2014 GX First Impressions

[shodown Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shodown]

Having driven both - I prefer the manual. Seems like the auto is a little slower, though it could be I am just preoccupied with changing gears?

Having said that, would prefer auto for my daily commute....

[SimonW Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SimonW]

Learn to drive a manual and it is also a beautifully smooth car, with an extra gear and less shit to go wrong.

Haha touché!

I'm happy double-clutching my way through a crash box, and growing up swore that I would never buy an auto.

...but I did buy an auto Prado 10 years ago cause my partner (now wife) was an auto only driver. Think F for that! Now I would never consider a manual.

Pushing power through a torque converter vs a clutch is like chalk and cheese ( or should that be cheese and chalk)

Ever seen an "auto box failure" thread. I haven't. (Mind you Ive never looked for one)

[SimonW Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SimonW]

Having driven both - I prefer the manual. Seems like the auto is a little slower, though it could be I am just preoccupied with changing gears?

Having said that, would prefer auto for my daily commute....

Had a manual Prado hire car last week and drove town, highway and dirt tracks.

Only time I wasn't wishing for an auto was driving the 2nd gear dirt tracks. Manual worked nicely with throttle pedal only required for effective speed control. An auto would have been throttle, brake, throttle, brake....

[Symo Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Symo]

Learn to drive a manual and it is also a beautifully smooth car, with an extra gear and less shit to go wrong.

More moving parts in a manual, more parts that rub and wear. Each to their own.

[AussieAndy Find all posts View Profile Close AussieAndy]

Yeah, just stirring, I've got a manual, it was the wife's choice. I would of actually preferred an auto because I too spend most of my day either fixing or driving trucks and cars, and the modern auto 4wds are great. In saying that the manual box in the prado is as smooth as silk to shift, even more so when you change the gear oil to caltex easyshift.

The manual does have more moving parts, and can be more susceptible to driver abuse, however, driven properly and with regular oil changes using the correct oil will last alot longer. The auto actually has wearing parts internal, so has a designed life expectancy regardless of bearing or gear failure. The clutch material is alot better now than it used to be so autos do last alot longer than they used to. The downfall of most new autos is the fact the manufacturers claim the oil never needs changing, so most people don't change them.

I do like the throttle response of the manual too, however the auto would be better for towing and low speed work, especially reversing the trailer up the driveway. I think toyota actually claim better fuel consumption from the auto too, which is a surprise.

Anyway, this is a GX first impressions thread. I would of got a GX if it was my drive car, but the wife is used to climate control amongst other thing and just couldn't do without it.

[retroenduro Member Find all posts View Profile Close retroenduro]

got an auto GX myself too after a lifetime of driving manuals (From the UK - autos are rare over there) as my wife (an Aussie) can only drive auto and its good to share the drive sometimes. I even told my mates to shoot me if i was ever caught buying an auto......My last prado was a manual and i took it all over the place but took the new auto GX it for its first bit of beach driving at Goolwa this weekend and gotta say driving an auto in soft sand pisses all over driving a manual!!!Actually in most situations its been way easier to drive off road.

Its also so much easier in inner city melbourne, now i dont start getting cramp in my left leg when i see the brake lights come on.....

[ijl123 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ijl123]

Back to my first impressions. Rear springs have been changed to standard rather than HD Kings, which seems to be the right option. On the weekend I went for a decent drive with a moderate load of gear and people, including dirt roads and farm tracks. I'm very impressed with the highway cruising (compared with my 90), although the seats are not fantastic. I used low range a bit for up/down tracks and 1st seems suitably low, however, engine braking seemed a bit light on 2nd gear decent.

Overall, so far so good, except for the small cargo area.

Ian