If your gonna be doing some real offroading (not just improved dirt roads) then a 5 spd is the way to go. Sure its tougher to get up an incline but going up is always easier than going down. Truck, bike, or quad, I always look at an incline from the perspective of "am I going to be able to get back down this?" I've gone down trails that I'm positive I would've never made it down in an auto. But get an auto if you're a soccer mom. Get an SUV that's more suited to luxury while you're at it. 4wd on an auto tranny isn't for offroading, its for getting up a slippery boat launch ramp.