Had the vehicle a year now, so a few things to report..
Done just shy of 19,000 KM's and it has been solid, cruises nicely and for a large HP engine it has been reasonably frugal,
averaging about 12.6L/100 over the first year. On some trips the economy is at about 10.1-10.6L, on short trips its way
up there in the high teens.
A few niggles, the off side passenger door rear quarter light had to be replaced, original had seals that were manufactured
slightly to thick, and there is an infernal squeaking that requires the seals on the doors to be treated with lubricant to tone
down the noise. The textile elements of the seats go grey with dirt and dust very quickly, a known problem on early models
but remedied in 21 and 22 models.. LR as usual are sat on their harris and will only recommend a clean, apparently all down
to a fire retardant that sucks up dust.
On the weights side, the 7 seater is more forgiving, and as i am due to pick up my off road biased caravan i went to a certified
Qld Govt weigh bridge to make sure i would be in limit. The vehicle with all the options and accessories (e-diff, tow pack, RAI,
side steps, ladder, expedition rack, front protection plate, rear recovery eyes), the wife, myself, full tank of petrol and 20KG of
tools in the back came in at 2.78T, GVM allowed on the 5+2 is 3.25T. Rear axle loading came in at 1.42T vs permissible loading
of 1.9T. This should give me enough for the Tow ball weight, targeting in the range of 260-280 max.
Servicing, i have ignored LR's schedule service (34K/2 years) and stuck to my own, oil and filters change at 12.5K and its
annual is due in about 3 weeks.. so around 20K for next oil and filters change.. there are to many horror stories of oil dilution
and failed SD4 engines for me to "respect" LR's recommendations.
Overall i would say it has been a pleasure to own and drive, 40 years driving land rovers, 10 in the Army so company cars,
and owned for 30 years a number of models, such as the classic RR, Disco's, RRS's (of which the wife still has), and this so
far has been my favourite. Quite a few people come up and want to chat about the vehicle, even Toyo and Nissan fans, overall
comments have been quite positive.
One further comment, on road the wifes 10 year old RRS seems that little bit more comfortable and dynamic from road holding,
whereas off road the Defender feels far more at home and at ease. Our RRS has done the OTT and many other off road areas and
is a beast and handles it well, the Defender just feels a bit more relaxed and capable off the bitumen.
P.S. The real PITA is that the smallest wheels are 19' on the P400 and the Goodyears are pretty soft from a side wall perspective,
so forking out a shed full of cash to undertake the Tuff Ant conversion to 18" which is ADR certified and will allow me to fit LT
based Falken Wildpeak's, so when we do our lap/tour of Oz early next year, i have far more confidence in the tyres that are
fitted.
Cheers all and stay safe
Jim
