Thread: Defender wheelbase (and other) questions

Originally Posted by TheOtherLeft

Did the Defender 110 ever come out in a dual (crew) cab because I can only find either wagons or 130 crew cabs?

Also, what years did the tdi300 and td5's come out?

If you bought one would you either go the tdi300 or td5?

I think the tdi300 has a lot less reliance on electrical things to go wrong as it's all mechanical (pumps etc)???

How much less powerful is the tdi300 compared to the td5?

Don't know about the wheelbase question but all your other answers are here if you search the forum

Originally Posted by TheOtherLeft

Did the Defender 110 ever come out in a dual (crew) cab because I can only find either wagons or 130 crew cabs?

Also, what years did the tdi300 and td5's come out?

If you bought one would you either go the tdi300 or td5?

I think the tdi300 has a lot less reliance on electrical things to go wrong as it's all mechanical (pumps etc)???

How much less powerful is the tdi300 compared to the td5?

Good news
Yeah they do a 110 Td5 (only ) crew cab



Bad news Not in Australia they don't

a stock tdi300 can be tweaked out to the power output of a stock TD5. And then you can chip the td5 for substantially more grunt. ( Proton energy pills ) td5s so far as im aware td5s raised their head mid to late 99.

Given that my td5 hasnt missed a beat and aside from idiot servicing by dealers big red hasnt had any problems that were show stoppers and then the stuff that was caused by idiot dealer mechanicing I caught on the first major (100,000km) service that I did myself.

Allocating a full weekend for a full wheel bearing change on a deefer is overkill but only if nothing goes wrong with your procedure. anything thats going to go pearshaped should have done so by about 3 oclock on saturday so you can zip on down to the shop to buy what you need to fix that, get it back together to find the gremlin you missed before sunday, wake up sunday coffee, shops for parts and have it all done by lunch.

As Im now fully tooled up to tackle the TD5 and have had a handfull apart the td5/tdi300 argument doesnt scare me either way. similar arguments were made way back when we moved from the series engines to the v8s and the isuzus then again to the tdi 200 + 300 that you couldnt just fix them on the side of the road as they injectors and pumps were all different and the v8s had electrics and I dare say that in the next few months were going to hear the same thing about the transit engine bestowed on the 07s as none of us have the software or know what the componants are that we need to effect roadside repairs.

the tdi300 doesnt have electronics that can go pfzzzzt and require you to trailer it out and the TD5 doesnt have a band that can snap busting your valves, pushrods rockers and maybe even the pistions meaning you need to get it trailered out.

Originally Posted by TheOtherLeft

Did the Defender 110 ever come out in a dual (crew) cab because I can only find either wagons or 130 crew cabs?
Like Reads said .. there is a 110 dual cab available in other countries but not in Australia. You'll have to go for a 130 if you want a crew cab variant

Also, what years did the tdi300 and td5's come out?
300tdi = 1994 Td5=1999

If you bought one would you either go the tdi300 or td5?
Both are good units. Having owned both, I prefer the TD5.

I think the tdi300 has a lot less reliance on electrical things to go wrong as it's all mechanical (pumps etc)???
True, but that should not stop you from buying them. All modern 4WD's include ECU's and electronic traction aids. People should come out of the dark ages and stop worrying about the "electical things that can go wrong". There is a better chance of buying a TD5 and driving it for five years without any electrical issues or breakdowns.

How much less powerful is the tdi300 compared to the td5?
In stock form .. not much. In aftermarket market form ... heaps. TD5's have ECU's that can be tweaked. In general the TD5 is much more pleasant to drive.

Originally Posted by Greylandy

How much less powerful is the tdi300 compared to the td5?
In stock form .. not much. In aftermarket market form ... heaps. TD5's have ECU's that can be tweaked. In general the TD5 is much more pleasant to drive[/color]

and a Tdi has a fuel pump that can be tweaked
A properly 'tweaked' Tdi can go pretty hard, quite a bit harder than a stock Td5 and still get decent fuel economy, (I averaged 10.8l/100km running around here, a trip to Newcastle, running around Newcastle for two days and back here sitting on 110km/h all the way with 33" MT's ) but they are agricultural (noise, vibration, harshness) compared to a TD5.

It also costs less to tweak a Tdi, until you start getting into uprated intercoolers and variable nozzle turbo's.

Originally Posted by rick130

and a Tdi has a fuel pump that can be tweaked
A properly 'tweaked' Tdi can go pretty hard, quite a bit harder than a stock Td5 and still get decent fuel economy, (I averaged 10.8l/100km running around here, a trip to Newcastle, running around Newcastle for two days and back here sitting on 110km/h all the way with 33" MT's ) but they are agricultural (noise, vibration, harshness) compared to a TD5.

It also costs less to tweak a Tdi, until you start getting into uprated intercoolers and variable nozzle turbo's.

Indeed you can but I doubt you will tweak a fuel pump to get 140kw out of a 300tdi

Jokes aside, you cannot make a mistake choosing between the 300tdi and TD5. One is more refinded, the other is less complicated. Rather spend your time getting one that is well looked after and enjoyed regular servicing. That way you will end up with something that IS reliable, electrics or not.

Not exactly an answer to the question about crew cabs, but there was a batch (around 100 I seem to remember) of 110s (pre-Defender) built for the Australian Bicentenary Committee in 1987. As far as I know these were all V8s. I actually saw one in Dubbo on my last trip to town on Wednesday last week.

In addition there have been a few conversions of wagons of various vintages - not a particularly difficult job, but gets expensive if you pay someone to do it. Some have been featured here.