Anyone lived with a puma Defender for a year or so?
Discussion
Lefty Guns said:
What do you think of it?
How reliable has it been?
Is the heater as good as any other modern car?
What mpg are you getting?
Ta,
Left
(I'm considering running a commercial vehicle thorugh my ltd co. probably a 110 or 130 dcpu...)
Ive ran one for 2 years.It has(touch wood)been totally reliable however when I picked it up brand new the steering wheel wasnt on straight and the rear seats squeak if they are folded down and unoccupied!The heater warms or cools the cabin very well however when the air con is set to blow cool air through the vents it can get a bit cold and isnt easy to set so its just right.Likewise the heater-on a cold day the footwell warm air exit pipe blows right onto your trouser leg so your leg gets hot before the rest of the cabin.MPG average 27mpg or 23mpg towing a loaded car trailer.How reliable has it been?
Is the heater as good as any other modern car?
What mpg are you getting?
Ta,
Left
(I'm considering running a commercial vehicle thorugh my ltd co. probably a 110 or 130 dcpu...)
Lefty Guns said:
What do you think of it?
How reliable has it been?
Is the heater as good as any other modern car?
What mpg are you getting?
Ta,
Left
(I'm considering running a commercial vehicle thorugh my ltd co. probably a 110 or 130 dcpu...)
Yes, Lefty. I have. I am a very pleased owner too. I have a 2007 110 XS with the Puma engine. It's been totally reliable and is a major improvement over the TD5. The first thing you will notice is that it is MUCH quieter than the TD5. It's actually civilised especially when you take the new 6 speed box into consideration. The heater is great and much better than a TD5. Heats up very quickly and gets the whole car warm. Not sure what mpg I'm getting but it's better than a Disco TDV6. The front seats are the only downer (rear ones are now child seat compliant...hoorah!) as they haven't changed pretty much since the 110 came out! As you'll see from my other thread I'm going to see if someone can instal some Disco II seats into it now. That will make a big difference.How reliable has it been?
Is the heater as good as any other modern car?
What mpg are you getting?
Ta,
Left
(I'm considering running a commercial vehicle thorugh my ltd co. probably a 110 or 130 dcpu...)
HTH
Lefty Guns said:
Thanks. Do the rear seats have ISOFIX these days then?
I'm on the verge of biting the bullet and buying an L200 - the landie dealership don't have a defender i can test drive!
Go to another dealership. There's bound to be one that has one. No, I don't think they have Isofix but they work just fine without that. Wouldn't get an L200. Depreciate like buggery and leaf sprung too (I think). I'm on the verge of biting the bullet and buying an L200 - the landie dealership don't have a defender i can test drive!
I have had a td5 90 for 5 years, and love it to bits have only had slight little niggles and now work for a landrover tuning company and have done loads to it and made a good car, alot better and more usable.
I then bought a 57 reg TDCI transit engined 90, and have done 10k miles in it. I personally think it it a huge down step from the TD5... obviously everyone has there preferences, but it is sluggish, you have to rev it lots, the handling is not as good, and it uses more fuel. I have had it chipped and de-limited and now it goes a lot better than standard, you dont need to change gear as much and feelsd alot more torquey.
The only thing i find better about the new 1 is that it is better in town and traffic... that is all.
It is now for sale, and i am using the old TD5 again.
Matt
I then bought a 57 reg TDCI transit engined 90, and have done 10k miles in it. I personally think it it a huge down step from the TD5... obviously everyone has there preferences, but it is sluggish, you have to rev it lots, the handling is not as good, and it uses more fuel. I have had it chipped and de-limited and now it goes a lot better than standard, you dont need to change gear as much and feelsd alot more torquey.
The only thing i find better about the new 1 is that it is better in town and traffic... that is all.
It is now for sale, and i am using the old TD5 again.
Matt
Yes the L200 still has leaf sprungs so the ride is pretty damn harsh when unloaded. Spoke to a mate who works for a car finance company (Lombard) and he says that if he was doing a finance pack on one, he'd work on it losing £11k from £26k new as soon as it's registered! Now, obviously, that's not necessarily it's trade-in value but i think they have to work out what would happen if it were re-posessed. 
I'll probably buy it in cash, through the company. That way, the deprec would at least be tax-deductable. He thinks the equivalent Defender double cab would lose more like £6k once it was registered.
Maybe the Landie's not a bad idea after all...
Having not had a test-drive yet, is it likely that I'll fit ok (I'm 6'4") with a big 2 year-old in a car seat behind me?
Cheers
I'll probably buy it in cash, through the company. That way, the deprec would at least be tax-deductable. He thinks the equivalent Defender double cab would lose more like £6k once it was registered.
Maybe the Landie's not a bad idea after all...
Having not had a test-drive yet, is it likely that I'll fit ok (I'm 6'4") with a big 2 year-old in a car seat behind me?
Cheers
Defenders hold their value very well which should be a consideration. Also figure in the cost of any maintenance and repair, parts are cheap and plentiful, for example parts are interchangable between my 1992 defender and the 2006 defender me mum has.
In the household we now have 2 x Defenders, 1 x RRC and 1 x Freelander 2, which should go some way to explain how happy we have been with Land Rover!
In the household we now have 2 x Defenders, 1 x RRC and 1 x Freelander 2, which should go some way to explain how happy we have been with Land Rover!
If you don't fit so well, and still want the Landie, these guys offer a solution: -
http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/MUD_Seat_Rails.shtml
http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/MUD_Seat_Rails.shtml
I've had a current 90 county as a daily driver for the past year/12k miles, it replaced a TD5 Black edition which I previously ran for about a year/10k miles. My personal observations/differences:
- 6th gear much better/quieter on motorways
- new engine not noticeably more economical and not really noticeably faster/stronger in fact you have to rev it harder which goes against the theory that it has more torque!
- Heater much better/more controllable
- Totally reliable (both)
- erm, not much else really.
On balance, though, I much preferred the old one - the new one sounds like a Transit and is less of an event to drive.
Oh, and if you're over 6' I'd steer clear of the models with a bulkhead behind the front seat - you'll be driving with your knees round your neck.
- 6th gear much better/quieter on motorways
- new engine not noticeably more economical and not really noticeably faster/stronger in fact you have to rev it harder which goes against the theory that it has more torque!
- Heater much better/more controllable
- Totally reliable (both)
- erm, not much else really.
On balance, though, I much preferred the old one - the new one sounds like a Transit and is less of an event to drive.
Oh, and if you're over 6' I'd steer clear of the models with a bulkhead behind the front seat - you'll be driving with your knees round your neck.
Edited by vantage4 on Friday 31st July 18:17
Edited by vantage4 on Friday 31st July 18:18
Edited by vantage4 on Friday 31st July 18:20
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