Thread: Land Rover, which one is best?- Your Opinion?

For me it would be a 50th Anniversary V8 auto 90....awesome offroad and more comfy and easier to live with than your 'normal' Defender.

Last of the Rangie 2 door (forget the environment, a heritage order should be placed on them to stop people from chopping them up before it is too late!!!

I love the County 110 for a number of reasons....bloody strong, but it showed what some innovative thinking by JRA could produce -- a Landy which was directly made for the Australian market!

LR UK could not produce a large capacity diesel, so that did not stop the locals, they just went and a got a Jap motor and produced one of the best 4wd on the planet.

Here's my pennyworth,
By best 4wd the emphasis should be on the 4wd part.
Cannot agree with it being a SWB diesel, a strong headwind will put u in 3rd.It would rate better with more power for 4wd work
Disco's and Rangie's in thier prime, would you really take 1 seriously off road unless you were a journalist?

Having owned & driven series LWB & SWB,stage 1 v8 rangies (3) & Disco & now a County and in the beginning a series 1 - never owned it tho.
I am torn between the series 1 swb - current ones lost a lot of ability with the extra weight- and what I drive now an '85 County.
As I say, this is off road. I will say the first Rangies did a fantastic job, I will always remember seeing one at Mt Buller in the early 70's being absolutely caned by its owner -who must have been filthy rich-, getting up the metre deep in snow road to Arlberg Lodge, it was awesome.
So its the County by a short nose imho.

Originally Posted by DeeJay

Disco's and Rangie's in thier prime, would you really take 1 seriously off road unless you were a journalist?

I would. No point having one and not using it

Trav

Mine

Originally Posted by djam1

Quote
1998 defender 110 2.8 300tdi.

There is no "logical" sense why the 4BD1 was better than the late model 300tdi's. How many armed forces around the world use Defenders? How many of those Defenders are fitted with 4BD1 compared to 300tdi?

I think the 300tdi offer a more drivable, economical and more versatile Defender.

How many armed forces in the world use 2.8 litre 300 tdi's NONE

Land Rovers in the original form (pre 1986) were the toughest. I personally thik JDNSW is spot on Land Rovers went down hill significantly after this year even identical components were made from lesser materials (check Salisbury diffs once the disk brake models came in the component materials changed significantly)
The 4BD1 was a real engine with the ability not only to perform but the ability to take severe punishment and wholesale abuse.

Except the300TDI is only a 2.5 ltr not 2.8 !

Originally Posted by loanrangie

Except the300TDI is only a 2.5 ltr not 2.8 !

The 2.5 was later rebored to a 2.8 and manufacturing was outsourced to South-America. Many (outside of AU) believe this was the best engine to make it's way into the Defender.

Originally Posted by djam1

How many armed forces in the world use 2.8 litre 300 tdi's NONE.

The 2.8 is still a 300tdi .. and 300tdi's are used in almost all military Defenders outside of Australia. Perhaps you should look past the brown land because there is a lot more 300tdi's going around than 4BD1.

Where the Isuzu engine is preferred in AU, the 300tdi is the option in the rest of the world, incl. Africa which is far more unforgiving than AU. There is still a number of 300tdi's being built as the vehicle of choice in Africa, for armed forces, government agencies and private opretators. The 4BD1 was a tough as guts engine, but by no means the best to make it into a defender. Without a turbo, as they were released in AU they are no match for the 300tdi for drivability and performance. The 1998 300tdi and the rebored 2.8 had al it's issued ironed out after 6 years of production ... which leaves the question why didn't the 4BD1 remain in the AU Defenders? .. because it was old school!!!

Originally Posted by djam1

The 4BD1 was a real engine with the ability not only to perform but the ability to take severe punishment and wholesale abuse.

If it was so brilliant why didn't it make it into the Defender in other countries? It was a simplistic engine, old school that was easy to dismantle for transport .. that is why the AU military wanted them in their Defenders. Also, when a number of them were purchased by the military the 300tdi was not around, only the N.A Diesel and that was a no brainer.

The Salisbury Diff you like to refer to was in the Defender up untill 2002 ... but I agree the County did have a tougher drive train than anything released today by LR .. but a tough drive train does not make a 4WD the best .. if that was the case the Nissan Patrol will win 4WDOTY every year!!!

My 2001 TD5 Auto ACE 7 Seat SLS. Does not excel in any one particular area.

But for me does everything I need it to do really when and the best part is its a daily drive.