To be honest, i see more Land Rovers over here in the UK than i do Landcruisers. Even though there are plenty of horror stories about Landys, they seem to sell and be still very popular.
In spite of everything I am looking for a new Defender. (also if you consider that is not so easy to buy a toyota hdj70 and a hdj 100 1999 250kKM has more or less the same price of a Defender 2008 35kKM)
...I am saving the money for my first clutch replacement
About the last version of the Defender is quite sure that you must replace the clutch every 40/50kKM due to the flywheel and the strong angle used to adapt the trasmission to the Ford engine. I have not got a Defender but I am a Freelander owner. It has problem with IRD and viscous coupling (3k Euro to change them), I have been lucky and I changed it after 150kKM but they are badly designed and Land Rover does not do anything to help its customer.
Well, that the Land Rover brand is the worst in all the reliability index lists is quite estabilished. (Toyota is third after Honda and Suzuky, maybe it is a kind of Japanese magic or they are more able to build car) About 53% of the Land Rover have serious problems after the expiration of the warrenty. Range Rover (more or less 100.000 Euro) is the one of the worst car in all the realiability index list.
@Ramon25D Can someone help me? I am searching all over youtube for a specific Landrover Defender advertisment/video where the Defender drives from the beach onto a military boat then drives back onto the beach. I have seen it on youtube but cant find it now. If someone knows what I am referring to can they give me a link? Thanks
I think properly maintained LRs are the most reliable cars on the road and when there is no RAC so save you the basic design is your best friend. Thats the double edged sword though, the parts are so cheap, readily available and easy to fit that any diy mechanic can have a bash and thats the reliability issue. Anyowner who knows what they are doing knows LR are the best because they can go anywhere and be fixed anywhere. Long live LR.
@TheBushcraftBoyz You make a good point. Any vehicle badly maintained will break... In Africa, Land Rover is no longer popular with NGOs or military as it once was. Why? I reckon it is because they do not have a good reputation for reliability and spares that used to be everywhere, no longer are. I owned four Land Rovers before turning to Toyota and have now owned four of them. They, like a LR will break if not looked after but they can take far more neglect before they do. Just my opinion.
@4xforum I think location is the defining point here. Each vehicles design works great in the location they were designed for and hence the part and prices go where the truck is thriving. So in this case reliability depends on what continent your on, Temperate zones I think LR is top but I think toyotas might have the subtropics - but I do think a bush repair is more acheivable on a landrover than say a land cruiser and as you said the passion behind LRs is hard to ignore.
@4xforum are the toyotas any better then the land rovers? personally where i live i find (myself and my dad both own a land rover) and its mostly toyotas and nissans that are getting bogged on the beachs, my dads defender is fitted with road tyres and it still goes amazingly on any beach, three point turns and such are no trouble. also had a friend driving down beach in his defender and a brand new toyota land cruiser was stuck (continue this in next comment, out of text for this one)
@NotARandomName Having owned and loved both, they are very similar. In the case you state, there could have been so many factors, the most obvious if which is driver skill and tyres and pressure. Off-road, there is no question that the Defender is superb, however, in very lumpy, hilly climbs many vehicles do better, in mud it's very good and on dunes they are under-powered and don't do as well as many. Toyota Land Cruiser is a better engineered and built vehicle and lasts. longer.
@4xforum and my friend in the defender drove up right next too him, stopped next to him and all he said was "you need a land rover mate" apparently the guy sold his toyota shortly after that and never bought one again, how do you find the difference?
@NotARandomName I had a G-Wagen in a soft, wet riverbed being followed by a Defender 90. The Defender got stuck so often it was embarrassing, while the G, with inferior mud tyres, went on and on... This means nothing! The Defender driver was very experienced but truly, didn't have clue! The 90 should have kept up with me in the G, no problem, but he couldn't. I have learnt: incidents like this can't be used to judge a vehicle's performance cause there are too many factors affecting performance.
