Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi Guys

I need some advice on the following:

I want to buy a new Nissan Patrol 4.8 but I need to work out the pro`s and cons between a Manual and Automatic. I intend to do the empty quarter(Rub Al Khali Desert) in the winter (which is about two weeks of severe desert driving), and when I my contract is finished in 5 years time I am going to drive the vehicle back to South Africa. Plus the vehicle will be used daily by myself and my wife as a family car. We travel about 80km daily and 30km is in traffic.

Will the automatic be able to take the pounding or will the manual be a safer option. The vehicle will be maintained and serviced by Nissan Dealership

I work and live in the Middle East and I have checked the Nissan Patrols that we get here, the differential at the back is the flat type pumpkin like you explained somewhere else in the forum is the HG260, but its marked in the engine bay as HH43 this is a manual patrol 4.8. and if I read it correctly the HH is supposed to have a round pumpkin.

Thanks for the time

the auto diff gearing is 3.5 from memory the tallest of any nissan. manual for long sand drives esp if towing or you will use fuel and generate heat. either way they can take it.