Defenders more uncomfortable than Discovery's/Range Rovers?

[Rovertrader]

I prefer to drive the Defender when I want to drive, and prefer to drive the Disco when I don't.

This sums it all up!! Well put Mark.

 

[kellymoe]

To answer the original question, YES!!

 

[The Rover Shop]

To answer the original question, YES!!

There was an original question...?????

 

[Rovertrader]

Defenders more uncomfortable than Discovery/Range Rovers?

Interesting really- sounds like the lesser of two evils;-)

Shayne- when you hitting the road?

 

[rijosho]

Love the seating position of the Defenders. As others have said, the lumbar support (if your seat foam has not broken down) is perfectly positioned for my back. The side bolsters around the stomach area keep me in place, so I'm not moving around much, which I think can usually tire a driver out a little quicker when the bolsters are non-existant. That's just seating position, though. The doors never seem to seal all that well, nor do the vents on the bulkhead, so if you consider 1) being able to hear your own thoughts or your occupants while at highway speeds, 2) not have your ears ring for an hour after an 8 hour trip, 3) dry feet when it's raining, 4) A/C that blows cold but doesn't really keep you cool, and 5) heat that's hot but never really warms up the cabin in the Winter time, to be equated into this idea of what "comfortable" entails, then I'm sure the Discovery or Range Rover is more comfortable. My *** and back sweat like crazy when I'm driving longer distances in the Defender, or offroading, but again the seating position is perfect for me. I'm 5'8" - some of the taller guys complain about the seating position and get seat risers, etc.

 

[overlander]

with regard to internal temps, I will say that Defenders tend to not come with any factory cab insulation, probably due to their utilitarian nature. Nor do they come with any real window tinting. The Disco's get both. When I first got my Defender, I experienced all the same issues mentioned above: not retaining heat in winter, or staying cool in summer. I did two things to change all that. I put luxury sound and thermal insulation throughout my cab. The roof lining alone made a HUGE difference in the winter. I also just recently did window tinting; 35% in front doors, 5% in middle doors, and 2.5% (limo tint) in all rear windows). The insulation job I did made it very easy to heat up and maintain heat throughout the cab. Last winter, we went up to snow country in the mountains. Above the snow line, my wife had me turn the heater off even though it was around freezing outside, because the heater was making it too warm even on lowest setting. We could drive for hours without the heat on because just our body heat was enought to maintain the temp in our now insulated cabin. The A/C's biggest boost however was the tinting. All those windows in a 110 greenhouse pretty well, but as it started to warm up here in the Carolinas, I decided it was time to do the windows before another gruelling summer. it's mid 80's now, and the tinting has proved so effective, that rolling around town in mid 80's, I don't want my A/C on past the lowest setting because it gets too cool.

yes, the investment has paid off in those mods. Aluminum body shells aren't less thermally effecient than steell ones. The difference is in what you do with it. Land Rover offers a blank palette when it comes to the Defender. Paint what you will.

 

[justfred]

I love a lot of things about the Disco2, but it's not that comfortable to drive or to ride in for long distances - the front seats don't have enough room. I'm 6', my wife is 5'9", and we both feel like we can't get the seats back far enough to stretch our legs out. The big cupholders also take up some of the kneespace - next trip I'm going to yank them, even though they're convenient.

I've read there are modifications to the seat base to move back a few more inches, but I haven't done them, due to lack of metalworking skills and materials. As I recall, the D1 was about the same.

My 196x 109s were great, as I recall, but that was a few years ago and I was younger and more flexible! The Pinzgauer was actually quite comfortable for long distances despite the military seats.

 

[Steve UK]

I believe my Defender is the most comfortable car I have ever owned, after a couple of hours in a normal car my lower back always aches and I start to fidget. With my Defender we did 750 miles in 16 hours, my only problem is I don't have cruise control and my knee aches a little.

I generally drive slower too, probably 65mph and I don't mind it's great.

 

[The Rover Shop]

Defenders more uncomfortable than Discovery/Range Rovers?

