OK so now I need a new 4x4

[milanbenes]

Everybody agrees Defenders are great, Top Gear's coolest car,
but...


they are not reliable

they are noisy at speed

interiors are crap

etc

Milan.

[Churchill]

Everybody agrees Defenders are great, Top Gear's coolest car,
but...


they are not reliable

they are noisy at speed

interiors are crap

etc

Milan.

Milan, just how fast would you want to go in a Defender?

Remember my young friend, "Horses for courses".

[expat]

Another anti 4x4 point:
Chance of a pedestrian surviving an impact with a 4x4 compared to a saloon car is significantly lower.

So, if you must buy one, don't drive like a c&nt.

Having been almost mangled (in my car) by the same mom & Land Cruiser twice yesterday in the same car park, I'd second that.

[expat]

b. I go shooting at the weekends and often this is off road, and requires a 4x4.

My brother (who has one) explains the basic rule of 4x4: use the 4-wheel drive only to get out of trouble, not to get into it.

Expressed as a Murphy's Law: The better your 4x4, the farther out you get stuck.

[milanbenes]

Churchill,

you are right except whatever vehicle I am in I want to be able to do a ton on the motorway. The new defender with the transit diesel and 6 speed box will do it but is apparently very noisy

still ford putting the reliable transit diesel into the defender is a step in the right direction, but for feck's sake it's only 120hp

when are ford/landrover gonna wake up and stick a 200hp diesel into the defender ? the bonnet space is huge, plenty of room for something with more grunt

In the Benes future virtual garage there sits an old Series II or III swb rag top landrover (diesel of course, but probably a diesel conversion, isuzu, toyota or even the chevy 6.2 diesel) used for occasional weekend green laning trips

Milan.

[DodgyAgent]

why not look at a Mitsubishi Shogun? a bit crude, but reliable and the lwbs have 7 seats. I happen to have one at the back of the lot

[Churchill]

Churchill,

you are right except whatever vehicle I am in I want to be able to do a ton on the motorway. The new defender with the transit diesel and 6 speed box will do it but is apparently very noisy

still ford putting the reliable transit diesel into the defender is a step in the right direction, but for feck's sake it's only 120hp

when are ford/landrover gonna wake up and stick a 200hp diesel into the defender ? the bonnet space is huge, plenty of room for something with more grunt

In the Benes future virtual garage there sits an old Series II or III swb rag top landrover (diesel of course, but probably a diesel conversion, isuzu, toyota or even the chevy 6.2 diesel) used for occasional weekend green laning trips

Milan.

Hmm, 100mph in a Landrover?
Range Rover, yes. Land Rover, nope.

[monkeyboy]

Because your typical defender buyer is not interested in hp its pulling power that matters. The defender is a work horse . Even with the v8 its pulling power not HP that matters. I have a disco basically because I regularly tow heavy loads.

Don't knowingly use the 4 wheel drive often but the 3 and half ton pulling power is essential. This is much higher than most other 4x4. The key with the perm 4x4 is you don't even know whether its needed or not the only time it becomes appaent is when the traction control kicks in.


Best towing vehicle out there short of the big 4 liter diesel LAnd cruiser but they drink fuel like a v8 disco and I don't think they were evr officially imported

I have owned a number of 4x4 and my current disco is the best one yet for on road off road ability with comfort.

The new disco3 is even better, but will keep the current one for a few more years yet.

[milanbenes]

monkey,

a 200hp diesel will have a lot more torque / pulling power than the 120 hp transit diesel they are now putting in it

landrover diesels have always been under powered

everyone else, toyota, mitsubishi, nissan, isuzu, are putting 3 litre diesels in and landrover puts these p1ssy little motors in

I think it is typical of the arrogance of the british motoring industry, not giving the customers what they want and need

Milan.

[milanbenes]

in fairness, at last they are putting big diesels into the range rover, but how long has it taken to respond to the wishes of the market and the actions of their competitors

anyone remember the first diesel they put in the range rover in the early 90's that VM crap from italy, 2.4litre

then they went to the 2.5tdi with direct injection that sounded like a taxi or tractor, 1993, 28k gbp for a range rover 2.5tdi and it sounded like a taxi and had no grunt when compared to the patrols, landcruisers, shoguns, troopers etc !

Milan.