I talk too some people that was driving MC form norway too cape town. they had toyotas as folow cras for the motorbikes.But they used Defenders as folow cars for the toyotas. One defender towed a toyota over 900km though the desert. I think that says it all about the reliablety the land rovers have.
cars are a matter of personality I personally love my defense .. and before that had a toyota and never and never will compare .. is that the heart is hard to defend truth and if you feel endless .. lol my dad has a 78 and not for anything out of the
los carros son una cuestión de personalidad yo personalmente amo mi defender.. y antes de eso tenia un toyota y jamas ni nunca lo compararía.. es que el defender es de corazón duro y a decir verdad si lo siento inacabable.. jajaja mi papa tiene uno del 78 y no sale de el por nada
los carros son una cuestion de personalidad yo personalmente amo mi defender.. y antes de eso tenia un toyota y jamas ni nunca lo compararia.. es que el defender es de corazon duro y a decir verdad si lo siento inacabable.. jajaja mi papa tiene uno del 78 y no sale de el por nada
I heard LR broke down like crazy and were unreliable. It's a hit(encounter big problems) or miss(got lucky). Mostly hits though with fuel pump,tranny and engine problems. Most LR owners will say LR are reliable because they're hardcore LR fans and I understand completely. Same could be said with Toyota,Jeep,Ford,Nissan and Isuzu owners.
Hey Andrew and writer, better know your facts! At 2:14, you said something about the Defender as, " but the vents are marvelous the only vehicle in the world wherein you can open the vents and get a direct draft from the bush (pause, for better effect) directly into the cab." How about the Willys CJ3A? Didn't Landy get its platform from the early Willys?
I fully agree 0:17-1:02... I was almost born in a Series I (Tunisia) and grew up abroad S1, S2. Skipped S3. My own LR 110 is 1983 1st series built Left Hand Drive (VIN ..2AA..; ...1AA.. = very 1st Right HD), V8 + LT95 4speed. 1994 conversed to 200Tdi (genuine LR kit). Now it reads 537000 km on tacho. Full midlife upgrade 1998: completely apart & assembled with Improvements. Reliability: with good maintenance & enhancements: Improves! TECHNICAL Driver is required to pro-active avoid troubles..
At the end of the video you said that the Defender has a reliability problem. Do you mean the Defender's engine has a reliability problem? Surely that's what you mean, because the Defender itself is built like a Sherman tank.
miles under its belt and is still on the same engine and axles.
The gearbox did get rebuilt at about 170.000 miles.
it gets serviced and maintaied when needed and has never let me down.
Are work defender is a td5 with 130.000 miles and is still going strong despite being used to pull ships mooring ropes/wires along the key all its life.
It is fair to say that the Hilux is a great vehicle, they perhaps lack the character of a Defender but they retain the strength certainly, as proven on Top Gear. I believe personally the Series Land Rover is a better vehicle, and reliability is not an issue however the Hilux (No other Toyota) does have good key points.
if they are so unreliable why are 75 percent of every landrover ever made still on the road ?? toyota cant match that and about the transmission if you know how to drive them and select the right gear at the right time and have proper clutch control they you shouldnt break anything i know the gear boxes are only good for around 120k
personally I think the 75% issue is a myth, and if it is true it is because Land ROver lovers consider a Land Rover as worth fixing, not matter what. Their followers keep even the oldest vehicles running.
id say its not to far off acurate im not strictly a landrover man ok i have a disco and a defender but i do rate a few other 4x4 jeep wrangler when its modifyed humer h1 looks amazing but its way over rated and a pinzgauer and unimog are amazing vehicles i just think landrovers have way more charecter and a stock landrover will beat allmost every other stock 4x4 any1 care to dissagre ?
The truth is, many people drive them like savages with no mechanical empathy, and then they break.... and blame it on the brand. I know, I employ game rangers that take them places nothing but klipspringers and baboons go. Cruisers (in GDrive setup) cant get there so they dont try , hence fewer breakages. I now armour the undersides, diffs linkages etc. train them (rangers) better and now have nothing but reliability.
The 75% claim might be embellished but it ceratainly is not a myth. My first car was a Series 1 and all it got was non-stop abuse and zero maintenance ( who doesnt thrash their first car :P) yet it had no problems whatsoever. So for a car that was already 45 yo I'd say that was pretty damn good. In my experience series LRs get retired because they are impractical on road (fuel costs, slow, rough, noisy etc) not because they break down. Take care of a Series and it will outlast you easily.
