Nissan patrol 3.0 lt turbo diesel - manual or auto?

IF and that is a big IF you are going to places where in the event of a breakdown you can get help quite readily then I would go for an auto. If seclusion is your bag where you may be days from help then go with a manual.

Auto's are great until the go wrong, many modern transmissions are full of electronics and less is more in my opinion when it comes to driving in deserted areas.

Even a simple thing like a low battery can leave you stranded with a auto, where with a manual car you can at least get a push start.

regards

Dave

Cookie have you researched the problems with the zd30 motor, this would be a bigger concern.
Cheers Pete

Depends if the missus will be driving it or not

Hi Cookie

Its a hard one, but I would go auto if your senario involves significant 4wding
and manual if not.

I have often considered the 3lt Patrol as an economical tourer with a tough chassis and not-withstanding the engines issues (which needs to be insured against) a factor which has been of more concern to
me is that the car has an older 4 speed auto , not the lovely modern 5 speed
auto slick shifer as in the 4800 and this makes the decision harder.

The manual is more fuel efficent accelerates faster and provides better braking which I feel is needed as the 3lt has smaller brakes.
However its 380nm of torque is high up in the rev range and it has to little down around idle.
This increases the clutch use.

For the above reasons I choose manual for light towing loads mainly on good roads.

A friend of mine used his 2002 auto 3lt for towing a 3ton drill rig for work everywhere until the engine died at 195,000.
The auto was an absolute must for moving this load in muddy/sandy or other bad conditions.
His load was excessive and he needed an extra transmission cooler.

When we would go 4wding his auto was always running out of breath and would take forever to get up big hills but it did get there.

Overall his car has proved to be almost as economical as my Petrol 4800(includes a $7000 engine repair bill)

G/Day cookie 11

We have an 2008 Auto, the Cook wanted the Auto so when we travel she can share the driving on long trips, I was hesitant at the time, but asked around ect and we purchased a Diesel 3 LTR, we use it for towing the Caravan and what really surprised me, how good it is towing the Caravan up the Beach, it handles the Churned up Sand very easy when towing, I have had lots of 4x4's over the years and it's good as the rest, things go wrong with all types of vehicles and you get comments regarding the 3ltr Grenades, and Nissan's warranty, but most people who actually own them and get them serviced PROPERLY not DIY, haven't had problems, you keep on hearing of complaints like a Mate of mine ect, or mine has ex amount of ks on it and it sh#t it self ect, but have they really looked after the vehicle properly, have they Thrashed the vehicle ect, I'm fortunate to be able to turn the vehicles over on a regular basis through my business, but if I decided to keep the vehicle after the Manufacturers Warranty expired, I would look at getting an Extended Warranty for peace of mind, anyway only you can decide and know what you can afford.

Cheers

Cookie 11,

I had a manual my best mate an auto, I was towing alot burnt out the clutch, he was towing alot blew the auto gearbox. towing 2.3 tonne excavators.

$2200 for me $3200 for him me at 28k he at 84k make of that what you will .

I acually belive after driving mine and his that he had batter offroad performance he did not seem to suffer from lag as much we found he had better fuel econ as well. He was also better under tow good power from standing start and ease of driving. If I was to buy a new one now I would lean towards auto. His box blew because of heavy towing everyday of its life .If you think 88k of solid towing you wont jet close to that in a lot of years of camping. My clutch 28k more likley to get close to that if you know what I mean.

Dont quote me but a did hear a guy last year say that auto box covered under waranty clutch is not I would check this out if it is my pick auto.

I wont bag out nissans they are value for money and a bloody good truck but for us now we use 4.5 crusiers better for towing.

Hope this helps

Cookie
Have had 2 auto 3ltrs current is a 2008 brought new in July last year I tow an 18 for Coromal have had no probelms.

I found it strange that Nissan never offered an Auto for the 3 litre Navara. Toyota did and the auto is probably their biggest seller. They offer an auto in the new 2.5 litre Navara now.

Cookie, my personal preference is always for manual, BUT...

With many of the smaller capacity turbo-diesel engines, the usable torque occurs only in a very narrow rev range which requires a lot of shifting if you're regularly driving in hilly terrain, and it will be worse if you're towing. I've only ever had a very brief test-drive of the 3.0L Patrol (manual) in the city so I can't comment conclusively.

If you have no personal preference either way, you might have to consider where most of your driving will be:
If cruising on straight, level highways, you might go for a manual (particularly if you enjoy a 'more active role' in driving)
If you're regularly running up and down the Great Divide or around a busy city, you might go for the auto (particularly if you're likely to get tired of swapping cogs)

Buy a 4.2 GU (manual only) and you can rest easy, knowing you will get to where you are going without a breakdown.. I think you can get a 2006 model in a 4.2.TDI Plenty of low km, late model 4.2s around... Buying a 3 litre is risky.... Michael

I have a 2005 auto and have towed a camper of similar weight without any issues. The towing capacity of the auto is 2500kg. I wanted an auto and the handbrake won so we have the auto & I am glad for two reasons. Firstly the auto can change gear on the run say when on boggy beach sand. Secondly the torque converter allows the turbo to "spin up" to 1500 RPM quickly which is the lower limit of the turbo boost range so you get some pick up quickly which can be handy in traffic in comparison to the mates manual where he has to put his foot down and wait for nature to take its course. The only downside I see is slightly lower towing capacity and slightly less engine braking but in Low range and the auto held in 1st gear I have managed to control descents (including Mount Meharry 13 July 2009) quite easily with minimal foot brake use.

I use to own the manual. Wish I had got the auto.

Especially if towing, the clutch is an issue and until that turbo spins up, can be hard getting off the mark, especially on hills.

No such issue with the auto and the torque converter. Autos are great in the sand too.

Good luck.