I currently own a 1999 Freelander and I want to move up to either a Discovery 1 or a Defender so I can go off-roading. I will be buying one with manual transmission and a diesel engine whichever I choose.
I would really love to get a Defender 90 however I live in New Zealand and they are extremely hard to come by and therefore very expensive here, so if I get a Defender it will have to be a 110.
So my question is, which is more capable off-road, a Defender 110 or a Discovery 1?

 

Boy GTH out of HERE!!!

Defender!!!!! I dont care if it was as long as a school bus.

/END THREAD.

 

Underneath they are the same truck.
Same frame, axles, transfer case, engine...everything is the same.
So what it all boils down to is what comforts you want and the price you are willing to pay.
The Defender will be very basic and utilitarian, the Discovery will be more like a normal everyday car.

 

Most on here will say defender, they are even harder to come by in the states. The 110 was sold one (1!) year here('93), the 90's were sold for a few years, but still fetch outrageous amounts.

But, Defenders are more geared towards off-roading. They fit tire sizes stock Disco's need lift for. But I don't think you'd go wrong with either.

 

The only reason I am unsure abut the 110 off-road is simply the length of the wheelbase. People often say how long wheelbase vehicles are no good off-road, and I have never had the opportunity to try a 110 off-road to see for myself. Obviously Discovery's don't have particularly short wheelbases however am I right in saying that they are shorter than that of a 110 Defender?

 

@ kenk

I feel sorry for you kenk. I thought we had it bad in NZ. I recently saw a 1995 Defender 90 diesel for sale here with 289,000 kms on the clock (don't know what that is in miles but it's a lot) and someone had bid $17,000 NZ dollars for it. Even though it is NZ dollars, that is still a lot of money. To give you an idea how much that is, a diesel Discovery with the same kms on the clock would fetch about $2000-$4000 NZD.

 

Put it this way, The Defender and the Discovery 1 will get you to the same places; just the Discovery will get you there comfortably.

 

The "110" in the Defender 110 is the wheel base length in inches.
The "90" in a Defender 90 is the same thing, the wheel base in inches.
A Series I 88 is...88 inches.
A "109" is 109 inches.
Both versions of the Discovery, the Range Rover Classic and the P-38 Range Rover all have a 100 inch wheelbase.
Wheel base is the measurement from the center of the front hub to the center of the rear hub.

 

In terms of on-road usage, are Discovery's geared slightly higher than the Defender's?

 

They are geared the same because they are the same truck underneath.