Im not sure about the 75% story but the unreliability of landrover is a bit exagerated and this myth is perpetuated by toyota owners. They also perpetuate the myth that toyotas are indestructable and will never let you down. again they break when used hard and when they break so does your bank. defenders , if maintained properly, (ie proper preventitive maintenance) will last as long and longer than toyotas
yea my dad tought me from a early age on how to care for a drive train of a rover and i love them i own a discovery a defender 90 and a defender 130 so what part off the world do you live SA?
I live in the north west province. My lodge has 3 x 110s and 1x 130 I drive a disco 3. For the record, on my game drive vehicles, my biggest cost centre is tyres. I have been operating them for 5 years @ 7hours per day 365 days a year. We are alowed in our reserve to follow game off road, where the most extereme off road conditions can occur. Before armouring, most common damage was bent steering linkages and holed diff cases. also 1 gbox selector pin and 2x side shafts in 5yrs
The transmission is very weak.Eveything brakes very easily,even with the factory tire dimensions.The engine is very thirsty and it is not what you call reliable.Electrics=nigtmare.Great suspension geometry,articulation.Truck chassis!!!!I'm now looking for something like a G or a patrol.Toyotas are great too,but in my coyntry i can find only the ifs models.
The overlanding community in South africa, covers a wide range of people from middle income, blue collar dudes in the rebuilt '89 hilux to multi millionaires who buy what pleases em cash! For those, money is no object. Im not quite there, but even if I had the cash, I wouldnt buy an H1 or H2 or H3. Rather buy a unimog and spend the cash making it really cool.
I don't know if you have anything to do with the reviews or the show, but Ill ask anyway. How about a review of the Toyota 70 series? (in any of it's presentations, short wheelbase, longwheelbase, 4 door, pick-up...)
No. It is a very characterful truck. But being somewhat trendy, some use it for commuting because the whiff of gearbox oil makes them feel as if they are on safari!
To be honest, i see more Land Rovers over here in the UK than i do Landcruisers. Even though there are plenty of horror stories about Landys, they seem to sell and be still very popular.
gp1585 1 week ago in playlist 4x4 Vehicle Reviews
@gp1585 That's because they are British, and quite a bit cheaper than Land Cruisers, and some (many) may say, Land Cruisers have no character.
4xforum 2 days ago
In spite of everything I am looking for a new Defender. (also if you consider that is not so easy to buy a toyota hdj70 and a hdj 100 1999 250kKM has more or less the same price of a Defender 2008 35kKM)
...I am saving the money for my first clutch replacement
AricallH 1 year ago
About the last version of the Defender is quite sure that you must replace the clutch every 40/50kKM due to the flywheel and the strong angle used to adapt the trasmission to the Ford engine. I have not got a Defender but I am a Freelander owner. It has problem with IRD and viscous coupling (3k Euro to change them), I have been lucky and I changed it after 150kKM but they are badly designed and Land Rover does not do anything to help its customer.
AricallH 1 year ago
Well, that the Land Rover brand is the worst in all the reliability index lists is quite estabilished. (Toyota is third after Honda and Suzuky, maybe it is a kind of Japanese magic or they are more able to build car) About 53% of the Land Rover have serious problems after the expiration of the warrenty. Range Rover (more or less 100.000 Euro) is the one of the worst car in all the realiability index list.
AricallH 1 year ago
@AricallH Its because of all the silly electrics land rover have to use know, find a good tdi and it will last forever
JoshHurdissHall 11 months ago
@Ramon25D Can someone help me? I am searching all over youtube for a specific Landrover Defender advertisment/video where the Defender drives from the beach onto a military boat then drives back onto the beach. I have seen it on youtube but cant find it now. If someone knows what I am referring to can they give me a link? Thanks
newjerseydev 1 year ago
@newjerseydev
Shore to Ship and Back again - by Land Rover!
watch?v=mKEG-uMsHio
serepx 1 year ago
I think properly maintained LRs are the most reliable cars on the road and when there is no RAC so save you the basic design is your best friend. Thats the double edged sword though, the parts are so cheap, readily available and easy to fit that any diy mechanic can have a bash and thats the reliability issue. Anyowner who knows what they are doing knows LR are the best because they can go anywhere and be fixed anywhere. Long live LR.
