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Home > General > Land Rover defender - is there a town friendly version?

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wilpert

Member Since: 25 Jun 2014
Location: London Village
Posts: 169

2007 Range Rover Sport TDV8 HSE Santorini Black

Land Rover defender - is there a town friendly version?

I reckon they look pretty cool but what would one be like as a family daily driver?
which one would you own for town driving with a bit of motorway here and there?

Thu Jul 16 2015 9:16pm

Camelrock

Member Since: 31 Aug 2013
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 1003

2008 Range Rover Sport TDV8 HSE Tangiers Orange

If it's a family version then you want there is only the station wagon ( in 90) or double cab or station wagon (in 110). I have a 90 which I use as my daily commute 12 miles into the dales, single track roads it's great fun, I sometimes go in the sport but on those roads I think I prefer the 90. If driving any long distance then the sports wins any day as you would expect, but we have driven down to Andorra in the 90 a couple of years back, no trouble. The TDCI's will cruse along at 80 no problem.. 2008 G4 RRSport TDV8 current
2009 TDCi 90 current
2018 Discovery 5 HSE lux current
1994 Dakar current

Thu Jul 16 2015 10:02pm

RRSTDV8

Member Since: 12 Aug 2011
Location: Northamptonshire
Posts: 8976

2012 Range Rover Sport SDV6 HSE Orkney Grey

Defenders aren't family cars except in the mind of the dads who buy them because they want to be cool. They're noisy and uncomfortable to be a passenger in for any length of time. Hell, they're not that nice to drive unless you have no right elbow and your knees and ankles are happy to be uncomfortable for hours at a time. They're an agricultural utility vehicle.

Now a nice early Series would be a good thing to potter about in on a sunny day. But it's still not a family daily driver. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Thu Jul 16 2015 10:12pm

Springer

Member Since: 10 Apr 2009
Location: Peterborough
Posts: 20

2013 Range Rover Sport SDV6 HSE Rimini Red

How big is your family?
Mine is my wife and I. I use our 2.2 TDCI 90 CSW as a daily commute and for taking our 2 springers out for evening walks. I also use it for longer trips out shooting, Wales and even to Scotland, a round trip of 800 miles plus.
I do not find this version tiring to drive long distances but you do need to develop your right hand only driving technique due to right arm space!

My long distance/large payload vehicle is a RRS Red edition MY2013

Buy it and have fun with being a cool dad

Andy.

Sat Jul 18 2015 7:05pm

DrRob

Member Since: 23 Feb 2011
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 2011

Defender is luxury compared to my old 1952 80" Series One Visitor from fullfatrr.com
* GONE. 2012 RR Sport HSE SDV6 Orkney Grey. Now being piloted by RRSTDV8
* GONE: 2011 4.4 TDV8 Full Fat. Amazing piece of kit.
* Current. 1974 Lightweight 2.25L petrol. Old skool
* GONE. Freelander GS TD4 Manual MY2013. Orkney Grey with privacy, cold and clearview packs, armrests (a must!) and a spoiler.
* GONE. Range Rover Classic '93 200Tdi Factory fit
* 1949 80" in family since 1975

Tue Jul 21 2015 4:03pm

Nik

Member Since: 19 Nov 2010
Location: Up North
Posts: 657

2008 Range Rover Sport TDV6 HSE Stornoway Grey

Fifth gear did a feature on one years ago, some kind of leather clad special edition, might float your boat

Nik 2015 Golf R DSG
Gone 2013 Mercedes C220 CDi AMG Sport Plus
Gone 2008 2.7 RRS HSE

Tue Jul 21 2015 4:25pm

ilard

Member Since: 20 Aug 2010
Location: London
Posts: 975

Was that the one with electric windscreen wipers? Awesome!

I drove all sorts of Defenders for some years as a company car (if you get my drift) and I absolutely love them. But on the rare occasion I did long distances they were a pig - noisy, wandering around, giant steering wheel in the wrong place, underpowered etc. Admittedly that was many many years ago, and the engines were the old sort (no turbos), but I thought the whole point of their iconic status is they have not changed much!

They are also quite high to climb into, so if you have younger kids or other short people in the family they may find it uncomfortable to clamber up.

Then there is the security. If you thought a RRS was easy to steal, I hear Defenders are a cinch (just coat hanger and a paperclip, or a tin opener or something).

Finally, you MUST buy one! A grey 90XS with chunky tyres and a few mods (like snorkel) and you'll be just about the coolest person out there, frankly. Perfect if you can also afford a more "practical" second car. Go for it! L405 P400e Autobiography (MY2020)... Silicon Silver / Espresso
RRS TDV6 HSE Lux (MY2011)... Nara Bronze / Arabica - now gone!

