Whether you pull the engine/tranny as a unit or pull them separately, you do need to remove your hood. Trying to do this without removing the hood will be darn near impossible and surely lead to some body/engine compartment damage.
You definitely can pull them out separately, but why? Also, unlike some other cars, you can't drop the tranny out from under neath without moving the engine forward. The center frame member that has the tranny mount is situated such that it does not allow moving the trans out rear ward.
