passed 3000km in my defender, damn i love it. I drove in everything, from M3, 645Ci to Cayenne and this car i should have got as a kid and would have it until now.

even though people and and at me, but i am <3

thats all

some stats:
- i make 10,3 l/100km 60% city, 30% between cities, 10% highway.
- i can drive with open window 100km/h because the car dont blows all air inside like in Audi
- it is faster than i thought, everybody scares how slow it accelerates, but the car is pretty fine, never brake even on german highway, 130 is pretty comfortable, would be even more with another tires
- i had few squeaks here and there, but they are gone (my car stood for some time without move before i got it). how do they manage that rear doors working with 100kg tire on it is a mystery!
- damn this TC works well!
- i can climb over 45° grass hill from standing in front of it with first gear no reduction, just go, and it is up. how i dont know, when it was wet i couldnt go there even by foot.
- it is higher then all 4x4, respect! but i dont fit to many underground parkings
- city drive is comfortable, traffic queues with that short 1st gear are like automatic. you can go on 4th gear from 30km/h without any jumping or weird problems. even in hilly city.
- tough clutch gets in your feet in a week and feels normal ever since
- it is not wide, where you fit with your width, you can comfortably leave because car is wider then cabin.

if you are dreaming about defender, just go, you will most probably love it as i do!

 

another 3600km done!

note 1: Defender on 255mm S/T's at 40PSI can tow Hilux out of deep sand where he got stuck with almost flat 235mm desert eagles. While being in a deep sand it self. On first gear, no reduction or diff lock.

note 2: Had to fasten screws on passenger door's lock, because they were rattling. i suspect previous owner on this because there are missing washers which are under other door locks. Just to tight it up was enough.

note 3: my tires at 40PSI are more silent and economic on highway and still no difference in medium off road. bought a compressor (in case) and set of tools.

note 4: it costs over 500Eur to get windows shaded with folie on that huge car here. Uff...

note 5: on speed radar in regular position, flash reflects from windscreen back to camera so i or license plate was not visible on photo, even on camera with pol filter. (got ticket anyway because they were standing there)

note 6: the fact that windows are almost 90° towards ground, car almost dont heat it self up in warm summer. It can stand on direct sunlight for hours without heating up too much like any other car i had (mine is yet silver).

note 7: got Defender illness (driving with open window, one arm out), not that i need it (tiny girl) but it is fun - why? The fact that defender is not aerodynamic makes much less air going inside the car through window. you can go 130 km/h with open window and not getting headache!

note 8: my towing equipment is hitting ground often when going uphills. On grass it wont matter, but when leaving road straight i hit it often. Need to remove it or rise it up a bit. Defender is much better offroader (but worse for parking :-) ) without that!

note 9: need to correct my consumption report to 11,2l/100km 60/40 mixed city/off city with occassional off road, forgot that i filled over 70l of diesel in tank and that my tires are smaller therefor km reports are higher then reality.

note 10: on 90degrees parking lots, doors of other cars, including many SUVs open directly to your steps on a side. No more scratches from fat mommys leaving their crappy car and beating other's cars with the doors!

 

Thanks for the information on the Defender...some really useful stuff there !

I hope to get myself a new Defender soon...the wait is painful...

Regards,

Tony,
Australia.

 

wait will be rewarded, keep on!
best car i had. i so love to drive again. even commuting is fun.
love the looks of people at tiny chick in her schoolbus!

 

note 11: i believe many car magazine editors are not real men when complaining about brakes of Defender. TD4 can block on asphalt all 4 tires (255) without even trying too hard. It brakes well and i am chick. Brake pedal is hard, same as clutch and gas, but you will get used to it in few days and it makes nice trained legs :-).

note 12: it is not publicized as much, but TD4 have also antistall engine as TD5 had, what means that you can drive on low rpm (1000) without watching gas even in offroad. You have to actually really slam on breaks to make it stall, even at 4H. At first gear you can just release clutch without touching the gas and it have no problems even uphill or in sand. Cruising on 1000rpm at second gear (in queues, city, offroad) is perfectly possible too.

note 13: antistall doesnt break capability to climb down at low speed! Saw some video of guy complaining that it ruins downhill climbing but he doesnt use reduction and TD4 have even shorter first gear than all previous landys. Lowest speed of defender is much slower than slow walking - from most downhills you will actually press gas a bit to go faster.

note 14: D110 is much more practical than D90 because D90 have front and rear seats of 110, not middle seats row, but... If you dont plan to transport much, if you dont need more then 4 person, D90 is overall better. It drives better, is much lighter, in offroad is slightly better and you have feeling that you just walking through terrain. D110 feels more like pure power muscle 4x4 car, eating rough terrain, moving big stones, replacing tons of ground while driving, while D90 more like gazelle :-), lightly between obstacles, climbs ANYWHERE, jumps from one stone to another.

note 15: Defender is wide car, but by far not so wide like some weird SUVs. In terrain it is actually good that car is not too wide, you can do more. Hummer would not pass half of the offroad trails here because he would not fit between trees, stones, walls but even parking places, garages. Defender is wide just enough to be comfortable for 3 adult real men on middle seat row.

note 16: turning radius of D110 is actually not so bad as often said. Even in monaco or Vatican it with some care (not use tightest possible turn but optimize) you have to turn twice only where you would with other car as well (either because of must or because of worse visibility).

note 17: on visibility: this is best car on the world. You not only see all corners, but you feel them, overview is awesome and (it sounds weird, but is really truth) it is actually only car where i dont miss the parking assistant, and i was "grown" used to have one and i live in big city!