My nearest and dearest will confirm that I am not generally enthusiastic about automatic transmissions, so it was with a sense of duty rather than delight that I first climbed aboard the clutchless Freelander TD4. That soon changed, to the point where I decided that if I were to buy once of these cars for myself, I would unhesitatingly choose the automatic version.This option costs £1370, and it's worth every last groat of that sum. It's not that the standard manual is itself an inferior unit - in fact, in SUV terms it's pretty good - but the six-speed auto is outstandingly better.Why? Because the changes are so quick, and so smooth, and require so little effort even if you select the CommandShift mode for manual sequential selection. The lightest pressure forwards or backwards on the lever gives you the next gear up or down respectively with such slickness that you're already there before you've taken your hand away, and even if you're pushing the accelerator pedal into the carpet at the time you hear the drop in engine revs more than you feel the ratio-swapping.One strange aspect of this - not what you'd expect from an automatic - is that the TD4 actually feels much more sporty than it does in manual form. With the manual, you might unconsciously decide to change down just one gear for a corner when two would be more suitable, and burble round gently. In the automatic, you change down twice, with minimal effort, and come out of the corner more quickly, with the engine more solidly in its useful power band.Actually, Land Rover claims that the automatic is slightly quicker than the manual, at least in terms of 0-62mph times (11.2 seconds versus 11.7). If that's true - and I have no reason to doubt it - then the much faster gearchange is clearly overcoming the automatic's inevitable lack of efficiency. The auto has a slower top speed, by 5mph, but I don't think anyone is going to be especially concerned about that.My only slight gripe about the auto is that the kickdown function still operates when you're in CommandShift, so you might find yourself changing down a gear by mistake in the event of zealous right-foot action. Apart from that, no complaints at all.It may seem odd to be describing the Freelander in sporty terms, but in the right conditions you can actually have quite a lot of fun with the car. There's a fair bit of body lean through corners, but generally the handling is very impressive for an SUV.But you may not be interested in driving a Freelander quickly. Okay. In other driving environments it's equally impressive. Fine ride quality and noise levels which (as with all current Land Rover products other than the Defender) are very well suppressed mean that this is also a remarkably refined cruiser. And the auto's smooth action is a big help in town, making traffic jams less irritating than might otherwise be the case.Of course there has to be some penalty for choosing the automatic over the manual, and here it is: combined fuel economy drops from 37.7mpg to 33.2mpg, and there's a corresponding rise in CO2 emissions from 194g/km to 224g/km. As well as the extra £1370 on the list price, then, running costs will also be higher. But I still think it's worth it. Engine 2179 cc, 4 cylinders Power 160 bhp @4000 rpm Torque 295 ib/ft @2000 rpm Transmission 6 speed auto Fuel/CO2 33.2 mpg / 224 g/km
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