Manual vs Automatic

[The Great Grape Ape]

In my mind, I keep thinking the US side of FCA does not exactly have a good reputation for automatic transmissions. I miss driving manual in addition to that.

The NAG1 is/was a fine Transmission, all the major bugs were figured out while it was a W5A580 under Mercedes before being built stateside as the NAG.

The NSG370 manual from Mercedes is more notoriously buggy / problematic.

So I would disagree with your assessment, and I speak as an owner of all 4 variants (old 2nd Gen NSG in 2008 JK / new NSG in 2015 JK and W5A580 in 2012 JKUR / NAG1 in 2015 JKU).

I like both manual & auto JKs, but these new transmissions should improve on the shortcomings of both prior offerings in the Wrangler.

That being said, I’d still prefer a ZF sourced 8HP75 over a US sourced 850RE, but that’s due to torque handling, and the hope for the better alternate ratios/spread.

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[2018JLU4ME]

you're right...nobody is dropping 50k on a Wrangler....might as well drop your pants at the dealer and bend over if you're planning to spend that

 

[jeppesen.io]

you're right...nobody is dropping 50k on a Wrangler....might as well drop your pants at the dealer and bend over if you're planning to spend that

Kidding right? Very easy to get a JKU Rubicon to 40k - thats before taxes, bumpers, winches, amour, wheels.

I see lots of JKUs on the road that cost 50k EASY

 

[SpyDJeep]

Kidding right? Very easy to get a JKU Rubicon to 40k - thats before taxes, bumpers, winches, amour, wheels.

I see lots of JKUs on the road that cost 50k EASY

I agree, its easy to get to that amount and up here in the great white north its even more. My '17 JKU was 54 out the door compared to my '11 at 41 OTD. I'm expecting My JLU to be over 60 for sure (its replacing my '11)

As far as resale i've already been offered around 65% of original price paid and its a manual.

 

[2018JLU4ME]

im talking about sticker price....what you do later isnt factored in to what you pay out the door...anything more than 40K out the door for a wrangler is absurd in my opinion...you buy a sport and you customize...far less expensive

 

[CantThinkOfAHandle]

I have never driven an auto off pavement. I'm surprised to learn they can handle rock climbing better than a manual, so that's good to know. How about the lack of engine braking? If I'm driving fast downhill on a gravel road and see a steep bend up ahead, I like knowing that, when I take my foot off the accelerator, my vehicle will slow immediately and predictably. Will it do that with an auto? This is probably my top off-pavement requirement, because I often drive really fast and want to know exactly what to expect.

 

[SpyDJeep]

I have never driven an auto off pavement. I'm surprised to learn they can handle rock climbing better than a manual, so that's good to know. How about the lack of engine braking? If I'm driving fast downhill on a gravel road and see a steep bend up ahead, I like knowing that, when I take my foot off the accelerator, my vehicle will slow immediately and predictably. Will it do that with an auto? This is probably my top off-pavement requirement, because I often drive really fast and want to know exactly what to expect.

I drive both an auto and a munual JKU on a regular basis. You can shift the auto into whatever gear you want and it will react in a similar way. I do prefer the manual though

 

[BillyHW]

I have never driven an auto off pavement. I'm surprised to learn they can handle rock climbing better than a manual, so that's good to know. How about the lack of engine braking? If I'm driving fast downhill on a gravel road and see a steep bend up ahead, I like knowing that, when I take my foot off the accelerator, my vehicle will slow immediately and predictably. Will it do that with an auto? This is probably my top off-pavement requirement, because I often drive really fast and want to know exactly what to expect.

I drive both an auto and a munual JKU on a regular basis. You can shift the auto into whatever gear you want and it will react in a similar way. I do prefer the manual though

FYI, the new ZF8 may have some sort of energy saving coast mode that we don't know how it works yet.

I hope it works the same way autos have always worked.

 

[SpyDJeep]

FYI, the new ZF8 may have some sort of energy saving coast mode that we don't know how it works yet.

I hope it works the same way autos have always worked.

Interesting. Good point, I wasnt thinking the new tranny. so use to the JK tranny thats been the norm for the last decade. Cant see it performing that much different when manually selecting gears but time will tell.

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