TheBushcraftBoyz 1 year ago 6
@TheBushcraftBoyz You make a good point. Any vehicle badly maintained will break... In Africa, Land Rover is no longer popular with NGOs or military as it once was. Why? I reckon it is because they do not have a good reputation for reliability and spares that used to be everywhere, no longer are. I owned four Land Rovers before turning to Toyota and have now owned four of them. They, like a LR will break if not looked after but they can take far more neglect before they do. Just my opinion.
4xforum 1 year ago
@4xforum I think location is the defining point here. Each vehicles design works great in the location they were designed for and hence the part and prices go where the truck is thriving. So in this case reliability depends on what continent your on, Temperate zones I think LR is top but I think toyotas might have the subtropics - but I do think a bush repair is more acheivable on a landrover than say a land cruiser and as you said the passion behind LRs is hard to ignore.
TheBushcraftBoyz 1 year ago
@4xforum are the toyotas any better then the land rovers? personally where i live i find (myself and my dad both own a land rover) and its mostly toyotas and nissans that are getting bogged on the beachs, my dads defender is fitted with road tyres and it still goes amazingly on any beach, three point turns and such are no trouble. also had a friend driving down beach in his defender and a brand new toyota land cruiser was stuck (continue this in next comment, out of text for this one)
NotARandomName 1 year ago
@NotARandomName Having owned and loved both, they are very similar. In the case you state, there could have been so many factors, the most obvious if which is driver skill and tyres and pressure. Off-road, there is no question that the Defender is superb, however, in very lumpy, hilly climbs many vehicles do better, in mud it's very good and on dunes they are under-powered and don't do as well as many. Toyota Land Cruiser is a better engineered and built vehicle and lasts. longer.
4xforum 1 year ago
@4xforum and my friend in the defender drove up right next too him, stopped next to him and all he said was "you need a land rover mate" apparently the guy sold his toyota shortly after that and never bought one again, how do you find the difference?
NotARandomName 1 year ago
@NotARandomName I had a G-Wagen in a soft, wet riverbed being followed by a Defender 90. The Defender got stuck so often it was embarrassing, while the G, with inferior mud tyres, went on and on... This means nothing! The Defender driver was very experienced but truly, didn't have clue! The 90 should have kept up with me in the G, no problem, but he couldn't. I have learnt: incidents like this can't be used to judge a vehicle's performance cause there are too many factors affecting performance.
4xforum 1 year ago
@TheBushcraftBoyz How do you properly maintained LR Defender ?
Kahur2007 9 months ago
@Kahur2007
a LOT of TLC mate, only way.... and stay away from the sea
m4xrb 8 months ago
I talk too some people that was driving MC form norway too cape town. they had toyotas as folow cras for the motorbikes.But they used Defenders as folow cars for the toyotas. One defender towed a toyota over 900km though the desert. I think that says it all about the reliablety the land rovers have.
mrpallesen 1 year ago
cars are a matter of personality I personally love my defense .. and before that had a toyota and never and never will compare .. is that the heart is hard to defend truth and if you feel endless .. lol my dad has a 78 and not for anything out of the
elenjendro1 1 year ago
los carros son una cuestión de personalidad yo personalmente amo mi defender.. y antes de eso tenia un toyota y jamas ni nunca lo compararía.. es que el defender es de corazón duro y a decir verdad si lo siento inacabable.. jajaja mi papa tiene uno del 78 y no sale de el por nada
elenjendro1 1 year ago
los carros son una cuestion de personalidad yo personalmente amo mi defender.. y antes de eso tenia un toyota y jamas ni nunca lo compararia.. es que el defender es de corazon duro y a decir verdad si lo siento inacabable.. jajaja mi papa tiene uno del 78 y no sale de el por nada
elenjendro1 1 year ago
0:47 proud to be part of that religious cult with pure passion, love and honor!
nedster01 1 year ago 2
Greetings! Personally I prefer the toyota lx / vx
Neroscot 1 year ago
Awesome vehicle, I'd never drive anything else. Love that V8 rumble too!
SamTheSuave 1 year ago 2
The absolute choice in wildlife is the cruiser, but I love Rover too
geriunkoshikko 1 year ago
all land rovers are reliable if they are well maintained
Landy2landsend 1 year ago 4
Excellent video. Good presenter.
Used to be the BEST 4X4X F AR now its Toyota Land Cruiser.
Dr John
CarSanook!
