thinking of changing the disco for a defender

[Pacemaker]

Hi there,

Ive owned two disco 2 td5's. Im a huge fan of the look of the defenders and the extra room in the rear cargo area.
Im looking for either a 110 or 130 between 1996 and 2002. I understand up to 98 is tdi 300 and after is td5 which im very familiar with.
I do have a few questions though.

1, does the a/c actually work. I have read a few comments that its a waste of time in defenders.

2, how bad is the turning circle really. I owned a d40 navara and the circle on that car was crap.

3, does the td5 in a defender have the same vibration issues at 2200 rpm that the auto disco has.

4, do any versions in these years have cruise control or srs airbags

5, how comfortable are they to drive long distances.

I drive approx 1200 kms a week. 90% highway but sometimes its in peak hour stop start traffic. Is there a huge difference in comfort from a disco2 to a defender? As you can probably tell ive never driven one.
any info will be muchly appreciated.

Regards,
Michael.

[Tombie]

1. kinda! Your knees will be freezing, your chest cool, but in the back your passengers will be dying of dehydration...

2. Ever seen a Cape Vessel turning in the ocean? Well that's about right. And a 130 almost does the lap of Australia just to turn around :)

3. Yes, but less noticeable especially when the vehicle Is moving; then everything is vibrating - including your eardrums...

4. You can retro cruise into defenders with NNN ECUs...

And you owe me a keyboard for spitting coffee all over it when I read the SRS bit!

5. Surprisingly good actually...
I'm somewhere between the build of a Sumo Wrestler and a Small Rhino and I found it fine.


Compared to the D2....

We live on the edge of desert, offroad often and sold the Defender to get a D2 (and a D4) because they (defenders) just aren't the nicest for long highway runs...
(Their natural habitat is offroad)

[Trundle]

As bad as everyone talks up the turning circle in a 130, I actually think my Navara is as bad, if not worse. If you want a real test put the Navara in 4 high and do a u-turn on asphalt, it's about the same distance, but smoother in the 130 as far as I'm concerned.
Long distance driving, for me I can drive long distances in either, the telling factor is the next day, and I'm always sore after a big day in the Navara, but when I talk distance, I'm talking doing your weekly in one sitting.
Aircon, can't talk on, as mine is broken, but I can always rely on the trusty 2WD.
Airbags, unless your talking suspension, your **** out of luck.
And as for TD5, the most advanced I've got to is a 300Tdi, so can't help you there.
As always, the best piece of advice is going to be get in one and drive one. My first car was a series II and I was hooked from then, but if you've never driven one get in it, do some K's and see how you feel the next day.
Good luck

[inside]

Your questions seem normal for what isn't a normal vehicle. Is a Ferrari any good at reverse parking? Well kinda but that's not why you buy one.

I haven't driven my Defender for a few weeks, today I took it to work. Two minutes down the road I felt somewhat sad, it wasn't taking me on an adventure somewhere, it wasn't some new experience I was going on and there certainly wasn't a camp fire at the end of my trip. It got where I needed to go though so I guess that was OK.

When I got home the wife mentioned she heard it start this morning and how it was a shame we weren't going anywhere soon. She said when the Defender starts "It sounds like adventure". We soon started reminiscing about our various trips, good times our son has had and how we need to get things sorted for our next trip.

So getting back to my Ferrari analogy at the beginning it reminds of a quote I read once in a motoring magazine many years ago. "Yes the Porsche 911 out accelerates the Ferrari 355 in third gear, but it's just not important". It's how I feel about the Defender, many vehicles do many things better but to me it's just not important.

Saying that though I have an old Defender. I could never live with it full time, for those duties my Freelander 2 is simply brilliant. My Defender is great but it sucks in the city, in the bush though it just works and very very well.

[Michael2]

1, does the a/c actually work. I have read a few comments that its a waste of time in defenders.

It works well, most of my (front seat) passengers ask that I turn it off or down. It blows air at 4.C on 1/3 throttle. But the fan lacks the power to push that air through the volume of the vehicle.

2, how bad is the turning circle really. I owned a d40 navara and the circle on that car was crap.

Compared to the Range Rover Classic I had, the turning circle is worse. (The wheel base is 10" longer). Compared to the ACE equipped D2a I have, the turning circle is about on a par with that, only slightly worse. Remember, power steering makes it easy to 3 point, plus you can go over stuff with ease.

3, does the td5 in a defender have the same vibration issues at 2200 rpm that the auto disco has.

I haven't noticed a vibration in my TD5 D2a

4, do any versions in these years have cruise control or srs airbags

No air bags. Cruise can be fitted. I have the 'old school' type cruise on my 300Tdi, but ECU plug in cruises are available (as already noted).