Tue Jul 21 2015 5:50pm

Marvik125

Member Since: 02 Jul 2015
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 139

2011 Range Rover Sport 3.0 TDV6 HSE Santorini Black

Defenders are cool in the same way Single speed mountain bikers think they're cool. Not at all!

Last edited by Marvik125 on Wed Jul 22 2015 12:31am. Edited 1 time in total

Tue Jul 21 2015 6:03pm

gazzc

Member Since: 07 Jan 2010
Location: cheshire
Posts: 494

2005 Range Rover Sport TDV6 HSE Siberian Silver

marvick your a cock silverRRS 2.7 TDV6 22"WHEELS FULL COLOUR CODE,STEPS,REMAP..gone
Rimini red rrs 2.7 tdv6 steps. Full c code. Recon engine!!loved but!gone ,thank god !!
Gone rr sport supercharged. Loved but 11mpg !!!
current,triumph stag mk2...current bmw 325 sport convertible

Tue Jul 21 2015 8:29pm

Camelrock

Member Since: 31 Aug 2013
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 1003

Do you mean like this ilard, though not an xs

Tue Jul 21 2015 10:01pm

Tim in Scotland

Member Since: 30 May 2005
Location: Driving along in my automobile
Posts: 17476

2013 Range Rover Sport SDV6 HSE Stornoway Grey

Click image to enlarge

I bought a six year old Tdi300 CHT in 2002 as a sumpguard for the Freelander1 I had started to damage when I was offroading it to places LR didn't intend Freelander to go. It's now about to turn 19years old/ 87000 miles, was converted to a station wagon back in 2003 and never ceases to provide fun and is the best £10,000 I ever spent. It is also the most reliable Land Rover I have ever owned. In 2007 it had a galvanised chassis fitted and all new braking and suspension components, this March it has a new tailgate with swingaway spare wheel carrier fitted and LED headlights to make winter driving a bit easier on the long dark days. the furthest I have driving it at one go is from Stirling to Bampton in Cumbria without a break (and I'll never do that again as it was so uncomfortable on the motorway). This year I was going to reduce to one car and wanted something that could handle the offroad as well as the long distance onroad.................. I traded an Evqoue for a new RRS2 HSE Dynamic with the intention of selling the Defender........ six months on and I just cannot bring myself to part company with it, it has given me so much fun over the years. I had to live with it as my only car for six months in 2013/2014, it was hopeless. Parking in town was diffiuclt even though mine has standard suspension in many multistorye carparks the barrier is too low to get under even if the ceiling height is not and there was always the worry that it might have evaporated when I returned to drive it home (simple locks and no security system on mine) and as a 90 there is no load or comfortable passenger carrying capability. I have an Ivor Williams box trailer to take my windsurfing kit as it is too high to stack boards on the roof on a windy day and forget about getting a mountain bike up there without a helper! My RRS2 has been offroad but it will a long time before I take it anywhere like the places I take the 90. Bear in mind that when it rains you will get wet inside it, in winter you will freeze from the drafts and the poor heating (although the engine warms up way faster than my RRS's. Also you will get soaked by the icy condesation that tumbles from the sunroof frame if you spec it with one. Buy an older one and you will love it to bits despite the discomfort and expense! Mine ones days of winch challenge type offroading are long over because FE no longer allow us into most of their forests in scotland, it now does more greenlaning and supermarket runs than it ever used to. I'm sure it will still be on my drive long after I cannot afford to service the RRS and sort out all it's electrical gremlins when they start appearing. But I wouldn't really advise having one as a city car...................... they need to live in the country, town driving isn't what they are good at and whats' the point of having all that capability to climb and go where man fears to go and tow big loads if you aren't going to use it? 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Last edited by Tim in Scotland on Wed Jul 22 2015 6:33pm. Edited 1 time in total

Wed Jul 22 2015 12:17am

Lost for Words

Member Since: 15 Jan 2015
Location: Warminster, Wiltshire
Posts: 1477

Marvik125 wrote:
Defenders are cool in the same way Single speed mountain bikers think they're cool. Not at all!

Actually Marvik, you have a fair analogy there, but for the wrong reason - Single speed bikes have there upsides, but there'll be many times you wish you had something else.

(I don't go in for the SS bikes either.

) Visiting from DISCO3.CO.UK
2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 Auto HSE Zambezi Silver

Wed Jul 22 2015 7:16am

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