... I have bottled it far earlier than the Land Rover when rock-crawling and deep water wading. Even after all these years I am still amazed at its capabilities, often leaping out of the cab shaking with nerves but beaming to my friends at what I had just survived. On the road, the longer wheel ... Read review
Advantages: Classless, environmentally friendly, excellent investment. Disadvantages: It leaks, build quality, dire heating and ventilation
...it far earlier than the Land Rover when rock-crawling and deep water wading. Even after all these years I am still amazed at its capabilities, often leaping out of the cab shaking with nerves but beaming to my friends at what I had just survived. On the road, the longer wheel base 110 gives a very stable, almost limo quality of ride for such an otherwise agricultural vehicle.
The 90 (short wheelbase) has a much more nervous ride and ... ...has better break-over and departure angles for off roading, and a slightly better turning circle, but these only really matter for about 2% of the time. Compare the interior space of the 90 to the 110, and it is a no-brainer to me which model to go for.
I use the vehicle both for work and pleasure and it has almost become my trademark. It has accompanied me through all weathers and all over Britain and Europe, carrying mountain bikes, ... more
I have had my Defender 110 (200 TDi) for eight years now and have driven 75,000 miles in it both on and off road. It was built in 1990, has 160,000 miles on the clock and is still going strong (it has never let me down, albeit with 6,000 mile service intervals). It will still cruise at 75mph on the motorway and return 32 mpg, whilst being able to tow three tonnes and carry another one tonne. Find me any other van or van based car that can claim this and be so durable.
When environmentalists moan about SUVs, they only look at one thing: the conspicuous consumption / status symbol that is inherrent with so many models. The reality is that most SUVs are at least as economical as equivalently priced cars, yet will cost much less to the environment to build (they're usually simpler to build with older technology), will last much longer and carry more people. The advantage with the Defender over these other SUVs is that the green brigade are rarely offended by them by virtue of the fact that so many of them are working vehicles, saving lives and maintaining our infastructure. They have none of the class bothering cachets of the others being just as comfortable in Sloane Square or the Yorkshire Dales.
One does not buy a Defender for build quality or refinement. Even the later TD5 models are loud and crudely built, with badly fitting panels, leaking door seals and an ergonomic disaster of a dashboard. Features are very basic too - central locking and electric windows were only available post 2003, and only standard on the top XS models. All models have had five speed gearboxes and only the one (2.5 litre diesel) engine option, since 1990.
But the above gripes are just side-effects of what makes the Defender so special. It is built on an enormous steel ladder chassis using construction techniques that pre-date the Second World War. It is this, coupled with the Range Rover based coil suspension and live axles that make it so good off road. Nothing can touch a Defender without being modified, and that goes for Jeep Wranglers and Suzuki SJs too. I have bottled it far earlier than the Land Rover when rock-crawling and deep water wading. Even after all these years I am still amazed at its capabilities, often leaping out of the cab shaking with nerves but beaming to my friends at what I had just survived. On the road, the longer wheel base 110 gives a very stable, almost limo quality of ride for such an otherwise agricultural vehicle.
The 90 (short wheelbase) has a much more nervous ride and is prone to wallowing due to its shorter wheelbase. It has better break-over and departure angles for off roading, and a slightly better turning circle, but these only really matter for about 2% of the time. Compare the interior space of the 90 to the 110, and it is a no-brainer to me which model to go for.
I use the vehicle both for work and pleasure and it has almost become my trademark. It has accompanied me through all weathers and all over Britain and Europe, carrying mountain bikes, snowboards, dozens of passengers (the most ever was twelve) and towing a speed boat. It is adored by my neighbours, many of whom want to buy it from me, and kids are always clamouring to be taken off road in it. When it is caked in mud, people grin madly and when parked in Kensington it turned more heads than the Ferrari next door.
