Auto are better offroad. No proxy clutch to worry about, the power is put down more gently, find yourself in the wrong gear when hill climbing it simply changes down, same in sand.
V8's sound great but I 'very heard too many coughing on 7 cylinders after a small puddle.
After owning all possible combinations of D1's, a low spec 300 tdi auto with no sunroofs is my choice.