Land Rover Station Wagon Defender 90 TD5

[otherclive]

My son and I are thinking of sharing the ownership of a LR Defender 90, and one option is to sell the Sorento and buy a resonably new Defender and use it as the towcar. What are the LR Defenders like for long trips as regards comfort and noise?

 

[Oldsalt49]

Hi Clive,

I am a member of a Land Rover forum, I have a Discovery 3. The members refer to the Defender as a Deafener, so I guess that speaks for itself. The Discovery 3 is a far more refine vehicle on the lines of Range Rover for sound proofing and engine. Believe it or not, but the Defender is quite an expensive vehicle considering its utilitary underpinnings, but farmers buy them, so hence the price I suppose? As for comfort, I would assume for long journeys they would not be too good. I hope someone will come along that has one or used one long term to advice you?

 

[AlanADS]

Hi Clive
Well, you are thinking of moving from a Sorento to a Defender !!!
I had one for many years, then Discoverys now a Freelander 2 and I am a dedicated Land Rover fanatic. I would say that you will certainly know the difference if you buy one. It is noisy, draughty and some say uncomfortable especially on long journeys, however I find them quite comfy to drive, a bit upright like driving a bus. One thing you will notice is the clutch - ever driven a tractor !! My son has a 90 and a 110 and tows with both, but he like me is an afficianado. If you are into repairing / servicing your own cars then the LR Defenders are like meccano sets - big boys toys.
Don't let me put you off as it is a great tow-car, fuel consumption is not great and the 90 being a short wheelbase is a bit more bumpy but much better with a load on the towbar. I am of course more than a bit bias but it is one hell of a leap going from a Sorento to a LR90, maybe a step too far for you !
Regards
Alan

 

[otherclive]

I have tried a Defender for size and it was not too good as both my son and I are over 6 ft, but I gather you can get modifications to the seats that provide more leg room, or cut a bulkhead out! Also the rhs window seems very close to your shoulder which probably explains why so many LR drivers have the window down, and I thought it was due to not having aircon!

Cheers

 

[OmOnWeelz]

If towing a smaller shorter van you might find the 90 OK with a longer family van and the short wheelbase is not a good match, Defender 90 is not know nas a comfortable road car.
Buy in to Land Rover, you buy in to another world of motoring, Remember the dealer and LR are doing you a favour taking your money. Two Discorvery 3 and 9 months of Discovery 4, we've lived the 'Dream' and are swiftly moving on to the world of 'customer car and respect'

 

[AlanADS]

Hi Clive
You can get extra seat adjustment which gives a little more comfort but you soon get used to tying your legs in knots - now and again your legs go a little dead though !
The closeness of the side window to your shoulder is a design feature - it is so that in winter and when the side window mists up (and it certainly will) you just move your shoulder a bit to de-mist it !
Also what are you saying about air-con, no need to open the windows on models up to the TD5 you just open the vents in the bulkhead and you get lots of air in, plus flies, dust etc. The only reason LR owners have their windows down is to get a suntan or sometimes it is a slighlty better noise outside than the drumming within and the noise of the engine !

Regards
Alan

 

[RayS]

I used to tow a commercial exhibition unit with a long LandRover 2.2 before they had names and later I had a private 110 2.6 pertrol which did 15 mpg whether towing my caravan or not. I have since had a Discovery tdi 200 which would have been my all-time favourite had it not been bult from the Marina parts box and needing service every 6000 miles. What a great and lamentable shame that a potential world beating vehicle could fall down on the small details.

 

[otherclive]

Ray,

I had a Disco Series 2 but when it came out of warranty I decided to sell it as it was so unreliable and the dealer charges were expensive although their coffe and internet access were good. The Sorento is a very good car and has been fault free from new. Howver we hanker for the Defender so that we can do some greenlaning and Spanish treks which the Sorento could manage but She's in such good condition I am loathe to risk damage. Our thoughts now are towards a mid price Defender just for recreation and with which we can join in the raft of activites linked to the LROC.

 

[OmOnWeelz]

Very wise O'clive,
Our friends husband has towed his scout groups RIB to Spain a number of times with his SWB Defender. "the hell trip" and the boat is easier on the ride than his caravan that he normally tows with an ML.

 

[Martin24]

I'll be changing from my Rexton to a 110 over the next twelve months. The clutches are now a little easier than they used to be. one thing to note especially as nearly new are quite expensive alongside new costs is that the 2011 model has lower emissions and as such the road tax is cheaper!! I'll be having a 2011.

 

[DerektheSecond]

I would reiterate on whats been said here, yes its a great car for towing but for comfort and long distances!!!, as it was put to me you would only think of doing it once after that you would always have second thoughts, they have come a long way since they were first introduced but they are primarily an off road utility vehicle. After the first couple of months the novelty of owning one and the actual practicalities of it wear off. I used mine for off road work. As a land rover they are expensive to service but there are a lot of after market parts available, which can bring the cost down remember they will need repaired theres no doubt about that,.I worked in a garage when I owned mine so it was a bit cheaper. but the main point to remember if there are no oils spots undeneath it when its parked up it means it ran out of oil