Thread: Disco vs. Defender?

Originally Posted by mools

I never quite understood the whole D3 / D4 concept. Once the range rover sport came out it seemed redundant, poor mans range rover.

Quite simple really. When you need more load space or 7 seats you get a disco.

This debate is quite interesting for me. The wife would let me buy a defender for a work wagon complete with all the noise. But she hates the look of the disco 3/4.

There are no new discos where we live but when a tourists rolls thru town the wife is always the first to point and say "ugly disco!" which they totally are!
In our town there are no traffic lights but plenty of drink drivers - am I safer in such a town or less safe?

It really is a silly discussion - those that know know and those that want a commo or falcon on big wheels so they can cruise around the city in comfort buy a discovery

Imagine how good a discovery would be if it wasnt so fat???

S

Originally Posted by roverrescue

In our town there are no traffic lights but plenty of drink drivers - am I safer in such a town or less safe?

S

Remember 70% of crashes are sober drivers, yet they point the finger at drunks.

Jeff

Currently on the same boat...

Want a defender whereas the missus wants an RR or disco. She's a bit of the fashion and glamour type so I'm not so sure how much she would like the defender. Maybe the puma but thats probably way out of my budget now. lol

Originally Posted by Michael2

Beat me to it - the Defender is one of the most survivable cars to be in. The weak point is side impact, so I'd recommend rock sliders or steel steps. In real world situations when high cars are struck on the side by a low car, they tend to tip over. This is a good thing, it's pretty much a non lethal maneuvre that absorbs heaps of energy to effect. It also places a chassis & drive train between the occupant and the intruding vehicle.

So why does a D2 have a 3 star ANCAP and a Defender is yet to be tested? (Suggesting it wont even get 1 star). I know its been discussed before and people may disagree with me but safety is important for me because of my family. Particularly because my missus is a paramedic and again particularly because we have a 3 month old son. I contemplated getting back into a defender until she said "how much would you be willing to spend to get a safe vehicle for your son?"

Now if they independantly crash tested a defender and gave it a rating I'd be really surprised if it got greater than 1 star. So for me it'd be the D3/4 if I was updating. Low speed bingles aside, a D3/4 is way safer in any sort of crash than a Deefer and that would swing me towards the D3/4 regardless if the Deefer is slightly better off road.

But each to their own (preparing for the onslaught from deefer owners suggesting I'm a nong......)

Originally Posted by gusthedog

So why does a D2 have a 3 star ANCAP and a Defender is yet to be tested? (Suggesting it wont even get 1 star). I know its been discussed before and people may disagree with me but safety is important for me because of my family. Particularly because my missus is a paramedic and again particularly because we have a 3 month old son. I contemplated getting back into a defender until she said "how much would you be willing to spend to get a safe vehicle for your son?"

Now if they independantly crash tested a defender and gave it a rating I'd be really surprised if it got greater than 1 star. So for me it'd be the D3/4 if I was updating. Low speed bingles aside, a D3/4 is way safer in any sort of crash than a Deefer and that would swing me towards the D3/4 regardless if the Deefer is slightly better off road.

But each to their own (preparing for the onslaught from deefer owners suggesting I'm a nong......)

It all depends which tests you put the most faith in.
Standard lab tests which put vehicles into walls/spin into poles or real world test data which shows these vehicles (RRC, disco1, defender etc) to be very safe for their occupants.

What is your main risk?

Originally Posted by Dougal

It all depends which tests you put the most faith in.
Standard lab tests which put vehicles into walls/spin into poles or real world test data which shows these vehicles (RRC, disco1, defender etc) to be very safe for their occupants.

What is your main risk?

Other drivers. Particularly drunk ones. And wildlife.

Originally Posted by gusthedog

Other drivers. Particularly drunk ones. And wildlife.

So...for wildlife, wouldn't something with a hefty steel bull bar and a strong chassis be superior to something that'll crush by design? You'd be able to keep driving after the impact instead of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with a mangled plastic car.

You could buy a new Defender and a Safety Devices roll cage for a lot less than a new D4 too