isnt that a defender d90?

 

They did sell Defenders here in the US, limited sales because nobody bought any.
In bad shape they go for $10-15k, in great shape $30k+.

And they were only sold here for a couple of years, '95-'97 if I remember right.

Here is one with the 200tdi.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Land-...item3ca7337500

Here is your typical Defender that was sold here in the US.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Land-...item3a548973bd

Now keep in mind that the Defender and the DI are the same truck.

 

Actually Spike, I think the DI shares more in common with the Range Rover Classic than the Defender. The Defenders either had a 90" or 110" wheel base, hence D90 or D110. That's why a lot of parts are interchangeable between a DI and a RRC.

 

I don't get why Defenders did not do so well in the states if essentially they are same truck? is it because they lack the creature comforts of the D1? Ill take the Defenders anytime against the cruisers and hummers.

 

the truck bone stock from the factory is almost perfect. the only thing i would have asked for was a better braking electrical system.

but as a base it is perfect as is.

 

Nope, a D90 is a different beast that was offered in that configuration. After I made the post about the utility version of the Disco I searched and found they actually made that, but that was before they hit the US shores.

UP, you suck. LOL

The Mercedes diesel would a great engine for the Discovery. Forget about the Cummins 5.9. If the 1100 pound dry weight isn't enough to rule it out the fact that the engine physically won't fit in the engine bay will. If you look at the Dodge trucks you'll notice how long the hood is and it's that way for a reason. In addition to the long hood the engine is still up under the dash. The Cummins from fan to flywheel is nearly 6 feet long.

 

hahaha

 

I drive a diesel every day (Jetta). I would submit diesels are a double-edged sword for everyday use compared to gas engines. Some good, some not-so-good.

I think a major reason they didn't have success selling the Defenders in the US was lack of an established distribution network, little money to promote (L/R was in financial straights back then). Why they stopped selling 97 might have had to do with the new slew of safety regulations that took hold at that time (1997-1998). Automakers knew well in advance of the new rules and many retrofitted existing models, but in many cases they produced new platforms to coincide with the new rules because either the existing platforms at the time couldn't be retrofitted cost-effectively, or at all, in order to meet the new regulations. Cash-strapped companies like Land Rover (at the time) had to pick and choose carefully where to spend their dollars for model changes. They probably factored that they would sell more Discos than Defenders and went that route.

Mark G

 

I drive a diesel every day also and I would argue that the positives of a diesel far out weight the negatives. The largest negative I see is increased maintenance costs over a gas engine but the extended time between maintenance and increased fuel mileage offset that nicely.

 

Actually the Defender, RRC and the DI are the same truck, the only difference is the wheelbase.
You can make 3 different frames and use the same driveline and axles, its cheap and easy to do.

Defenders did not sell well here because people did not want a bare bones SUV.
Americans use pick up trucks as workhorses.
When the Defender sis not sell well here they did not put the money into it to meet US crash test standards.
Hell, they did not even offer airbags in them until just a couple of years ago.

You can take the rims/axles/t-case/engine...anything that bolts onto the chassis off of a Defender and put it onto a DI or RRC.
The only things that you could not use would be the driveshafts, different wheelbase means different length driveshafts.

This is Rovers timeline...Series, RRC, Defender, DI, DII, LR3, LR4.
Each one is a improvement on the previous model.