New Defender News

[T-Willy]

Thanks for that! I’ll for sure check out your other post as that’s exactly the kind of info I’d love to see.

I am also taking a “wait and see” approach on the Defender’s ability to do remote travel and that will be impacted hugely by reliability. I am excited at the potential for the platform though — as an Overlander, it checks a ton of boxes on my list. Payload, the third seat in the front, ample room in the back for dogs and gear, a roof load rating that can hold more than an occasional piece of wood, and it has a published wading depth which is apparently very rare for NA-market vehicles for some reason. And when I built my ‘dream’ Defender it came out at a comparable cost to a similarly built Gladiator - but the LR had a much nicer interior and comfort features, so it’s priced very competitively to similarly performing “off the lot” rigs. I’m really hopeful it is also robust and reliable because thats the last - and most important box for it to check. Can’t wait to see how many of these make roll the odo over 6 figures a few times to see what the high-mileage/rough-mileage reliability is.

Hear, hear. I would add that Land Rover deserves credit for pushing the market, or at least the North American market, with the Defender. I've been waiting years for a potential companion or replacement for our 80 series, which we've had since new and still use for remote tours. Until Defender, there's been no wagon on the market that is similarly mid-sized with excellent off road capability and a payload over 1900 lbs. For me, Defender's reliability will be the last and most important box to check.

Edit: And your point about rough-mileage reliability is key. That's what I'm particularly interested to see--how it withstands years of frequent use under heavy loads on brutal dirt roads, like Baja. It's ability to deliver great trips on brutal roads year after year for a decade or two without break-downs is what I'm after.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Hear, hear. I would add that Land Rover deserves credit for pushing the market, or at least the North American market, with the Defender. I've been waiting years for a potential companion or replacement for our 80 series, which we've had since new and still use for remote tours. Until Defender, there's been no wagon on the market that is similarly mid-sized with excellent off road capability and a payload over 1900 lbs. For me, Defender's reliability will be the key litmus test.

Well let’s try not to bid against each other at the last remaining steel-wheeled Defender in North America in 12 months time when everyone is publishing articles about how with the Defender, Land Rover has finally de-throned Toyota as King of Reliable (Hey, a guy has to dream, right? )

 

[T-Willy]

Well let’s try not to bid against each other at the last remaining steel-wheeled Defender in North America in 12 months time when everyone is publishing articles about how with the Defender, Land Rover has finally de-throned Toyota as King of Reliable (Hey, a guy has to dream, right? )

Deal. I will be the first to toast Land Rover if they can exceed the standard for long-term rough-use reliability set by the 80.

 

[soflorovers]

Well let’s try not to bid against each other at the last remaining steel-wheeled Defender in North America in 12 months time when everyone is publishing articles about how with the Defender, Land Rover has finally de-throned Toyota as King of Reliable (Hey, a guy has to dream, right? )

We always joke about the "legendary" LR reliability, but I'm secretly hoping this latest generation of LR products is just as sturdy as the 2005-2009 AJV8 trucks. I follow an individual on IG who has his LR3 serviced at Hill Country British in San Antonio. That particular truck just broke 320,000 miles....on an LR3. I've never seen an RRC, P38, D1, D2, or NAS D90 with that sort of mileage. Fingers crossed!

 

[sunrisehiker]

We always joke about the "legendary" LR reliability, but I'm secretly hoping this latest generation of LR products is just as sturdy as the 2005-2009 AJV8 trucks. I follow an individual on IG who has his LR3 serviced at Hill Country British in San Antonio. That particular truck just broke 320,000 miles....on an LR3. I've never seen an RRC, P38, D1, D2, or NAS D90 with that sort of mileage. Fingers crossed!

Just broke 270 000 on mine and in pretty good shape.

 

[Red90]

I've never seen an RRC, P38, D1, D2, or NAS D90 with that sort of mileage. Fingers crossed!

You need to get out more. That is super common. I knew lots of people with that mileage twenty years ago.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

We always joke about the "legendary" LR reliability, but I'm secretly hoping this latest generation of LR products is just as sturdy as the 2005-2009 AJV8 trucks. I follow an individual on IG who has his LR3 serviced at Hill Country British in San Antonio. That particular truck just broke 320,000 miles....on an LR3. I've never seen an RRC, P38, D1, D2, or NAS D90 with that sort of mileage. Fingers crossed!

I wasn’t familiar with the AJV8 — I’ve not ever owned a LR — but I just read up on them. Very good engine with a lot of options to it in terms of its variable use — it’s been in everything from basic land rovers to supercharged fancy Jags. I DO know a thing or two about the Jag V12 (not a lot but there is one in the family). Great motor, and it looks like the AVJ8 replaced it as it’s literal and spiritual successor from what I read.

The big thing for reliability for me is the drivetrain and as I mentioned previously, how the car handles error codes. I genuinely don’t care how “reliable” the creature comforts are, I just want to consistently be able to turn a key and drive, Christmas lights dash and all. I hope that this Defender is like that.

I know the James Bond clip was widely shared a few months back, and I know that they probably went through quite a few Defenders to film it with a lot full of broken rigs a la the Dukes of Hazard, but there is that one clip of the Defender getting air like a Boeing and then having the front end smashed in, but it still moved and drove away — I’m SURE stuff broke, but if they can get smashed up like that and still motor a bit, that’s promising as it’s way worse than any typical trail damage situation. I would think that few vehicles would still be a running vehicle after a ********** like that because the shock would break lots of stuff and then trigger all sorts of error codes (and maybe those defenders were modified to prevent that) and you’d be stuck.

