Thread: Which is better Off Road a D3/4 or a late model Defender? ... Puma 110

Originally Posted by Narangga

Will be interesting when someone who has actually owned, or does own, both vehicles posts.

Sits down and waits patiently...

Two posts above yours

I guess there's another angle that needs to be considered as well. I was assuming a new Puma with traction control as thats what I've ordered. there would be a considerable difference in the ease of offloading (not necessarily the capability) between a my2015 Defender with traction control and a 200TDI with none.

Regards,
Tote

There's plenty of vehicles I'd drive if I had 90K to burn. But there's even less car's youd consider if you were buying a BIFL vehicle...
For a 'burner', a Disco would certainly be in the picture, but let's not discount the fact that for the defender, post-production fan-boy prices and pie-in-the-sky fishermen on carsales don't really represent true market value.

Comparing NEW prices- lets say 50K for the deefer vs the 85K for the disco(SDV6)

• Is the disco roughly twice the offroad ability of the deefer? No.
• Is it loaded with twice the features - You bet your ass it is. Even the pov pack disco wins hands down.
• Would the driver of the disco be twice as apprehensive of taking his vehicle through some compromising situations- Definately. This is proportional to the $$$ invested.
• Does the defender have twice the charm of the disco - I think so.

As someone else alluded to, it's horses for courses.
I paid half the price for a vehicle that does (IMO) the same job, and with none of the features I didn't need. I'll spare a thought for you mob spilling tears on your muddied nappa leather and discombobulated sat-nav systems after a big weekend, while I'm cleaning the inside of the deefer with a gerni.


PS... I know what I'd rather be selling in 15 years time...


21 year old Defender




21 year old Disco


In 15 years, I'll be wheeling a disco like this:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2peMyUxPh-M"]this[/ame], while I'm keeping the deefer in the shed looking 'pretty'*.






*pretty is of course, subjective

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

Would have been nice to see a D4 do this track.

I have no doubt that it could have. I just question would you want to.

I know of plenty of Disco 3 and 4's that drive tracks like that no problem at all, in fact that is the type of track I was talking about, that is why I included rock sliders as one of the few acceptable options, as I said this is not a dirt back roads comparison.

As for wanting to or not, well when a relatively new Defender 110 is now being sold for about the same as most new Disco 4's sold then I guess the question could just as easily be asked of one to four year old Defender owners if they want to risk the same kind of damage?

If you go back to original post then you would know that it was meant to compare the two LR models with standard height tyres for a Defender 110 being maximum size and no lift kits.

Thanks for using that picture as an example Mick, the Defender in it looks, as far as I can tell, like it has standardish sized tyres and from the picture it would seam the owner needs a spotter to guide him down what as far as I can see is not such a challenging track and that is pretty much exactly my point. Is a standard height and standard tyre sized Defender better off road than a late model Disco with roughly the same height and spec tyres?

By the way for those doubting the prices I quoted check this out.

Used Land Rover Defender cars - Find Land Rover Defender cars for sale - CarPoint Australia

Scarry's post is on the money.

Capability is a bit subjective, both have their strengths and weaknesses and neither is a clear winner. In the hands of a lesser skilled driver the Disco is way more capable off road. In anyones hands the Disco is way more capable on road and in keeping its occupants alive if something goes wrong.

The Disco is a brilliant vehicle with a greater breadth of capability and I'd be inclined to say overall it would be a more capable vehicle off-road - if it didn't have 19" rims. The thing the Defender has going for it though is a general ruggedness that makes you less worried about throwing it at the scenery - this alone makes it more capable in the real world, but it needs a skilled driver to get the most out of it.

The reason I'm moving from a D4 to a Defender is not because it is more capable, but because I'm bored with the D4. I want to re-discover the joy of driving off-road instead of just pointing the vehicle where I want to go. The Defender is simply a more engaging drive and that's worth the cost to me. You either get that or you don't.

Cheers,
Jon

Originally Posted by TerryO

I know of plenty of Disco 3 and 4's that drive tracks like that no problem at all, in fact that is the type of track I was talking about, that is why I included rock sliders as one of the few acceptable options, as I said this is not a dirt back roads comparison.

As for wanting to or not, well when a relatively new Defender 110 is now being sold for about the same as most new Disco 4's sold then I guess the question could just as easily be asked of one to four year old Defender owners if they want to risk the same kind of damage?

If you go back to original post then you would know that it was to meant to compare the two LR models with standard height tyres for a Defender 110 being maximum size and no lift kits. The Defender in that picture looks like it has standardish sized tyres and needs a spotter to guide him down what as far as I can see is not such a challenging track and that is my point.

For those doubting that the prices I quoted check this out.

Used Land Rover Defender cars - Find Land Rover Defender cars for sale - CarPoint Australia

That track was a lot more interesting than that.

If, as you say, the prices are about the same, why not?
Mind you, I wouldn't be putting any car I paid $92,887 for down that track.
$20,000 I might think about it.
Are D4s selling for $5,000 yet? If yes, yep, I'd take it down that track.

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

That track was a lot more interesting than that.

If, as you say, the prices are about the same, why not?
Mind you, I wouldn't be putting any car I paid $92,887 for down that track.
$20,000 I might think about it.
Are D4s selling for $5,000 yet? If yes, yep, I'd take it down that track.

Again Mick sorry but I see nothing that is to challenging in that track for either a D3 or D4 with decent tyres.

However you more than likely inadvertently have also made one of my main points. The cost, you would not risk high dollar vehicle down that track, but that is what late model Defenders now are, high dollar vehicles with asking prices often roughly the same as similar vintage D4's.

As for $20k you can buy a modified D3 pretty easy and it would drive that track with similar sized tyres to a standard 110 with just as much ease any day of the week, you more than likely wouldn't even need a spotter. ...

As for $5,000 vehicles, well there are plenty of highly modified D1's for sale and they will easily do the trick.

Anyway so far this is a very interesting discussion.

I'm sure there are people who will use their Discos to the fullest, I know I did with my D1.
Most of these vehicles are bought by people who have absolutely no intention of ever hitting a dirt road, let alone a track of any description.
Myself, when I bought a brand new 75 series Toyo ute, I was ridiculed because I didn't buy a house instead, then they were blown away when two weeks after I bought it, came into work with scratches all down the side of it.
My answer/statement, "what's the point in buying a car to then not use it for what it was designed to do" ?? In the end they shut up.
Bought the D1, not a blemish on it, a real live "Toorak Tractor". Picked it up Wednesday, drive into work Monday with pin stripes all over it. Dickheads had to be told again, or asked I should say,, "What's the point?"
At no point in my driving career, have I ever been scared to see damage on any of my 4x4's, but, at the same time, I've always attempted to get through unscathed. It's par for the course that your likely to get them damaged in one way or another, due to either tight tracks or just plain hard work.
The only thing I think I would worry about, would be the longevity of the electronic components in a Disco.