newbie in the looking

[H3PAC]

I have the luxury package with the off-road suspension package option. I find the ride just fine - a tad stiff with a light load, but I like that (so does my wife but let's not go there). With the off-road or adventure option, in additon to the locker, gear ratio, shocks, etc., you get a light truck rated tire instead of a passenger car tire which is superior. As far as auto vs manual trans, well, I think some of the hard-core, extreme off-road folks realize an advantage, but in your case, why would you want to row a boat all day? I've driven both over the years and must have been young, energetic and dumb when I bought a brand new pickup truck with a stick and drove it around the hills of San Francisco in traffic. Now I'm old, lazy, fat and a legend in my own mind. Oh, and to realize any fuel economy advantage in a manual trans, you have to nail your gear selection and shift timing for the optimum power/economy combination - not very likely. I think if you get a manual trans, there's an idiot light to help you shift, but it still leaves things up to you. I'd rather let the engineers do that for me. Happy shopping!