Do not use what youtubers buy as a guide for what you should buy. They buy what it is that gets clicks/views since that is their source of income. When the Defender came out in 2020, it hit the youtube channels like a freight train. Now that the new land cruiser and GX are out, thats what are getting views.

In particular Doug Demuro had nothing but good things to say about his Defender - that he drove across the country something like 6 times and the only issue he had was a sunroof switch getting stuck. His traded his in to get that absurd G-wagen cabriolet. Doug has also been very, very critical of his 200 series Land Cruiser experience - calling its vaunted reliability a lie. Anecdotally, I can confirm that those 200 series Land Cruisers have issues that have to be addressed.
TFL now right now has a Defender 90 that they're benchmarking against a cheep jeep and bronco.

 

According to the good folks at the LR Experience center at the Biltmore Estate, the increased departure angle hasn't really been an issue. Last time I was there, the instructors told me that they were genuinely concerned that the departure angle was going to seriously hinder the 130's off-road capability. But after they got one, they said that there isn't as bad as they originally thought. The 130 can go through all of their trails, but on some of the extreme ones, you will have to take a slightly different line. I have a friend who had a highly-modified 110 that unfortunately was totaled, and he replaced it with a 130 Outbound. Granted, he has modified the 130 as well, but he also said he hasn't had any issues with the departure angle.

The 130 has an approach/breakover/departure angles of: 37.5°/27.9°/28.8° in off-road height.

This is compared to a GX Overtrail, which is rated at: 26°/24°/22° respectively.

And compare that to a 110, which is: 37.5°/27.9°/40° in off-road height.

And just for fun, let's add in an old LR4, which in off-road height was rated at: 36.2°/27.3°/29.6°

 

There aren't many clicks to be had from vehicles you keep, and you really shouldn't be paying much attention to YouTubers.

 

My first instinct was also to think they were doing it for the views. However, after spending a few months watching each of their videos and understanding their analysis of cars and 4x4 technology, I realized the depth of their value judgments. It's definitely not just about the views.

Please note, especially with the first four YouTubers, they are true automotive experts, not amateurs like TFLoffroad.

 

Respectfully, YouTubers like any content creators are ALL about the views. Otherwise there's literally no point being a "YouTuber".

 

"It's definitely not just about the views." I differentiate YouTubers in the same way I differentiate companies: those that are just for making money versus those that create value to make money.

Anyway, to be specific, which of the mentioned YouTubers do you think prefer Toyota over the Defender just to generate more views, and how do you think they were able to achieve it?

 

Thanks for sharing. I happened to have seen all the videos you talked about.

Doug DeMuro switched his daily car from the Defender to the Sequoia. Two main reasons for selling the Defender are: 1) Lack of driver-assist technology, and 2) The difficulty in obtaining replacement parts and limited availability, which made him question the practicality of keeping the car. He chose the Sequoia because it meets all his needs that the Defender provided, plus it has more advanced driver-assistance features for long-distance driving and good resale value. He didn't mention that Toyota is worse than Land Rover in terms of reliability, despite being critical of his 200 series Land Cruiser experience, and nothing stops him from buying another Toyota.

TFL did say they chose a Defender 90 with a lower output engine and no air suspension, considering reliability and resale value.

Again, nothing irrational, just for clicks and views.

 

There were quite a few vehicles between Doug's Defender and Sequoia even though he used them in the same way. I believe he had a Kia Stinger in there somewhere along the line - and the aforementioned G-Wagon Cabriolet. I do remember his driver assist complaints and the issue with the wait on getting his door panel replaced. Doug is a weirdo that wears two tshirts at a time for goodness sake.
It seems to me that you're manufacturing reasons not to buy the Defender. If so, then you've already made up your mind and there's little convincing to be done.

There is no such difference. They all buy cars to put on youtube at the end of the day. The only difference is what they do with them. It doesn't matter if they're doing it for "value" - if the car isn't getting views anymore - its gone.
And for what its worth - and I'm not trying to pull a "don't you know who I am" thing here - but knowing Tommy from TFL, he's probably one of the most talented offroad drivers I've met. Definitely not an amateur.

Best of luck with your decision.

 

this is so unarguably and blindingly obvious that to argue against it is essentially trolling.

 

I got $55k for my $83k 2023.5 D90 loaded with only 8700 miles on it 11 months later. Thats why I am driving a 911 and G Wagon now. Loved the Defender but can't take a beating like that.