Interesting really- sounds like the lesser of two evils;-)

Shayne- when you hitting the road?

should be on the road and already out of Florida by this time in 2 weeks... Possibly driving south to key west first...do the whole furthest southern point to furthest northern point in USA thing... Building a basic website to follow at the moment.... YoungRovers.com..... And the land rover lawyers can kiss my ********....
My last name is young and.....

rov·er 1 (rvr)
n.
1.
a. One that roves; a wanderer.
b. A crewed or uncrewed vehicle, used especially in exploring the terrain of a planet and its satellites.
2. Sports A mark in archery selected by chance.
And the thesaurus states....

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. rover - someone who leads a wandering unsettled life
bird of passage, roamer, wanderer
traveler, traveller - a person who changes location
nomad - a member of a people who have no permanent home but move about according to the seasons
drifter, vagrant, vagabond, floater - a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support
2. rover - an adult member of the Boy Scouts movement
scouter
Boy Scout - a boy who is a member of the Boy Scouts
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2011 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
rover
noun wanderer, traveller, gypsy, rolling stone, rambler, transient, nomad, itinerant, ranger, drifter, vagrant, stroller, bird of passage, gadabout (informal) He remained at heart a rover.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Now back to our normally scheduled discussions..LOL

 

[David Harris]

Thanks for all the personal experiences guys. Many of the responses could double for Rover ownership in general. One doesn't choose to drive a Defender for comfort, I suppose, but I still want one. . .

David

 

[Nomad110]

My D110 has re foamed seats and fits me (5'11) like a well worn leather glove. I think it is comfortable for long trips. I have the TD5 dash which as an awesome heater and AC. Works super well. I would also suggest dynamatt insulation.

 

[Snagger]

I find Defender seats pretty comfortable. The problem is the seat's position - leg room is poor and the standard seat position gives little elbow room. Fitting extension rails under the seat tracks to move them up and aft works very well, and replacing a Defender's hand brake lever with one from a Discovery or RRC mounted to the top of the seat base, next to a cubby box, is a way of increasing leg room. My 109 has Defender seats moved to the inboard bolt holes (approx 1.5" further inboard), which is too far in for using three front seats but does allow a cubby box and greatly increases elbow room.

Noise and temperature are the other Defender issues, but fitting good quality sound deadening and trim cures both.

 

[AndrewClarke]

I must be the dissenter here. I'm 6'4 and I found the stock seats to be terribly uncomfortable for anything more than about 2 hours. They were so bad that I ripped them out and fitted seats from a Saab 9000. Now THOSE are comfortable seats. 6+ hours a day in my 110 now and I'm comfy and happy. The other big problem with the 110 seats IMHO is safety. The "head" rest only came up to the bottom of my neck. In a serious rear-end collision I'd be in big trouble. I've already had two vertebrae in my neck surgically fused together, and I can't afford a neck injury.

The downides to my Saab seats are that the seat bottoms aren't removable, which makes battery access more difficult. Also, they sit a bit higher, which means that from my seat the only view I get is of the ground. I've actually been idly considering cutting a huge hole in my roof and putting in perspex or something, just in case I'm ever driving somehwere where it's pretty outside and I want to see it. But that's a problem with Defenders in general, unless you're short.

The other problem in the 110 is noise. I have a 200tdi, and I generally keep ear plugs in the vehicle for long highway trips. Otherwise, after a few hours in the vehicle, my ears are ringing. That can't be good.

I don't think the Defender is at all a "comfortable" vehicle in the modern sense of the word. I can get in our Volvo and drive it all day and get out relaxed and rested. It's quiet, safe, and comfortable. I must have a thing for Swedish seats.

Other than all that, the 110 makes me happy whenever I drive it. That easily trumps the overheated leg in the winter, the ear plugs, or anything else I can't even think about because I just love the truck so much that I'm blinded to its objective faults.

 

[rijosho]

I must be the dissenter here. I'm 6'4 and I found the stock seats to be terribly uncomfortable for anything more than about 2 hours. They were so bad that I ripped them out and fitted seats from a Saab 9000.

yeah, but how old were the seat foams on yours? That could be why

 

[AndrewClarke]

yeah, but how old were the seat foams on yours? That could be why

I'm sure they were original, but no amount of new seat foam would have raised the headrest to a safe position. Plus, the shape fundamentally just didn't feel comfortable to me.