My favourite single aspect of the Defender is the driving position. I recently used a Mercedes ML 270 for a fortnight whilst some accident repairs were made, and I was so happy (grinning from ear to ear) to be back behind the wheel of my Landie. The door glass comes down almost to knee level, yet starts beyond your nose, giving a wonderful sense of security, yet an excellent view down and over the bonnet. The closest I can imagine is being a Gold Rush pioneer in their wagon trail, sitting under the canvas and looking down over their horses. BTW, the insurance valuation was £6,000 - and I bought the Defender for £4,500 all those years ago.
There is a new model coming up in 2007. It has a new 4 cylinder diesel engine and six speed gearbox, which should greatly improve mechanical refinement. It offers a wonderful new interior too, with better seats, a completely new dash with dials taken from the current Discovery and a new heater and ventilation system so a lot of my niggles may have been taken care of soon. Ford (the current owners) seem to know just what to change and what not to, preferring to keep the timeless external styling unchanged.
Advantages: a great off-roader and general utility vehicle Disadvantages: not as easy to maintain as it should be
...drive a British car, but Land Rover parts are supposedly available from Siberia to Khatmandu. Even when calling the British dealers direct we often have to wait for ages to get parts and you can just forget about buying generic parts from motor-factor places for all but things like glow-plugs. Moreover, although they're decidedly easier to work on than, say, a Fiesta, many parts are positioned in such a way as to make them almost impossible to reach. ... ...costs considerably. Also as many land rover owners do maintain their own vehicles, make sure you get the thing checked out thoroughly before you buy. In particular if the electrics have been bodged they are a complete nightmare - two garages have refused to work on ours. Also remember that although most of the bodywork is aluminium, they still rust. Points to check are under the doors (really awkward to fix), the footwells and of course the chasis ...
madlucy 20.03.2002
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Land Rover Defender 110
Advantages: A tough vehicle, by far the best working 4x4 Disadvantages: suffers mechanical break downs
...drive the 110 12 seater Land Rover Defender TDI for work, and have driven the Defender 90 previous to this as well.
One question people have is which is the best 4x4 vehicle to get?
This all depends on what your use for it will be in order to find the best for your needs.
If for example your a farmer or landscape gardener, and it will be solely used for humping equipment around, sometimes over difficult terrain, this vehicle is the one you should ... ...I would go for the Land Rover Discovery, it has good high driving visibility, seats 6-8 with lots of boot space, not too bad on the fuel, but there are better 4x4's out there that will win hands down on the fuel ratio, any of the japanese built vehicles.
Getting back to the Defender, it is a basic vehicle inside, some are fitted with a radio, basic heating and cooling system, basic dash board nothing fancy, vinyl seat covers for ease of cleaning, ...
Tonyc7 08.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Land Rover Defender 110
Advantages: V8 power and speed (even for a land rover!), road presence Disadvantages: Can use a lot of fuel - but not as much as you'd think
Many people who are looking to buy a Lnad Rover shy away from the large V8 engined machines because of the running expenses, but with a bit of careful tuning and care, reasonable mileage can be got out of the large engined vehicles. My V8 110 has it's engine reconditioned 2 years ago and gets a 5000 mile oil change and i'm now getting 16m/gallon in town, which is not great i'd admit, but when it runs out on open stretches i can get up to 35m/gallon, ... ...brick on wheels.
The main compensation of the V8 engine is the power and speed. Off road the power and torque is very good, although i will admit that the Td5 on the newer models produces almost as much thrust. Apart from this, the engine can give a fair turn of speed to the car, and mine will strech it's legs out at 110mph on the motorway, to a certain amount of astonsihed looks and "did you see that?"s from motorists who i pass, although this ...
owain.davies 04.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Land Rover Defender 110
Advantages: Brilliant all round car, can be ran cheaply, best off-roader around Disadvantages: Used to be percieved as uncomfortable
The Landrover Defender 110 has always been seen as a farmer's car. However in recent years, it has taken off with all the new 4x4s. The Defender is the one and only 4x4. It is the original and the best. Problems with previous models have been fixed by Landrover. The image has been updated and it now has a sleeker look. It is now chic to drive a 4x4 even though most people never venture off-road. The Defender 110 can easily be converted to run on ... ...fault used to be the comfort, however now the Landrover Defender range has been updated and includes many new features and a much more comfortable ride. I have to admit to being a Landrover fan but this is a vast improvement from older models.