5, how comfortable are they to drive long distances.

I like the D2 for runs to the shop, but I prefer the Defender for all day driving. The upright sitting position ensures that you don't get a lower back strain, and while not plush, it is very ergonomically supportive. I can drive 12 hour days for two weeks non stop in the Defender over highway / corrugations / sand dunes / off road without ever getting out and feeling sore or uncomfortable.

Plus, the defender puts a smile on your face,

[MLD]

What Tombie said save for the wrestler physique bit.

As for day to day driving, I find both the TD5 110 and the Puma 130 very comfortable on roads that don't require stopping and starting. On my cape trip I drove 7,700 kms over 4 weeks each day in the saddle and there was no complaint from the back, legs, bum, neck or shoulders. In traffic it's a PITA. First, second off the gas. first, second off the gas. Most annoying is the line jumpers that think the gap you created in the traffic is conveniently for them.

I found lifting/raising the cubby box to a nice elbow resting height to be one of the best comfort mods you can do. I didn't appreciate the difference it made until I bought the puma which is standard height. That 40 odd mm makes a huge difference when you lean to your left.

Steve223 you have experience on transitioning from discos to a defender.

Ps you don't want SRS in a defender. There are enough things to strand you in the middle of nowhere than to add SRS to the mix. A steel bulbar is my SRS.

MLD

[Summiitt]

If you can stretch your budget, go for a puma, the 6 speed box is a great match to the engine and you will find it a much better all round drive.. I own both and would never go back to the td5.

[Dorian]

Micheal
I've gone from a 99 D2 to a Puma 110 about 16 months ago.
1. In the puma A/C is OK, a lot better if you put a dividing wall behind the back seat.
2. My turning circle is worse by at least 1/2 a meter, perhaps more. Once the warranty is up i'll be looking to adjust those stops on the steering.
3. My D2 was a manual.
4. Even the new one's don't have cruise, I've fitted an after market. You can get one for the TD5 easily, I think this will cost around $750 to get fitted, less if you DIY.
5. I do a fair bit of distance for work. Have done about 3K over the last week and a half. The driving position is better in the deefer and I recon the stock seats are a mile better, overall much better than the D2 and I recover quicker from the Deefer than the D2.
5a. The big difference I find, is the noise, My D2 was much much quieter than the Deefer. However its no problem if you don't have to talk to anyone for about 1/2 an hour at the other end.
Having said that, I find the deefer a better vehicle, mine has so far been much more reliable, it goes places more easily and the load carrying capacity and space is just awesome.

I would back the suggestion, that if you stretch the budget at a 2.2 puma. The torque range on the engine is just so much better than my Td5 D2.

Cheers Glen.

[Pacemaker]

Wow thanks for the quick responses guys.
As for the srs im not too worried. The missus asked the question and i wasnt 100% sure.
Unfortunately stretching the budget to a puma wont happen. Im currently trying to renovate my house.
The disco gets used as a 4x4 fortnightly. Its got 4 inch lift and front and rear tru tracs. I run 33 inch muds full time and they howl. Im not too worried about the noise factor. Im more worried about the 3 hrs a day I spend driving to work and back. A/c and drive ability are 2 main things I need.
Regardless every time I see a defender pass me I get jealous.

One other question does a chipped td5 leave a tdi with a pump tweak and exhaust for dead?

Thanks again.
Michael.

[DiscoMick]

I have a Tdi and everything leaves it for dead! Not a problem though.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

[mike_beecham]

Howdy,
A properly tuned TD5 Defender will smash any TDi. No question.
Look at TD5Alive and TD5Inside. There quite a few options in tuning the Defender. Lots on the forum about tunes.

The TD5 engine is very easy to safely get additional power from.

I run a TD5Inside tune and straight through 2.5" exhaust. Makes it far more pleasant to drive.

Cheers,
Michael

[MLD]

One other question does a chipped td5 leave a tdi with a pump tweak and exhaust for dead?

Thanks again.
Michael.

Short answer - Yes.

The tuning a fuel map is more flexible than tweaking a pump. If you chip a TD5 budget for an exhaust and intercooler. A chipped TD5 gets hot.

MLD

[Pacemaker]

I currently run a td5 inside map in my disco now. Would I be right assuming the disco and defender td5 would make the same power re mapped?

thanks.
Michael.

[td5inside]

I currently run a td5 inside map in my disco now. Would I be right assuming the disco and defender td5 would make the same power re mapped?

thanks.
Michael.

Same power yes, just diferent ways of feeling it, because disco transfer box its longer and disco is 400 kg heavier than the defender :)

Love them both :)