Bangkok
carsanookdotcom 1 year ago
THE BEST 4X4X FAR
Land Rover - British Motors ( Thailand) recently opened its new flaghip shoeroom in Bangkok -
'Amazing Thailand'
Dr John
CarSanook
Bangkok
carsanookdotcom 1 year ago
CORRIGENDUM!
showroom -not shoerooom
Dr John
Bangkok
@carsanookdotcom Land Rover - British Motors ( Thailand) recently opened its new flaghip showroom in Bangkok -
'Amazing Thailand'
Dr John
CarSanook
carsanookdotcom 1 year ago
Well Citroen 2CV has a went similar to this....so not quite the only car in the world
666Hansen 2 years ago
defenders are the best and i think thats all there is to it im gonna get me one one day but im starting off with a 1973 series 3 swb diesel
godzillaisnuclea123 2 years ago
6:08 - 6:15 !! "one life live it
overtakeNeps 2 years ago
I heard LR broke down like crazy and were unreliable. It's a hit(encounter big problems) or miss(got lucky). Mostly hits though with fuel pump,tranny and engine problems. Most LR owners will say LR are reliable because they're hardcore LR fans and I understand completely. Same could be said with Toyota,Jeep,Ford,Nissan and Isuzu owners.
400lv8 2 years ago
Hey Andrew and writer, better know your facts! At 2:14, you said something about the Defender as, " but the vents are marvelous the only vehicle in the world wherein you can open the vents and get a direct draft from the bush (pause, for better effect) directly into the cab." How about the Willys CJ3A? Didn't Landy get its platform from the early Willys?
weldingmachine1959 2 years ago
I fully agree 0:17-1:02... I was almost born in a Series I (Tunisia) and grew up abroad S1, S2. Skipped S3. My own LR 110 is 1983 1st series built Left Hand Drive (VIN ..2AA..; ...1AA.. = very 1st Right HD), V8 + LT95 4speed. 1994 conversed to 200Tdi (genuine LR kit). Now it reads 537000 km on tacho. Full midlife upgrade 1998: completely apart & assembled with Improvements. Reliability: with good maintenance & enhancements: Improves! TECHNICAL Driver is required to pro-active avoid troubles..
cpwillig 2 years ago
From 0:17-1:02, yes that is indeed a true statement, especially for the dedicated disciples of the defender
yehudiadelphos 2 years ago
Land Rover, Jeep, UAZ, Gwagen, Land Cruiser, Niva - all have a religious following of faithful believers and are awesome 4x4s!
littlenuff 2 years ago
He likes saying that their unreliable but not why.
parktag 2 years ago 6
I like 8:21- 8:30 Great vid, I like how unbiased it is
iheart4wheeldrive 2 years ago
Are the people in the video south african?
caledfwlch 2 years ago
yep
kulk4471 2 years ago
At the end of the video you said that the Defender has a reliability problem. Do you mean the Defender's engine has a reliability problem? Surely that's what you mean, because the Defender itself is built like a Sherman tank.
silversurfer12371 2 years ago
I have a 200tdi defender with over 200.000
miles under its belt and is still on the same engine and axles.
The gearbox did get rebuilt at about 170.000 miles.
it gets serviced and maintaied when needed and has never let me down.
Are work defender is a td5 with 130.000 miles and is still going strong despite being used to pull ships mooring ropes/wires along the key all its life.
oedixey 3 years ago
It is fair to say that the Hilux is a great vehicle, they perhaps lack the character of a Defender but they retain the strength certainly, as proven on Top Gear. I believe personally the Series Land Rover is a better vehicle, and reliability is not an issue however the Hilux (No other Toyota) does have good key points.
DuoDiscusFlyer775 3 years ago
if they are so unreliable why are 75 percent of every landrover ever made still on the road ?? toyota cant match that and about the transmission if you know how to drive them and select the right gear at the right time and have proper clutch control they you shouldnt break anything i know the gear boxes are only good for around 120k
gypo44 3 years ago 10
personally I think the 75% issue is a myth, and if it is true it is because Land ROver lovers consider a Land Rover as worth fixing, not matter what. Their followers keep even the oldest vehicles running.
