I've been driving automatic Patrols for years in sand (and more recently an auto F159) it's just a case of point and go. Automatic transmission takes the hard work out of driving, especially when you're crawling along in heavy traffic or on long motorway hauls. When driving with manual transmission, rate of adrenaline excretion, skin conductance activity (SCRrpar;, heart rate and heart rate variability were significantly higher than when driving with automatic transmission or when riding as a passenger. Here’s an interesting breakdown of how bad habits can break your car, and how they change depending on whether you’re driving with a manual, automatic, CVT or dual-clutch transmission. I drive a Nissan Pathfinder 2005. Automatic Transmission and 4wding: Driving on soft sand with an auto is quite handy as the gear changes are smooth and no loss in momentum is suffered. But as with most things automotive, a lot of complexity goes into making it look easy. First advice when I got to the Middle East was 'if you're not good at dune driving, get an automatic'. Let me add an answer based on my experience. Also known as first gear, this mode in automatic transmission slows down the engine and provides more torque. However driving down steep hills can be a problem, due the 4x4 wanting to constantly gain speed and change gear. Automatic transmissions overcome some of the guesswork, provided you don’t overheat them via torque converter slippage in very soft sand. In an auto car, the gears automatically shift from ‘park’ or ‘idle’ to first and then gradually up to the fifth depending on the speed of the vehicle. Driving an automatic is more straightforward than driving a manual, but there are still ways to mess up parts of your vehicle. A vehicle with an automatic transmission allows the driver to place the vehicle in a gear that will allow the transmission to change the vehicle's forward gears automatically as speed increases and decreases. Automatic transmissions make driving easier by taking over the decision of when to change gear and leaving you to concentrate on the traffic and road conditions. Automatics can be better in sand driving because they change gears more seamlessly than manuals.The moment you depress the clutch to change gear in a manual, there is no power going to the wheels and the sand can grab those wheels. You’ll need to choose a gear that’ll allow for the correct speed and power outputs to get you through the softer sections of sand. An automatic transmission seems pretty simple; after all, you just put it in Drive and go. Most of the weekender desert cars here are auto. What Is Low Gear? Hard core dune drivers use manual but that's the minority.