I personally prefer a solid rear axle on a work quad for the added stability when carrying loads over uneven terrain,although they certainly don't ride as smooth.Then again I prefer the hydrostatic transmission used on some of the hondas over any manual transmission.Hydrostatic transmissions have proven their durability on farm tractors for many years.However I do differentiate between a real automatic transmission and a belt drive which I will not own.I do not intentionally abuse my quad but it does get worked hard when I need to retrieve a moose or elk from a distant swamp or from the timber.