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

Originally Posted by Utemad

I have never driven an Isuzu engined Rover but if they are anything like any other Isuzu diesel then I imagine they would be fairly loud and tractor like but pretty reliable.

Pretty good description - not quite as noisy as the 2.25 diesel but far more powerful and much more reliable and durable.

The 200Tdi engine is probably better as engines go than the Isuzu, but the Defenders fitted with it have a few backward steps compared to the earlier 110 - such as the reduced elbow room which has resulted in the seats being moved in and a steady stream of complaints about the handbrake - which wasn't moved in! Other shortcomings include the lack of galvanising on body parts, and for offroad (which is the original question!) the LT95 gearbox has shown itself to be more durable and trouble free than any of the five speeds that replaced it.

Whether the 300Tdi engine is better or worse or equivalent to the 200Tdi I leave to Defender owners to argue over - but I suspect they differ insignificantly as far as the question goes.

Unfortunately the Td5 engine is, in my view automatically disqualified because of the need for dealer diagnosis of any problems, while I accept that the problems are probably more infrequent than with earlier engines.
John

I am talking pure bush/ off road capability. I have long felt that the Series 3 88" wheelbase with either of the four cylinder engines was about the best "difficult" conditions version of the LR. After all, this was what the Pommy Army took along & used on their Alaska to Patagonia expedition to pull the Range Rovers out of the poo.
In my Ludditic opinion, any vehicle with electronic control systems, turbochargers, rubber band cam belts, carpets, velour trim, etc. is not a bush vehicle, but a private school-ballet lessons-pony club car. You want and need a bush vehicle to have a minimum of areas of potential failure and added maintenance. It is also nice to be able to hose them out.

Now, an 88" with a 4BD1, and decent brakes? That's the ticket.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

I am talking pure bush/ off road capability. I have long felt that the Series 3 88" wheelbase with either of the four cylinder engines was about the best "difficult" conditions version of the LR....

I would have to agree with you from my own experience. I drove through the centre, and all round Eastern Australia, including over a lot of parts of the Simpson Desert over forty years ago in either an 88 petrol S2 or S1, or in a 109 diesel 2a, with little of the equipment now deemed to be "necessary" and with road conditions far worse than most people can imagine today, and with no modern communications technology. The worst vehicle problem I had was a broken clutch plate on the diesel, replaced at the "road" side in the middle of the Simpson with tools carried on board.

In some ways these were better than the 110, as the parts such as gearboxes were easier to manage without external help, for example in the clutch change.

John

Chews bloody fuel. What BS. My 4BD1 County averages 24.1 mpg in inner city stop/start use, and 29.6 highway laden, upwards of 600 kg. in & on it, plus me & the cook. It will cruise happily at 105-110kph in fifth, and 120 if pressed. One of the reasons the Aus. Army selected them was cold start capability in extreme cold conditions. Waiting for glow plugs to warm up whilst being shot at is a bit of a turn-off. Also, a well proven fact is that big capacity naturally aspirated slow revving engines live longer than tiny highly pressurised ones. Big bore slow revving American engines and power trains are the choice of the outback trucking industry, unfortunately without turbocharging they are too heavy to make 600hp, otherwise nat. aspiration & mechanical injection would be the choice of outback operators. My experience with turbocharged and supercharged race engines is that you reach a point of diminishing return, where more boost is producing insufficient power to justify the added unreliability, problems, and expense. what we found with the turbo Offys was that increasing the boost pressures over the already very high figures only pumped more heat into the engine. We were already using high fuel flow rates and latent heat of evaporation (methanol blends) as part of thecooling system. For an outback vehicle the KISS principle should be first and foremost in the designers mind.

1948 Series 1.

Why ?

Because all Land Rovers subsequent, could not have existed without it !

I like a Land Rover Defender 110 5 speed with a 2.5L turbo diesel engine

Originally Posted by VladTepes

1948 Series 1.

Why ?

Because all Land Rovers subsequent, could not have existed without it !

Plus, as I noted near the beginning of this thread - the 80" was lighter and handier than any of its successors.

When we were planning to move here we decided we needed a farm vehicle, and went to the motor show to see what was available. The most suitable vehicle at the show was not for sale - a 1948 Landrover. Nothing on sale was even close to being as suitable. We ended up getting the 2a for the job - only one previous owner (AMF).

John

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Plus, as I noted near the beginning of this thread - the 80" was lighter and handier than any of its successors.

When we were planning to move here we decided we needed a farm vehicle, and went to the motor show to see what was available. The most suitable vehicle at the show was not for sale - a 1948 Landrover. Nothing on sale was even close to being as suitable. We ended up getting the 2a for the job - only one previous owner (AMF).

John

Yes, JD, light, flexible, but durable, (Ford T and chrome vanadium alloy steel chassis rails), 50/50 weight distribution, and as small as can be made within the parameters of passenger and goods carrying requirements. Heavily constructed & rigid vehicles only shake to pieces in bush service, and get bloody hard to move when bogged. Flotation/ground pressure is also as important as traction, see " Farm Tractors". If traction only mattered they would still be on steel strakes.