Is it better to have a standard jeep xj for off road or an auto?

 

i prefer an auto, just cuz you dont have to worry about stalling and you just mash the pedal and go

 

personal preference really. you'll see comments from both sides.

I like driving a standard, so I'll stick with that even if its a little more work offroad.

 

Auto, you don't have to keep moving, stop and go with out the jerking of the trans and clutch.

 

I drive a 5spd myself but for offroad a auto is better. But on the highway a 5 spd is the way to go if you wannna save gas.

 

i have never driven an auto offroading, only manual.

and it can get tiring. though descents are pretty easy

 

Auto but only if you modify the trans control module to over-ride that stupid 1-2 shift that you can't stop otherwise. It really sucks rock crawling!!

 

I don't mind driving a manual offroad. In 4-lo, I idled up a steep grade in first gear and didn't have to touch the gas once. It kind of just pulls in 4-lo, so it's not like you have to floor it and dump the clutch to make it over stuff. It really just comes down to preference though. After dealing with all the problems with an auto trans in my old Dodge Dakota, I vowed never to buy anything else with an auto trans.

 

and this is why i have manual. dodge transmissions keep shops in business

 

You bet they do. I test drove it around an apartment complex before I bought it and all seemed well. That was until a week after driving it, I realized overdrive had disappeared. Then it started slipping a little bit and shifting gears rougher than hell. At that point, I said screw autos and bought my XJ. Problem solved

 

But the Jeep Cherokee transmission is the same thing that Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, and many other brands have used. It's not a Chrysler design, it is an Asain Warner design.

 

I've had both. I thought the 5spd. was fun around town, but i think that it was of alot of extra work off-road.

I like the auto more better.

just my .02!

 

I've had an auto and a manual xj as well. I liked them both, it's hard to say which is better. it really comes down to personal preference. The ax15 and aw4 are both pretty bullet proof transmissions and you just have to learn how to effectively use each one to meet your needs. Selling point: you cant start a dead engine while rolling backwards down a hill with an auto...

 

Not much wrong with a Dodge manual though. Especially behind a cummins turbo diesel.

 

Manual transmission FTW
get better economy, and its easier to get out of the soup/ice/whatever because you can control the torque/slip what not