TexasBadlands said:
I'm glad someone else said it!
Standard or Auto?
- Thread starter Samson
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I'm glad someone else said it!
After wheeling my 80 in Moab this year, I'm now an automatic transmission fan. When I wheeled the FJ at Cruise Moab, it was an automatic and it did great. Locally, I test drove the FJ with the 6-speed, and thought, 'Who needs this?' Considering that it will mostly be driven in traffic, we'll be ordering ours with an automatic.
One hand on the wheel, cell phone on lap, biggie soda in the cup holder, right hand reaching for the back seat trying to break up some fight with the kids... don't need to pay attention to shifting, too!
One hand on the wheel, cell phone on lap, biggie soda in the cup holder, right hand reaching for the back seat trying to break up some fight with the kids... don't need to pay attention to shifting, too!
right now - I would go for the manual over the auto simply because it has the full time 4x4 torsen center diff (the auto doesnt have full time).
if toyota comes out with the full time system with auto trans next year then I would have trouble deciding
if toyota comes out with the full time system with auto trans next year then I would have trouble deciding
greytandy said:I'm glad someone else said it!
Oh I have no problems stating facts....... lol
My wife almost turned over her Rover for me to sell to buy her a new Land Cruiser 100 series today, but I felt bad and said... Nah, we'll keep it and buy the 100 series too so you don't have to cry.
Of course, she is MARRIED to me so I have to figure her into the equation. Besides she will get her doctors degree soon so I don't have to worry about payments hahaha
The Disco II has been very good to us, but we take good care of it too. Not like I used to ABUSE my old 40... Paint job? What paint job?
k_os said:
Pics and location please.
-B-
Samson said:
Sampson,
Unfortunately, you are getting a LOT of bad facts from a couple of posters.
* You do NOT lose control with an automatic. As Woody posted, the serious rock crawlers use automatics.
* You do NOT give up anything to the MT6 with crawl ratio. The Auto has a torque converter that multiplies the ratio.
Both are good transmissions and the choice is yours to make. Both will perform well off-road but any manual tranny is trickier to drive in extreme conditions where the auto will give you better control. Try a 5-point turn with a 2,000' drop off and a 30-degree climb. BTDT with an auto and it would be heart pounding with a MT.
The MT6 will give you better gearing than the auto with extreme descents.
The MT6 comes with the locking center diff and FT 4wd which many prefer over PT 4wd. The auto gives you PT 4wd which many prefer over FT 4wd. Mox nix.
The auto gets slightly better MPG. The MT6 has a lower final drive.
-B-
Beowulf said:
PIcs... I aint got none.. Kinda hard to stop and take pics when you're climbing up the hill.. and location.. Apex, NC. Kelly Rd, Off of Hwy64 west. Come visit
Like I said:
Automatic: 33.76:1
Manual: 41.84:1
That's from Toyota.
I would recommend if you do get the automatic to get a transmission cooler on there asap. Long trail rides at slow speeds is murder on automatic tranny fluid.
Automatic: 33.76:1
Manual: 41.84:1
That's from Toyota.
I would recommend if you do get the automatic to get a transmission cooler on there asap. Long trail rides at slow speeds is murder on automatic tranny fluid.
I like the manual. I can keep the rpms high when needed.( Snow and mud) They are easier to rock back and forth when stuck or punching through deep snow. Automatics have theyre advantages too . Just my 2 cents.
k_os said:
I am absolutely amazed that you have driven a vehicle up an 80-degree hill... and you didn't even take a picture before you climbed it? Incredible.
-B-
The old Land Cruiser adds say "Climb 60 degree inclines".........
80 degrees??? No way.
80 degrees??? No way.
Beowulf said:
not a reporter.. sorry. not saying it's 80 degrees might be higher which I doubt it, or lower but pretty damn close. Never been to Lions back but I saw a video of a guy on a jeep coming down. At the very end. od the video you can see him going down. It was a little bit less steep than that.. That's why I said 65-80 degrees.
I believe that would be an 8% slope. -B- you apparently understand angles. The angle of approach/departure on the FJC is 34/30 degrees. Pretty good, I imagine a wrangler is slightly better if lifted. To clarify, if one where to approach a 65-80 degree hill, they would simply plant their bumper.Beowulf said:
Somebody give me credit... I'm a newbie and I actually used the search function to dig up this old thread, versus asking the same question over and over!
However, there is one related question I have that wasn't answered... when I visit a typical Toyota dealer, are they likely to even have any MT versions on their lots? I guess another way to ask the question would be... what % of the FJC's are manual vs automatic?
