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I have been looking at buying a 4x4 for towing our folding camper. There are lots out there, many of them being automatics. Are they as good for towing as a manual vehicle ?

          cheers steve.

Hi Steve

I'd never go back to a manual for towing, once you've been in a traffic jam or towed behind a slow moving vehicle up hill you'll know.

Find one with a towbar and ask for a test drive pulling your FC.

HTH

Paul

Auto every time

Now for the but.....

But an auto box with a turbo diesel engine will often feel very sluggish pulling away as you cant ride the clutch the same way you would in a manual to keep the turbo spinning. Autos will sometimes require lots of extra cooling for the transmission fluid

I have a 2.5TD manual discovery and a 3,9 auto rangerover, and although on the motorway where its constant speed there is nothing in it for comfort, as soon as it gets into town or on back roads the the manual box can be quite bothersome to maintain a good pace, and in stop start city traffic I really suffer as a result of previous knee injury.

Our son has a VW Passat TDI. as his towcar.  He has just returned from Cornwall, and got trapped in the Indian Queens congestion, resulting in a smoking clutch.  This would not happen with an automatic gearbox.   We know several people who have changed to automatics, and are quite pleased with their performance.

Automatics tend to be slightly more thirsty.  Other than that, it is simply a matter of personal choice.

Bertie. 

Yes another auto man.  Not driven anything but autos since I went to the USA in 1971 and 'discovered' them.

The only consideration when towing is ATF (Automatic Transmissoin Fluid) temperature.  Even then, these days you do not seem to need to take any special precautions.  However, just as well to check with the local dealer for your particular vehicle as to whether a ATF cooler is recommended for your combination.

John Jory