but an extra 3-5MPG is sweet FA between the manual and auto.

Some quick maths assuming average milage and £1.20 a litre gives you a cost differential of around £25/month between auto and manual. If you use Land Rover quoted figures it's over £30/month in favour of manual.
Now, that might be "sweet FA" to some people but I'd personally rather have that in my pocket than in the atmosphere.
Also, the manual is not exactly hard to drive. Autos offer more boredom than they do "ease".

Andy, I'm being deliberately antagonistic, but the fact of the matter is £30 is neither here nor there, when the car is losing more than >£500. What I'm saying is that, you don't buy a heavy 4x4 if you want economy. A saying I always stick by is, if you worry about the fuel costs, you can't afford the car i.e. it is the wrong car for you.

G  2010MY Freelander 2 HSE Auto
Santorini Black with Ebony Napoli Leather

Your car is depreciating at £500/month?

Around about, yes. If yours is older, probably less. But the point is £30 extra in fuel is nothing.

I'm all for getting back in a V8 in the not too distant future. I've been saying to my friends for the last 6 years, 'own one while you can'. Yes, MPG's in the late teens is getting pricey at 122p, but I think petrol is still relatively 'cheap' in the day to day running costs of a vehicle, compared to where oil prices are going to go in the next 5-10 years. 2010MY Freelander 2 HSE Auto
Santorini Black with Ebony Napoli Leather

Last edited by Triple7 on 13th May 2010 7:04 pm. Edited 1 time in total

Triple7,

mine has not and is not depreciating at that rate...fact.

Look at the mpg's quoted on this forum for auto's 27mpg ish
manual's 37mpg ish.

An auto will be £1500 more and more to tax.

I would like to keep the extra cash and not give it to the
tax man.

A manual is just as good off road but auto's are very nice.

Hey, it's only my opinion that's what forums are all about!  2010MY Freelander 2 HSE Auto
Santorini Black with Ebony Napoli Leather