Friday, Jan 14, 2005 at 20:35
Hi All,
Having owned Defenders since I passed my
test after all they are the dominant 4x4 over here in the UK. Although I drive a Nissan patrol I still own a 110 County (2.5TD engine pre Tdi, one to avoid thats the TD not the Tdi). The offroad club I belong to if full of Defenders and Discoverys. Here is my opinion on the two engines.
A 300 Tdi is basically a very sound engine and given the proper maintenance will be as reliable as most other engines. But the key point is you can do the maintenance yourself. It has plenty off low down torque and the lack of power is not really an issue unless you are in a major hurry. If it becomes a major problem there are tons of place in the UK who sell tuning parts, best to get a larger intercooler that seems to work a treat. But for offroad use it is great. But take care of the timing belt.
The TD5 a modern engine and to be 100% honest more suited to the discovery than the Defender. The lack of low down torque is a major problem in offroad conditions. You have to drive one to see what I mean, until you get used to the low down torque issue and the fly by wire throttle get used to stalling it. I also find when I drive one I tend to drive slightly faster offroad and use momentum to help with the low torque problem. But on saying that you can buy better ECU units which help the problem. The Timing chain is a welcome return. As far as reliability goes the engine seems bombproof (Unlike the TD4) but I would advise against getting ETC etc as the low box is fine and less to go wrong.
Afterall, do not know how much truth is in this story but supposedly 60% of the
population of Africa the Defender was the first vehicle they ever seen back in the 50s. It was the defender that explored the world long before the Nissans and Toyotas, so it cannot be all that bad.
Yes it does have build quality issues and some of them shocking but the whole point about the Defender is its easy to fix. I can take a wing off in less than half an hour, everything is so easy to access. But put in a TD5 and you lose that fix me with a knife and
fork ability so I feel the Tdi is the best engine suited to the Defender spirit. Ask yourself how many 40 year old Nissans and Toyotas do you see running about. Go to any Village in Africa and you will see 40 Year old Landrovers being used every day. Yes they have build problems buy they will last forever if you look after it. But there is no denying today Toyota has almost taken over as far as the chosen transport for Africa and Nissan is making good inroads as
well. The defender has lost the plot recently especially since Ford took over. They have released ridiculous special editions aimed at the poser crowd and the japs have capitalised on the poor quality reputation.
The defender is great as a no nonsense working utility vehicle, probably the best in the world that’s why it's still used by almost every major aid organisation and almost every military. Every time you see a disaster on TV you are guaranteed you will see a Defender as the vehicle of choice.
So after all this praise why did I choose a Patrol over the Defender. It was a hard choice but it all came down to the use I needed it for. You should ask yourself the following.
Comfort: The Nissan won hands down here, the Defender is OK but the Patrol was fantastic.
Air con: We needed air con as we tour about Europe a lot and the Defenders air con is a joke. In most cars the only sign of air con is a button, not in the defender a great big lump sits in the passenger foot
well, what that all about.
Long distance driving: Hand on heart if I was driving down to south of France I would jump in the Patrol first.
Trip to north Africa: I would use the Defender due to its rugged simplicity, but that’s the old Diesel not the TD5 if it was a TD5 defender I would take the patrol due to its comfort.
A day out with the family, again the patrol wins.
A car to last 20 years: Hands down to the Defender.
Offroad use: With some small mods again the Defender would win hands down.
The biggest deciding factor for me was Nissan offered great discounts and the Defender was way overpriced. I also would not take a brand new car into the off road courses we use. So I decided not to trade in my old 110 as it was worth nothing anyway but just keep it and get the best of both worlds.
I am sure you get what I mean the Defender is better at certain things but just make sure you really need to do them.
You dream of going to far distant lands, exploring deep into Africa the first thing that springs to mind is the silhouette of the Defender the car that explored the world. There is one thing the japs will never get as is not done by clever advertising execs its done by 50 years of exploration and thats develop a car with character. The Defender may have lost the plot but its shape is the definitive representation of a proper 4X4 world over.
Ford better tread carefully with the new Defender, due 2007.
AnswerID:
93127
Follow Up By: Alex H - Friday, Jan 14, 2005 at 22:08
Friday, Jan 14, 2005 at 22:08
One for the rumour mill (or rather several) regarding the new Defender:
steel not alloy bodywork
all independent
suspension
semi-monocoque construction (no separate chassis) a la Disco III
I guess it will sell more F-trucks.
personally I'll stick with the old Defender.
Cheers,
Alex.
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352127