New 110

[M00nd0ggy]

Hi all

Firstly great site!

I have been looking at purchasing a new 110 for a while now a got a call from a dealer today saying he has a white one in stock ready to go. Not the colour I was after but hey beats waiting 8 months for one.

My question is before taking the plunge.. I am looking for a good tow vehicle for a caravan and something that will give me the flexibility to go on THE big trip in a couple of years once I get some 4x4 experience. We have 3 young kids and I am concerned whether the comfort factor will be there for a long trip (3-6 months).

Anyone care to share any experiences that are/have been in a similar situation?

[JohnR]

Heh and welcome!

We have had ours for 9 months now and love it! We also have 3 kiddies (2 x 1year old, 1 x 4 year old) and do a lot of travelling. We find it very comfy no sore backs or anything when you hop out. If you have never diven a Defender before you might first of all think the driving position feels strange but a better word for it is different. Trust me you will easily get used to it and be very comfy.

As for towing they excel at this. We tow camper vans, trailers full of dirt and we tow race cars behind it as well. Going up the range we overtook a Nissan Patrol like it was standing still. We were both towing race cars and when we got to the circuit he came up to me and asked if we had a V8 in it, I said no just a little 4cyl 2.4l diesel, but it is British! :D

All I can say is, go for it you wont regret!

Cheers,

[M00nd0ggy]

Thanks John.

Have taken a few for a drive and yes the driving posi was a bit weird but reminded me of the old days when I had a kombi van!

Sounds like ticks in all the right boxes.:)

Is there anything you don't like about it?

[Aaron]

Where are you located? Im sure someone has a Defender they can let you see what they are like before you take the plunge. If in brisbane, you can come and play in mine if you like. (though a TD5, not the same model you looking at)

I have a dark blue one, and I whish I had a white one now. I to didnt like the idea of white because they dont "look cool" but its when you take it off the road that everything clicks and you relise "I wish I had a white one". White means you dont see scratches, which is cool :P

Rear passenger room is pretty small, but for young kids, wouldn't be a problem. If a Deffender doesn't suit, The discovery is always a close option.

[M00nd0ggy]

Thanks for the offer Aaron and yes I am from Brisbane.

I have tried one out a couple of times and loved it, just a bit concerned for the rest of the family.

Haven't had a go in terms of towing as my van needs electronic brakes fitted.

I didn't want to go for White because "everyone" has one but you make a good point. At least it will be cool in summer too.

At the moment the only extras I have requested is a genuine LR tow bar wired for a 12 pin plug and tinted windows.

Am I missing anything else as I won't be getting into serious 4x4 for a while?

[long stroke]

Welcome mate:)
You can come have a drive of the isuzu county:o

CHEERS TIM.

[Xavie]

What are the age of your children?

Would you be getting the 7 seater for future proofing?

Xav

[M00nd0ggy]

Hi Xav

Kids are 2,5 & 7 and yes it is 7 seats.

[Xavie]

I can't remember what the ages or sizes of kids are when they are still in those booster seat things but apart from having to get the bar installed so you can have the child seats in (if you need them) I suspect the children in it will find it hard to sit around that seat due to the narrower vehicle compared to a disco or the like.

Do keep in mind if your doing long travels that Defender seats are narrower then other vehicles so 3 kids in the back.... not sure. But I won't pretend to really know because I've never been in the situation.

Xav

[M00nd0ggy]

Thanks for the comments Xav. Something to consider.

[solmanic]

We have 3 young kids and I am concerned whether the comfort factor will be there for a long trip (3-6 months).

Anyone care to share any experiences that are/have been in a similar situation?

As long as the kids are not too tall the middle row seat should be plenty comfrotable enough (can't speak for the rear seats). It's only when you get up over 5' tall that the high seat position can be irritating with the roof line right about eye height. The raised seat is GREAT for smaller kids though. At just over 6' I don't find the middle seat uncomfortable just a pain to see out from. Make sure you check the middle row seat supports as there are a couple of us here that have the support brackets in the wrong position so they don't even support the seat. It seems that Land Rover Australia completely failed to pick this up even though the seats and seatbelts all have to pass ADR when they come into the country.

As for towing, the Defender is very low geared so is not quick off the mark anyway. With a caravan or trailer up to any resonable size you can sometimes forget it's even there.

[M00nd0ggy]

Thanks Solmanic

All sounds good :)

Do you know of anyone locally that installs anchor points for child restraints?

[long stroke]

About 6-7 years ago me my brother and my sister sat through a 15000km kimberly's trip 3 accross in the back of the county:o
We survived alright but the stretches of 12hours in the car got abit painful.
Really we were to exited to care;)
And i think the seats should be a bit softer now days in the current defender compared to the old county bench seats:eek:

CHEERS TIM.

[solmanic]

See this post from JohnR (also in Brisbane) regarding info on child restraints, cost and name of a fitter... (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/51762-baby-seat-defender.html#post693355)

[JohnR]

Where about's in Brisbane are you? We have tow bar with electronic brakes fitted so if you want to try towing your van I'd be more than happy to give you a spin. :)

You can PM me want.

Cheers,