I probably wouldn't even consider a manual version if I'm going to have to wait months for it to get here from Hamura, and then fight over it with two dozen other buyers. Seems like over the past four or five years that it has become nearly impossible to find manual transmission versions of anything. A while back I was looking for a Corolla as a "run errands" vehicle. Not only did my dealer not have any manual versions in stock, they wanted me to put a deposit down on the one that they had coming in (a month or so later). Until recently, I was a manual trans snob... but I've decided that I'm going to go with the flow. So, automatic trans vehicles aren't out of the question.
However, there is one related question I have that wasn't answered... when I visit a typical Toyota dealer, are they likely to even have any MT versions on their lots? I guess another way to ask the question would be... what % of the FJC's are manual vs automatic?
I probably wouldn't even consider a manual version if I'm going to have to wait months for it to get here from Hamura, and then fight over it with two dozen other buyers. Seems like over the past four or five years that it has become nearly impossible to find manual transmission versions of anything. A while back I was looking for a Corolla as a "run errands" vehicle. Not only did my dealer not have any manual versions in stock, they wanted me to put a deposit down on the one that they had coming in (a month or so later). Until recently, I was a manual trans snob... but I've decided that I'm going to go with the flow. So, automatic trans vehicles aren't out of the question.
converted
hey there. I've been a manual guy as long as I've been driving. Never really had a use for automatic trannys at all. I've had my 'auto' FJC for a year now and wouldn't go back. Easy to drive, great hold back on the hills, better fuel economy. At first I was concerned about the crawling and downhill hold back, but that AI transmission is fantastic, on and off road. Still, if your GF won't drive a stick, that gives you more time to drive it if you get the MT.;p
hey there. I've been a manual guy as long as I've been driving. Never really had a use for automatic trannys at all. I've had my 'auto' FJC for a year now and wouldn't go back. Easy to drive, great hold back on the hills, better fuel economy. At first I was concerned about the crawling and downhill hold back, but that AI transmission is fantastic, on and off road. Still, if your GF won't drive a stick, that gives you more time to drive it if you get the MT.;p
Somebody give me credit... I'm a newbie and I actually used the search function to dig up this old thread, versus asking the same question over and over!
However, there is one related question I have that wasn't answered... when I visit a typical Toyota dealer, are they likely to even have any MT versions on their lots? I guess another way to ask the question would be... what % of the FJC's are manual vs automatic?
I probably wouldn't even consider a manual version if I'm going to have to wait months for it to get here from Hamura, and then fight over it with two dozen other buyers. Seems like over the past four or five years that it has become nearly impossible to find manual transmission versions of anything. A while back I was looking for a Corolla as a "run errands" vehicle. Not only did my dealer not have any manual versions in stock, they wanted me to put a deposit down on the one that they had coming in (a month or so later). Until recently, I was a manual trans snob... but I've decided that I'm going to go with the flow. So, automatic trans vehicles aren't out of the question.
well it largely depends on your region, toyota only orders certain trimlevels and options for certain regions. like here in the northeast it is litterally not feasible to find a MT6 with package 1. also the dealers wont locate from other reigions. in fact i've never seen a 6MT at all up here.
Interesting. I didn't know they did that with the transmissions. I have seen something similar with 4x4 capability. There are parts of the country where you simply can't find a 4x4 version of the RAV4.... simply based on the terrain/weather.
I think the number of people who wanted a manual transmission in their FJ Cruiser caught Toyota by surprise, and they have had to try to up the production levels. When I went to the local dealer, they hardly had any FJ's in stock, let alone with a manual. I told them I wasn't interested in a slush box. Suddenly, out of the blue, I got a call from the salesperson saying they had a manual just come in, and since it had what I wanted, I bought it that night.
My local dealer isn't that big, but I did go to a much larger dealer while I was looking, and they had some manuals in stock. You might just have to drive a bit. Also the dealers have a locator system, in which they can can check stock at other dealers for you.
I certainly wouldn't buy a slush box auto just because manuals are harder to find. Why spend all that money on something you'll be bored with in a couple months once the novelty wears off?
By the way, the clutch on the manual is fantastic. Great modulation. Shifting on the six speed is quite nice, too. Overall, it's well done, and a lot of fun.
Michael
My local dealer isn't that big, but I did go to a much larger dealer while I was looking, and they had some manuals in stock. You might just have to drive a bit. Also the dealers have a locator system, in which they can can check stock at other dealers for you.
I certainly wouldn't buy a slush box auto just because manuals are harder to find. Why spend all that money on something you'll be bored with in a couple months once the novelty wears off?