4xforum 3 years ago
id say its not to far off acurate im not strictly a landrover man ok i have a disco and a defender but i do rate a few other 4x4 jeep wrangler when its modifyed humer h1 looks amazing but its way over rated and a pinzgauer and unimog are amazing vehicles i just think landrovers have way more charecter and a stock landrover will beat allmost every other stock 4x4 any1 care to dissagre ?
gypo44 3 years ago
The truth is, many people drive them like savages with no mechanical empathy, and then they break.... and blame it on the brand. I know, I employ game rangers that take them places nothing but klipspringers and baboons go. Cruisers (in GDrive setup) cant get there so they dont try , hence fewer breakages. I now armour the undersides, diffs linkages etc. train them (rangers) better and now have nothing but reliability.
bushboysteve 3 years ago 3
The 75% claim might be embellished but it ceratainly is not a myth. My first car was a Series 1 and all it got was non-stop abuse and zero maintenance ( who doesnt thrash their first car :P) yet it had no problems whatsoever. So for a car that was already 45 yo I'd say that was pretty damn good. In my experience series LRs get retired because they are impractical on road (fuel costs, slow, rough, noisy etc) not because they break down. Take care of a Series and it will outlast you easily.
serepx 2 years ago
@4xforum because its a fact of life, land rovers are needed
Landy2landsend 1 year ago 2
Im not sure about the 75% story but the unreliability of landrover is a bit exagerated and this myth is perpetuated by toyota owners. They also perpetuate the myth that toyotas are indestructable and will never let you down. again they break when used hard and when they break so does your bank. defenders , if maintained properly, (ie proper preventitive maintenance) will last as long and longer than toyotas
bushboysteve 3 years ago 8
yea my dad tought me from a early age on how to care for a drive train of a rover and i love them i own a discovery a defender 90 and a defender 130 so what part off the world do you live SA?
gypo44 3 years ago
I live in the north west province. My lodge has 3 x 110s and 1x 130 I drive a disco 3. For the record, on my game drive vehicles, my biggest cost centre is tyres. I have been operating them for 5 years @ 7hours per day 365 days a year. We are alowed in our reserve to follow game off road, where the most extereme off road conditions can occur. Before armouring, most common damage was bent steering linkages and holed diff cases. also 1 gbox selector pin and 2x side shafts in 5yrs
bushboysteve 3 years ago
Sorry I lie, 1 vehicle was crashed into a boulder the size of a VW(shifting it about 3m)and then rolled it. That cost a bit more to fix!
bushboysteve 3 years ago
Comment removed
serepx 2 years ago
@gypo44
the 75% myth is because 3/4 of landrovers are still on the road because they never made it back home.
and 120k is very poor compared to toyota and daihatsu where 400000 is acheivable with good maintenence.
cagmito76 1 year ago
@gypo44 The Defender gear boxes do alot more miles than that
JoshHurdissHall 1 year ago
The transmission is very weak.Eveything brakes very easily,even with the factory tire dimensions.The engine is very thirsty and it is not what you call reliable.Electrics=nigtmare.Great suspension geometry,articulation.Truck chassis!!!!I'm now looking for something like a G or a patrol.Toyotas are great too,but in my coyntry i can find only the ifs models.
strofimios 4 years ago
Looks like a tough offroad vehicle for true offroaders, folks who dont mind working on their vehicles and modifying them.
dargay 4 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
HUMMER H-1: Nuff-said.............
IRONBULL777 4 years ago
why dont we see them being used as overlanders then?
bushboysteve 3 years ago
Because broke-ass people can't afford H1's.....
IRONBULL777 3 years ago
The overlanding community in South africa, covers a wide range of people from middle income, blue collar dudes in the rebuilt '89 hilux to multi millionaires who buy what pleases em cash! For those, money is no object. Im not quite there, but even if I had the cash, I wouldnt buy an H1 or H2 or H3. Rather buy a unimog and spend the cash making it really cool.
bushboysteve 3 years ago
I don't know if you have anything to do with the reviews or the show, but Ill ask anyway. How about a review of the Toyota 70 series? (in any of it's presentations, short wheelbase, longwheelbase, 4 door, pick-up...)
perolito83 4 years ago
No. It is a very characterful truck. But being somewhat trendy, some use it for commuting because the whiff of gearbox oil makes them feel as if they are on safari!
4xforum 4 years ago
definitely not a city commuter then, right? or not necessarily?
julianppp 4 years ago