The other area of reliability for me are those latent, no-warning issues like a timing chain suddenly giving up the ghost or a transmission blowing up. That’s rare for most rigs these days though — I just hope it’s rare for these too!

 

[JackW]

I met a guy in England that had over 350,000 miles on his two door Range Rover Classic - the amazing thing was that the heads had never been off the motor. That was back in the 1980's, if he's still got the truck its probably got a million miles on it.

My 1966 Series IIA diesel 109" wagon has over 400,000 miles on it with one engine rebuild about the 250,000 mile mark. I'm the third owner and I've owned it since 1978.

 

[naks]

PowerfulUK went greenlaning:

 

[naks]

Exterior footage via their Instagram feed:

for those who don't have Instagram, the video is now on YouTube as well:

 

[naks]

 

[Victory_Overland]

for those who don't have Instagram, the video is now on YouTube as well:

Yeah, I'll say it again!!!!!! Straight up rock-crawling in a bone stock Defender, no sliders, or upgrades of any sort and doing really really really awesome work with an experienced driver and a spotter who are still working out the techniques on a new vehicle.

That trail is far more complicated that that original troll post from a while back.

Great work, imagine where they will go with more and more time behind the wheel with their new toy............oh, and imagine who comfortable they are going to be on and in between for those other 95% overland environments outside of rock-crawling.

Great video!

 

[calicamper]

Hear, hear. I would add that Land Rover deserves credit for pushing the market, or at least the North American market, with the Defender. I've been waiting years for a potential companion or replacement for our 80 series, which we've had since new and still use for remote tours. Until Defender, there's been no wagon on the market that is similarly mid-sized with excellent off road capability and a payload over 1900 lbs. For me, Defender's reliability will be the last and most important box to check.

Edit: And your point about rough-mileage reliability is key. That's what I'm particularly interested to see--how it withstands years of frequent use under heavy loads on brutal dirt roads, like Baja. It's ability to deliver great trips on brutal roads year after year for a decade or two without break-downs is what I'm after.

You mean like the cheap Craigslist Mini van my SD buddy ran down Baja for 15yrs hitting his favorite surf spots? Yeah even the mini vans can do it plus as he put it never got gringo taxed either. Rover LOL might as well wrap it in a US $50 dollar bill scheme they’ll love ya down there. Couple of my neighbors from Mexico with family property down there have told me they bagged their trip last yr and now this yr due to ongoing issues that even family members living there say is Pretty bad. Lets go with a hey look at me car from gringo land ? ?‍♂️

 

[T-Willy]

You mean like the cheap Craigslist Mini van my SD buddy ran down Baja for 15yrs hitting his favorite surf spots? Yeah even the mini vans can do it plus as he put it never got gringo taxed either. Rover LOL might as well wrap it in a US $50 dollar bill scheme they’ll love ya down there. Couple of my neighbors from Mexico with family property down there have told me they bagged their trip last yr and now this yr due to ongoing issues that even family members living there say is Pretty bad. Lets go with a hey look at me car from gringo land ? ?‍♂️

Valid question -- would a high tech new Defender withstand the long-term beating that does an older and more mechanically-based domestic daily driver in Baja? If you are concerned about parading wealth and vehicle excess, a Defender would stand out but still be nothing compared to that shown each year during the Baja 1000. My rule of thumb for MX is to drive something can be easily repaired by the locals (a domestic truck is your best bet) or doesn't break down (or ideally both). Our Land Cruiser was a winter daily driver in a very remote and then-difficult-to-access part of Sonora for many years. It never broke down. It's still very rare that cartel violence threatens tourists but it helps ask questions and be smart. Roads are public by day but not necessarily so by night, especially on the mainland. Our family has had a place on the eastern Gulf in rural Sonora for decades, and I have traveled Baja regularly since I was old enough to drive (in addition to Guadalara, Zacatecas, DF, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Morelos, etc.), and in all of that travel I have never been threatened with violence and have generally been met with warmth and a presumption of camaraderie that is rare if non-existent north of the border. Ironically, the war on cartels has fragmented their power structures and pushed them deeper into the business of extortion, which sadly impacts local people and businesses far more frequently and in more places now than it used to.

 

[calicamper]

Valid question -- would a high tech new Defender withstand the long-term beating that does an older and more mechanically-based domestic daily driver in Baja? If you are concerned about parading wealth and vehicle excess, a Defender would stand out but still be nothing compared to that shown each year during the Baja 1000. My rule of thumb for MX is to drive something can be easily repaired by the locals (a domestic truck is your best bet) or doesn't break down (or ideally both). Our Land Cruiser was a winter daily driver in a very remote and then-difficult-to-access part of Sonora for many years. It never broke down. It's still very rare that cartel violence threatens tourists but it helps ask questions and be smart. Roads are public by day but not necessarily so by night, especially on the mainland. Our family has had a place on the eastern Gulf in rural Sonora for decades, and I have traveled Baja regularly since I was old enough to drive (in addition to Guadalara, Zacatecas, DF, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Morelos, etc.), and in all of that travel I have never been threatened with violence and have generally been met with warmth and a presumption of camaraderie that is rare if non-existent north of the border. Ironically, the war on cartels has fragmented their power structures and pushed them deeper into the business of extortion, which sadly impacts local people and businesses far more frequently and in more places now than it used to.

The locals getting targeted now is a big part of my neighbors nixing their trip. Plus family there also don’t want them visiting and draw attention their way. Most family that visit from the “North” bring money down for family in the “South” so avoiding the perception of cash infusion