Thread: Is this the DEFENDER Replacement ???

Originally Posted by goingbush

Ok Jake, can you help me out a bit.
I've had a look on the Jeep Australia website.

Despite all the perochialism the Jeep looks ok, ingore my Jeep ignorance (even tho I was in the Cross Country Jeep Club for a while) correct me if I'm wrong but a Rubicon is petrol only, ( I will only consider a diesel)
so the only option seems Diesel Wrangler Unlimited Sport with Renegade pack ($48,576). its cheaper than the Petrol Rubicon ($49,601), so my question is whats the Rubicon got that the Sport dosent, I can't find the info anywhere on the Jeep site.

I can see Landrover customers going there rather than buying Jap if the next defender has IFS.

jeez mate I'm not a Jeep boffin either!

Ummm as far as I know, the Rubi offers an electronic disconnect sway bar, electric lockers front and back, and lastly an ultra low t-case low-range gear. More info on the US site I reckon.
And yes, no CRD for the Rubicon. Maybe the 3.0 TDV6 later, but no announcements yet.

The Unlimited Diesel with the Renegade Pack might be exactly where you need to be.

Originally Posted by Drew90

It would help if the guy could drive

Absolutely. I think the Coors was confounding the few brain-cells in attendance.

The Zook picked the right line.

Originally Posted by goingbush

Ok Jake, can you help me out a bit.
I've had a look on the Jeep Australia website.

Despite all the perochialism the Jeep looks ok, ingore my Jeep ignorance (even tho I was in the Cross Country Jeep Club for a while) correct me if I'm wrong but a Rubicon is petrol only, ( I will only consider a diesel)
so the only option seems Diesel Wrangler Unlimited Sport with Renegade pack ($48,576). its cheaper than the Petrol Rubicon ($49,601), so my question is whats the Rubicon got that the Sport dosent, I can't find the info anywhere on the Jeep site.

I can see Landrover customers going there rather than buying Jap if the next defender has IFS.

In the drive way my missus has a 2011 rubicon.
Rubicon has much extra over the wranger and sport.
Bigger tyres and wheels.
Much lower low range gearing....78 to 1 in first.
Bigger, stronger Dana diff in front.
Factory sway bar disconnect, switch operated.
Front and rear electric diff locks.
It has other small improvements for real off road use.
It all works very well and gets 12litres per 100km loaded at 100 kph.
2012 has the newer penhouse motor fitted with slightly improved encomony and 25% increase in power..........it is not gustless with the older. 3.8 motor.
The motor in ours has proven to be able to ford creeks to the top edge of the bonnet for short periods without snorkel.
Do not buy the diesel with manual as the clutch is very poor lasting and expensive dual mass type.
Weakness are poor belly clearance with standard tyres and supension.
Very little room inside the vehicle.
Handling could be better .
When towing 1.5 tonnes and loaded vehicle as well the 3.8 motor will chew fuel and the standard fuel tank is nothing special in size.
It has been very , very reliable and the electronics is straight forward for a up to date vehicle......it does use a Canbus dashboard etc.
The vehicle has a very large range of USA lift/supension kits advailible.

PS with a bit of trouble it is still possible to drive around with the windscreen down, which is something you cannot do with a Landover any more.

I went on a trip around the back of the Thompson Dam with a Rubicon.

Very impressed with its capability although let down by fuel usage & capacity.

Where every one seemed to be lifting wheels the Rubicon had all four wheels on the ground.

This was the only vehicle that had to carry fuel.

On a couple of hard sections the only vehicles to get thru were the Rubicon & a highly modified fender.

Cheers

Chuck

There is also the 7 ltr Hemi Jeep. It sounds sweet. No idea if this is custom or something you can order but what a beast.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKTjLjQaWcc]7lt Hemi JK Jeep and Red 110 Defender Glass House Mountains Trip 31 Oct 2009 - YouTube[/ame]

Jeep drivers are like Defender owners. I have a soft spot for them because they are not driving a toyota or nissan.

Originally Posted by dullbird

Not all some of us embrace new things..

Nothing new about IFS!

However the lack of wheel travel and ground clearance during articulation, etc. are handicaps for the others.

Originally Posted by Bush65

Nothing new about IFS!

However the lack of wheel travel and ground clearance during articulation, etc. are handicaps for the others.

I know ifs isn't new but anything new done to a car that hasn't changed much over 60 years is.

If the new defender was placed on a disco chassis ( not saying it will be but it has been romoured before) then I really don't see what the handicap is other than you don't have the freedom to play with suspension.

The discovery is an extremely capable off roader it does lift wheels but it still gets there.

If I had the money I would ditch my defender in a heartbeat and have a D4

I don't personally see a great deal of difference between the lack of travel of IFS and people who are now choosing to retain there springs but that could just be my lack of understanding I appreciate you can change your rates in a retained set though

Originally Posted by dullbird

I know ifs isn't new but anything new done to a car that hasn't changed much over 60 years is.

If the new defender was placed on a disco chassis ( not saying it will be but it has been romoured before) then I really don't see what the handicap is other than you don't have the freedom to play with suspension.

The discovery is an extremely capable off roader it does lift wheels but it still gets there.

If I had the money I would ditch my defender in a heartbeat and have a D4

I don't personally see a great deal of difference between the lack of travel of IFS and people who are now choosing to retain there springs but that could just be my lack of understanding I appreciate you can change your rates in a retained set though

I still look at posts about Defender upgrades, but have stopped worrying about it. I remember seeing some time ago that a L.R. boss dismissed using the Disco platform because it wouldn't suit all of the variations.

Disco III and IV suit some people, but not others, just like IFS, IRS, and rigid axles F&R.

Unless the coils are excessively stiff or short, retained springs articulate very well - they force the front radius arm suspension to articulate more than it does with un-retained or dislocating springs. They provide better balanced (front to rear) articulation and greater stability. With longer travel shocks, retained springs can extend beyond their free height (go into tension).

IMHO well set-up retained springs on rigid axles will well and truly articulate more than disco III or IV and be more stable/safer on difficult obstacles.

The allowable operating angles of cv's at each end of the short half shafts of independent suspension limit their practical articulation.

No doubt there are pro's and con's of the different types, which suits people best depends on their needs, and that is why I responded to your post, which seemed to me to me to be putting down others who were simply stating their preference.