I am about to buy a new jeep. I am a long time off-road guy and always had manual transmissions. I am going to purchase a Rubicon Unlimited and plan on using it as a daily driver and a trail truck. I have been reading some of the car magazines and how the automatic is a better match for the Unlimited. What do you think?  

you will not be disapointed,  

Well, there is the problem. A car guy evaluating a truck!

I'd say stick with your instinct. Go manual. I'm running the manual in our two-door project JK. I've put about 1,000 miles on an auto Unlimited and it's OK but the problem lies in the fact that you are dealing with a pretty heavy vehicle with a small motor. It can make the auto kind of a pig in some situations. Some people pick the auto for traffic. I say you just need to adjust your driving habits. I run through 60 miles of Los Angeles traffic nearly everyday and I still prefer the manual for the control, performance, and fun I have driving it. If you don't think shifting is fun, get the auto.

Brute power-wise you can't beat the manual. I can rev up the engine a little, dump the clutch and it'll roast the tires on the street. I doubt you can get this kind of performance with an auto, unless you neutral drop it. And the auto tranny ain't gonna like that.

Deep mud and water, manual. The auto becomes worthless when the oil is contaminated.

Also, with the Jeep's ESP system the auto now has less of an advantage over the manual in icy conditions. So if that was a concern, it shouldn't be.

John  

I was hoping you'd jump all over that Cappa, LOL  

My first Jeep was a stick, a CJ-7. I said then I would NEVER again get a stick & I haven't, two Wranglers later. City traffic is a mo-fo with a stick & *I* see no advantage with a stick in wheeling, IMO.

My .o2  

Jp Editor:
Well, there is the problem. A car guy evaluating a truck!

I'd say stick with your instinct. Go manual. I'm running the manual in our two-door project JK. I've put about 1,000 miles on an auto Unlimited and it's OK but the problem lies in the fact that you are dealing with a pretty heavy vehicle with a small motor. It can make the auto kind of a pig in some situations. Some people pick the auto for traffic. I say you just need to adjust your driving habits. I run through 60 miles of Los Angeles traffic nearly everyday and I still prefer the manual for the control, performance, and fun I have driving it. If you don't think shifting is fun, get the auto.

Brute power-wise you can't beat the manual. I can rev up the engine a little, dump the clutch and it'll roast the tires on the street. I doubt you can get this kind of performance with an auto, unless you neutral drop it. And the auto tranny ain't gonna like that.

Deep mud and water, manual. The auto becomes worthless when the oil is contaminated.

Also, with the Jeep's ESP system the auto now has less of an advantage over the manual in icy conditions. So if that was a concern, it shouldn't be.

John

my wife and i just test drove an 08 sahara unlimited, both auto and manual, of course being a real man at heart, i preferred the man. left it up to her...she picked the ... MANUAL!!! wouldn't have gotten it otherwise. i wanted a rubicon, compromise... but really, the manual is just like john says. it makes you a driver again, and it is nice in the snow/ice  

bobsguns:
My first Jeep was a stick, a CJ-7. I said then I would NEVER again get a stick & I haven't, two Wranglers later. City traffic is a mo-fo with a stick & *I* see no advantage with a stick in wheeling, IMO.

My .o2

That's kind of an unfair comparison really. The CJ-7 likely had 2.73 gears making it a pain in the rear to drive. Especially if you put larger tires on it. Not to mention that engine would have likely been all kinds of choked down with smog equipment of the time. The four- or five-speeds of the '70s-'80s era are nothing like the trannys today. That's like me saying I'd never buy a new Dodge Cummins truck because in the early '90s they were piles.

As for no advantage...A stick will still work just fine if the case gets full of water when mudding. Not true with an auto. Climb too steep of a hill with the auto and the oil pickup sucks air, no more forward movement. The manual will work at all angles. The auto also makes a lot of heat.

If you prefer an auto, that's fine. But at least understand the disadvantages to having it. I actually like an automatic for some kinds of wheeling. But I look at it like this. To me the Jeep is fun, kinda like an off-road sports car. I'd never want an auto sports car.  

what he said...by the way, its just FUN!!!  

i feel ilke a manly man with my MANual....lol. like john said, it's all personal preffrence, whatever floats your boat. i've been driving stick since i started driving (since 83....God i must be gettin old),and yes there is a big difference in the trannys.  

I haven't had any water issues with my auto, the only time it wouldn't move it was laying on it's side, and as for the hill, well...if it's that steep you aint climbing it anyway without a winch. I like to play with the manual also I save that for the strip. there are adavantages to both,

In the end which is better? it's a personal choice.  

There is vent inside the bellhousing on some auto Wranglers. It would have to be pretty deep, just enough to get part of the torque converter submerged and it would likely splash and pump the water right in there.

On hills, I'll admit some autos are better than others. The GM TH350 and TH400 are likely the best hill climbers in stock form. Ford trannys (C6, and AOD) are likely the worst. The Jeep autos are in between.  

yep, on the GM's I have put a 1/4" hose on the vent and attach it to the firewall up high.