Thread: Touring decisions. Disco or Defender ???

Originally Posted by Aussie_Oz_Born

The fine details are still up in the air. But generally the route will be Longreach - Alice springs - Uluru - Coober Pedy - Marree - Birdsville.

If your Defender is a long-term keeper, everything else is in excellent condition and you’re happy towing with it, I’d upgrade the intercooler, new tyres and take the Defender. This kind of trip is what it’s designed for. Keep the disco clean.

If you’re not planning to keep the Defender long-term for this kind of trip and the Disco will become your primary tourer, if you have time to do all the bush upgrades, its time to use it for that purpose. You’ll eventually get a new daily driver.

Its a big trip to do in 14 days. Either way you’ll be spending most of your time on the road.

Either will get you there, Have a great trip! 👍

Good tyres and protection are the keys, I think.

Originally Posted by Aussie_Oz_Born

I'm leaning towards to Disco for safety reasons, but I'm concerned with the reliability of the air suspension and low profile tyres on extremely corrugated roads. The Disco is immaculate and I don't want to ruin the limo, it is after all a keeper. If it was just myself doing the trip, I'd take the Defender tomorrow.

With kids in the car I'd take the D4 - google some crash photos of Defenders without external roll bars and see why. And the D4 would be a much more pleasant way to do the ks - much, much quieter and more comfortable for everyone.

By all accounts the air suspension is reliable and if you were worried about the tyres then you could buy some Tuffants or Compomotive wheels and swap back later.

Edit: and I'm on record as not seeing any need for bullbars.

Originally Posted by Arapiles

With kids in the car I'd take the D4 - google some crash photos of Defenders without external roll bars and see why. And the D4 would be a much more pleasant way to do the ks - much, much quieter and more comfortable for everyone.

By all accounts the air suspension is reliable and if you were worried about the tyres then you could buy some Tuffants or Compomotive wheels and swap back later.

Edit: and I'm on record as not seeing any need for bullbars.

Yep, you've sold me on the safety aspect, Disco it is then. Time to make a list of all the bits I'll need.

Cheers everyone for the input, muchly appreciated!

If you are really worried about the air suspension, there are a couple of aftermarket emergency airbag inflation kits that you could instal to get you out of trouble if it was ever required.

Safety is a good reason for your choice. Peace of mind is important. It also sounds like you and your family would prefer to take your D4. It will be better at towing and for the fast run over to Alice.

While it’s not a pleasant thing to consider, I just googled both Defender and D4 crash photos and there are plenty of horrific crumpled examples of both. Yes airbags make cars safer, but looking at the phots I’m not sure there’s a huge difference in rollover protection. Happy to be proven wrong.

I also think I my Defender makes me drive more safely. I think the presumed extra safety, more powerful engine and sportier handling of a D4 may also lead to some people driving faster / less carefully. It then I don’t have kids so I do t know how I’d feel if I did.

Originally Posted by Zeros

While it’s not a pleasant thing to consider, I just googled both Defender and D4 crash photos and there are plenty of horrific crumpled examples of both. Yes airbags make cars safer, but looking at the phots I’m not sure there’s a huge difference in rollover protection. Happy to be proven wrong.

I'm going to presume that the D4 is also quieter than the Defender ...

Originally Posted by Zeros

While it’s not a pleasant thing to consider, I just googled both Defender and D4 crash photos and there are plenty of horrific crumpled examples of both. Yes airbags make cars safer, but looking at the phots I’m not sure there’s a huge difference in rollover protection. Happy to be proven wrong.

Disco 3 & 4 have an NCAP of 4 - there's lots of photos online of them with intact body structures after crashes (including one I just found on here from South Africa where the D4 got hit by another car doing 200kmh) but you can't say that for the Defenders, which basically don't pass any crash test regulations. That's why the mines here wouldn't touch them. There was also an AULRO member who rolled his D4 down a slope in the Vic Alps last year (or earlier this year?) and it was noticeable that the body structure still looked pretty square and the doors were openable.