By the way, the clutch on the manual is fantastic. Great modulation. Shifting on the six speed is quite nice, too. Overall, it's well done, and a lot of fun.
Michael
I hear ya. Like I say, I was a hardcore manual snob for decades. Mostly that has been due to my sports car background (which is somewhat more extensive than my 4x4 experiences... to include a couple Porsches and club level competitions).
The trend toward automatic transmissions really sort of sickens me. I went online earlier today and looked at the inventories for a couple different cars at local dealerships. Manual transmissions are hard to find. The local Jeep dealer has three Wranglers, and all are automatic. I once owned (and loved) a Wrangler... and I can tell you that if there was ever a vehicle that screams for manual trans, it's the Wrangler. Sports cars are another genre where it just doesn't make sense to me to have an automatic. 40% of the Miatas and RX-8s at my local Mazda dealer are automatics! My neighbor's Corvette club shows up every now and then, and floods the neighborhood with their cars. One has the traditional manual stick, and one has paddle shifters... the rest are automatics.
One thing I have discovered in life is that if you find yourself seemingly swimming upstream, it might not be so bad to turn around and drift. It is usually not as bad as you think. I recently learned that with our Sienna (which is an awesome vehicle). It doesn't take long to come to the conclusion that it would be insane to mate that vehicle with a manual. I even started to realize the same thing about a Camry we used to own. It had a manual tranny, and over time it just sort of felt a little cumbersome for a vehicle as large and heavy at the Camry.
Most of the fun 4x4 vehicles that fit my needs aren't even offered with a manual option anymore. I'd sort of like to have comfortable seating for two adults and three kids. I might be able to squeeze the platoon into a 4Runner... but I suspect that the FJ Cruiser will be too cramped. I'm probably more likely to look at the Land Cruiser or a Lexus LX 470. Sorry about the rambling.
The trend toward automatic transmissions really sort of sickens me. I went online earlier today and looked at the inventories for a couple different cars at local dealerships. Manual transmissions are hard to find. The local Jeep dealer has three Wranglers, and all are automatic. I once owned (and loved) a Wrangler... and I can tell you that if there was ever a vehicle that screams for manual trans, it's the Wrangler. Sports cars are another genre where it just doesn't make sense to me to have an automatic. 40% of the Miatas and RX-8s at my local Mazda dealer are automatics! My neighbor's Corvette club shows up every now and then, and floods the neighborhood with their cars. One has the traditional manual stick, and one has paddle shifters... the rest are automatics.
One thing I have discovered in life is that if you find yourself seemingly swimming upstream, it might not be so bad to turn around and drift. It is usually not as bad as you think. I recently learned that with our Sienna (which is an awesome vehicle). It doesn't take long to come to the conclusion that it would be insane to mate that vehicle with a manual. I even started to realize the same thing about a Camry we used to own. It had a manual tranny, and over time it just sort of felt a little cumbersome for a vehicle as large and heavy at the Camry.
Most of the fun 4x4 vehicles that fit my needs aren't even offered with a manual option anymore. I'd sort of like to have comfortable seating for two adults and three kids. I might be able to squeeze the platoon into a 4Runner... but I suspect that the FJ Cruiser will be too cramped. I'm probably more likely to look at the Land Cruiser or a Lexus LX 470. Sorry about the rambling.
spaldam
S.J.'s Adventures
If I had gotten the Auto, I'd probably never seen the FJC again. My wife would be driving it everywhere. But because I got the 6-MT she won't touch it. Go figure.
There's defiantly a trend that will likely cause us to eventually accept the extinction of a manual transmission, especially as we get into alternatively fueled and hybrid vehicles. They are seen as more economical, and required by some of the newer technologies like flex fuel and hybrid vehicles. Electric vehicles, especially those powered by hydrogen, will not only eliminate the manual, but also direct linkage. Drive by wire is coming soon, so you’d better get some practice on your game consoles so you know how to drive the new vehicles.
It's sad to said, but the Manual transmission seems to be dieing a slow death.
There's defiantly a trend that will likely cause us to eventually accept the extinction of a manual transmission, especially as we get into alternatively fueled and hybrid vehicles. They are seen as more economical, and required by some of the newer technologies like flex fuel and hybrid vehicles. Electric vehicles, especially those powered by hydrogen, will not only eliminate the manual, but also direct linkage. Drive by wire is coming soon, so you’d better get some practice on your game consoles so you know how to drive the new vehicles.
It's sad to said, but the Manual transmission seems to be dieing a slow death.
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