Another percieved problem with Landrovers is the price. I can assure you that buying a Landrover 100 will be an investment as the amount that it will de-value is minimal.
NB. The picture provided from ciao ...
christopherj84 26.09.2000 (03.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Land Rover Defender 110
Advantages: Excellent Off-roader, When Modded Looks Great Disadvantages: Guzzles fuel, Specially the v8
My Land Rover is a 4.8 v8 beast and does not hesitate to go off road, basically like all land rovers, but the best one out of the lot has to be the defender, theres no argument! yes it guzzles the fuel especially in the v8, but you are garenteed the best off road driving experience of your life. It can wade deep through water, battle its way through thick squishy mud and can climb steep hills. If you go for the station wagon model then you get the ... ...as standard. But the slight downer when it comes to defenders is the maintaining, they dont tend to last all that long without something breaking or going wrong and thats when they become expensive to run. A standard tyre can set you back £200 and if you are a keen off roader then the heavy duty tyres can set you back up to £450. Insurance wise the defender isn't to expensive to insure, i'm 17 and because of my age that means its going to be expensive, ...
Aibo-Hex 09.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Land Rover Defender 110
Road Handling
Fuel consumption
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Advantages: Excellent traction, driving good, bullet-proof, good residual values Disadvantages: Heavy in town, fuel consumption, minor niggles
say perhaps it excels on the rough stuff, although has not been pushed to its maximum limits. Having completed an off-road course in a LandRover110Defender I have an idea of what these may be, but someone else's vehicle is always useful in these situations!
The engine has been completely reliable and has had one or two oil top-ups since we got it. Having been provided with 2 free services, we have used one so far. It has had one recall inspection for a possible exhaust gas recycling problem which proved clear. Otherwise, mechanically there are no problems and in this respect it feels bullet-proof. Fuel consumption is not especially good in town at around 22mpg but it will average around 27-28 with 30 on a run - not bad for something resembling a small house on wheels.
As regards bodywork, we have had a windscreen chip from ...
Advantages: spacious, reliable, good handling, looks stunning, doesn't waste fuel and it's practicle. Disadvantages: difficult to fit in small parking spaces.
In my life i have sampled all aspects of the defender 90, due to going to landrover shows and off road events with my father and i can quite honestly say it is one of the best cars in the world for: families, farmers, men, women, people living in a remote area, off road lovers, spaciousness, long distance expeditions and i could go on and on for hours.
you may ask why buy this instead of a jeep, cherokee, toyota or any other 4x4, and the answer is landroverdefenders are made to last, there are still landrovers around from both world wars driving perfectly and legally.
The defender 90 has better handling than the defender110 but not as much space, the 90 is optimised to be quick and nimble but also tough, strong, reliable, practacle and as good off road as it is on road.
you may ask "but why not buy a range rover, it is more ...
Advantages: Great club benefits. Disadvantages: None
- 90" and 110" vehicles launched.
· 1990 - The 90" and 110" were re-branded and called the Defender.
~ ~ My interest in LandRovers ~ ~
We've had just about them all in one form or another in the family! We had a Series I we nicknamed Jimmy.
We then had a brief spell of having a Series II, but this was replaced with a very early Series III model, which we went on to use for a number of years. We then increased it to two Series III models in the household, and in 1991, we found out about a very early club being set up for owners of Series III LandRovers. We joined in 1992 and have been involved with the club on some level or another since then.
Since then our Vehicle may have changed from a Series III to a very early 90" truck cab, but so has the Club, allowing membership to now include the 90" and 110" versions ...
