Auto or Manual

[red riding hood]

Hey , At the moment Im looking at purchasing a 07 MY08 Liberty 4Gen ..problem is its auto and I currently drive a 03 RS Impreza manual , what are your opinions on the tiptronic gearboxes in the Libertys? ( Im a mature lady so just looking for an upgrade and input .) .I love my Impreza but wish to stick to the 2.5 motor but manuals without high kms are so hard to get ,so what do you guys think ?? Fuel economy details for the auto would help a great deal .Undecided ???

[AlpineRaven]

Ive driven work's 2004 Impreza and its manual with Dual Range - Its okayish. (apart from my previous Liberty that Ive owned)

My wife has Gen 4 MY07 2006 model Liberty, with the automatic - Ive used several times specially in hilly areas and I find it handy - but with 4 speed automatic feels wrong as the input isn't what I would expect if you were in "manual" mind mode. Also if you're in sport mode - it gives extra revs and steps down the gears.

I suggest you to test drive and have a feel in manual mode in automatics.
Cheers
AP

[AlpineRaven]

Consumption - EJ25 - 2.5 litre. Best ever on highway was 750 to empty. Average 650mark - 75% highway/25% city traffic.
Cheers
AP

[HyRax]

I'd definitely go manual - the auto is just not fun or exciting. Having driven an auto Liberty, I do find the four-speed to be limiting with the engine seemingly revving its guts out more than you would expect especially when climbing hills, and the flappy-paddles don't quite provide the instant response you get from definitive manual gear changes.

[rooby]

Unless you have a definite preference for an auto I'd say go manual.

I test drove an auto (without any intention of buying - but it was a dealer ) and I didn't love the gearbox.
It's not too bad for an auto but it's an auto.

[seanmau5]

The auto box is rubbish.

I have an auto & use the tiptronic everywhere. It doesn't drop down a gear in relation to your speed (ie braking) when coming into a corner so on acceleration out of the corner it then kicks down and gives you quite a nasty jerk.

At least with the tiptronic I can change into second before the corner & get a decent exit

EDIT: and leaving it in sport mode is rubbish too, revs it's tits off and goes nowhere.

[silverlib08]

i just bought a my08 lib 2.5i auto and i was surprised how much power its got for a non turbo 4 banger, for me its simple anything thats not turbo its gota be auto and anything thats turbo has to be manual

[HyRax]

i just bought a my08 lib 2.5i auto and i was surprised how much power its got for a non turbo 4 banger, for me its simple anything thats not turbo its gota be auto and anything thats turbo has to be manual

The 2.5i is even better when you tune it!

[Turbo Lag]

The auto box is rubbish.

I have an auto & use the tiptronic everywhere. It doesn't drop down a gear in relation to your speed (ie braking) when coming into a corner so on acceleration out of the corner it then kicks down and gives you quite a nasty jerk.

At least with the tiptronic I can change into second before the corner & get a decent exit

EDIT: and leaving it in sport mode is rubbish too, revs it's tits off and goes nowhere.

So I'm not the only one who always drives around in tiptronic then. I absolutely hate driving it in auto mode, and especially sport mode where it kicks down randomly into high revs when it feels like it and leaves you with no more revs to climb if you want to overtake or whatever. It's extremely jerky in full auto and sport mode, but then again I haven't had a chance to experience another decent auto. At least in tiptronic you can drive smoothly (and quick if you need to). I find that when pulling off from a standstill, that there's a lot of hesitance in full auto mode, and it's a lot less noticeable in tiptronic where you can actually jump off the line without the car thinking twice about changing up early. If I had a choice, I would have gone manual.

[marki]

The auto box is rubbish.

I have an auto & use the tiptronic everywhere. It doesn't drop down a gear in relation to your speed (ie braking) when coming into a corner so on acceleration out of the corner it then kicks down and gives you quite a nasty jerk.

At least with the tiptronic I can change into second before the corner & get a decent exit

EDIT: and leaving it in sport mode is rubbish too, revs it's tits off and goes nowhere.

I agree with the auto being rubbish, its over geared and feels really heavy. Tiptronic appears to offer more feedback, but still not overly convincing. The (4spd) transmission would most likely be the major let down with this car.

[SH30RB]

6 speed manual is the way to go

[chris12]

I think if it were a 5 speed, it'd be better. I've only driven autos (as my own cars) and my last for a 4 speed box aswell. It is a bit better than that box, but more unpredictable. However, it is more enjoyable in tiptronic mode. I find that if you forget to select down the gears, you usually end up in a higher gear (ie 3rd) then you really want, so you have to concentrate on the down shifts aswell.

Also, I think the Liberty is the type of car where you need manual or at the very least full time tiptronic auto because of how much the engine revs to get itself going. And I think theres a certain feel with the car too, you have to time your shifts and accelerator quite accurately.

[blademaster]

6 speed manual is the way to go

lol, in a 2.5i? Isn't that a bit overkill??

[HyRax]

Just because it doesn't have a turbo doesn't mean it can't have good gearing too. What about all those 3.0R's - is the 6-speed wasted there?

Heck, my mother's COROLLA sedan has a 6-speed manual gearbox and it's great!

[blademaster]

ok, fair point =)
and on topic, go manual!