Thread: On a serious note

Originally Posted by Tombie2

You gotta be kidding..

The fastest overtaking ones are Prado and Tritons...

The big Cruisers/Patrols are not fast on pick up at all...

Its the hi BEMP engines overtaking quickly...

In the TD5 I've overtaken towing 2 tonne on the back as a big cruiser struggled up the same hill with a camper on the hitch...

The best towing 4wd I've seen is my mates Turbo Diesel Grand Cherokee..

That thing sounds like a petrol, accelerates like a V8, drinks like a diesel and tows his van like its not even there...

Wouldnt be flash offroad though, they're low in stock form..

Speaking from my experience driving a tdi disco the length and breadth of Qld for years. Compared with driving the work land bruisers and pootrols. Both carrying loads and empty.

Wow havent we managed to get off topic here.

Originally Posted by Tombie2

Very few vehicles are stranded ever by electronics, its still mechanical failure which brings them unstuck.

What a crock of $hit. I for one am totally fed up with being stranded roadside by electronic failures. I can introduce to plenty of other people who have had similar experiences. I can introduce you to others who are totally fed up with dealers who are unable to diagnose or repair electrical/electronic problems except by the repalce item by item method.

We are talking outback/remote area vehicles here, not St. Margaret's cars (insert name of your city's expensive private school). Not Discos, Range Rovers, Freelanders, and similar vehicles aimed at a higher income city based buyer group, but real rough country working four wheel drives that will spend a considerable amount of their time well away from technical assistance. There are three rules to apply, simplicity, reliability, repairability. All electronic singing and dancing vehicles that just instantaneously stop working and won't restart and can not be diagnosed have no place in the outback. They will cause a tragedy sooner rather than later. What are you going to do in the Channel Country or Simpson when the main electronic control box fritzes? Call the NRMA whilst you break out the wine and canapes?

Originally Posted by Xavie

Well, If I had my time again I would have gone a tdi or td5 and had the td5 chipped. Add some insulation and possibly an over drive at some point.

I wasn't a fan of the new model.

It doesn't look as good either any more. I got over the speed bulge quickly and would go for the older style now. And where the air vent flaps are missing looks stupid on the black one as it is really obvious that something is "missing".
And I have encountered a lot of people who don't wave from the new model.


Xav

why?

Originally Posted by numpty

Exactly, and old fashioned big bore lumps, whether you like them or not, do not cut the mustard anymore.

As for LR only putting in small engines, the big market is Europe for them and tax laws demand them. An engine strictly for Australia's small numbers will never happen.

Outside the 4BD1, which would have never happened except for the Australian Army, it never happened before or since in any of the LR models.

Our only hope is to piggy-back on the desires of the US market where they do like big engines and Rover and later Land Rover have a history of catering to them. Just consider the NADA spec Series IIa 6 cyl with the Westlake head never offered outside North America and subsequently the Range Rover classic. The only reason we got the upgraded 3.9 litre V8 engine was once again for the introduction of the RR to the North American market and even then they were still only offering the 3.5 litre in Australia.

Originally Posted by Tombie2

Well said, and exactly right....

Australians are also very slow to adopt modern technology, hence the 'luddite' mentality..

Very few vehicles are stranded ever by electronics, its still mechanical failure which brings them unstuck.

Hmmm.

For me it has been:
Flat Battery
Alternator bearing
Radiator with a fan in it
ATF hose popped off
Broken diff/axle.

I'd agree. The electronics haven't given me any problems that I can think of.

i wish i could understand this small engine big engine argument
have never run a car for four zillion miles but my 2.4 defender feels as hot off the heels as my disco v8, ok its no sports car but who would want to drive a 2 ton wobbly car fast, so far on the trips i have done the def always seems to overtake anything with a jap badge on it when it comes to the hills.
may be i need to add a trailor to see what all the fuss is about.

with regards to electrics unfortunatly live with it get used to it spend the money on portable diagnostics its not going to change so if you want some thing electric free import a third world truck buy or buy old.

Originally Posted by muddymech

ok its no sports car but who would want to drive a 2 ton wobbly car fast

I agree... so I spent a lot of time and money sorting out the suspension, and now it drives fast and isnt wobbly.