'New' defenders buyers guide?
Discussion
Currently got an xc90 which tows a circa 2.2tonne of horses, it replaced a discovery 4 which was the worse car I've ever owned.
The xc90 is coming to the point where we might replace it in the next few months. Is there a current buyers guide out there? what to look for? are they better built than my disaster of a disco?
I've looked at the Ineos, the motorway 24mpg seems like a tough pill. New Landcruiser would be perfect, however there's not any one or two year old used approved yet, so that'll have to wait.
The XC90 has been brill, well built, space for kids, tows well, ideally, just needs a bigger engine.
The xc90 is coming to the point where we might replace it in the next few months. Is there a current buyers guide out there? what to look for? are they better built than my disaster of a disco?
I've looked at the Ineos, the motorway 24mpg seems like a tough pill. New Landcruiser would be perfect, however there's not any one or two year old used approved yet, so that'll have to wait.
The XC90 has been brill, well built, space for kids, tows well, ideally, just needs a bigger engine.
You’re best off joining the Defender owner’s Facebook group. Basically you’ll see, as usual for Land Rovers, that you either win and have zero issues or lose in a big way; they’re either nightmares or don’t put a foot wrong.
Personally, with 13 Land Rovers between me, my brother and my Dad, we’ve never had any real bother aside from my first Disco 3 being a bit of a diva. And my D4 was the best car I’ve owned.
I think you’ll find exactly the same with the Defender as you did with your D4; in that a huge proportion will say it’s the best car they’ve ever owned but a small minority will never touch a LR product again. I cancelled my order as I got fed up of waiting but, from memory, they like cracking windscreens, losing trim pieces and the four cylinder diesels are ticking time-bombs so best avoided.
My brother is facing another four figure repair bill on his BMW X5 (he’s up to £8k in 18 months) and the XC90 group is full of owners cursing the day they decided to buy one so it can happen with any brand! Personally I couldn’t stand the XC90 I had for a few months and couldn’t wait to give it back so I guess it depends what floats your boat.
Personally, with 13 Land Rovers between me, my brother and my Dad, we’ve never had any real bother aside from my first Disco 3 being a bit of a diva. And my D4 was the best car I’ve owned.
I think you’ll find exactly the same with the Defender as you did with your D4; in that a huge proportion will say it’s the best car they’ve ever owned but a small minority will never touch a LR product again. I cancelled my order as I got fed up of waiting but, from memory, they like cracking windscreens, losing trim pieces and the four cylinder diesels are ticking time-bombs so best avoided.
My brother is facing another four figure repair bill on his BMW X5 (he’s up to £8k in 18 months) and the XC90 group is full of owners cursing the day they decided to buy one so it can happen with any brand! Personally I couldn’t stand the XC90 I had for a few months and couldn’t wait to give it back so I guess it depends what floats your boat.
The 2.0 is ok but truthfully, get a 6 cylinder.
A D250 is a decent performer and the D300 is a cut above again.
SE or HSE spec will bring a good spec, there’s a few option packs like tow pack, off road pack, cold climate pack. If you get one with the matrix lights then you can’t go wrong.
Make sure it has air suspension, the coils arent as good.
They can suffer some electrical problems, the drls like to fail on some cars, which can be expensive as it’s usually a new light unit needed, Powerful U.K. do a repair kit if you can follow a YouTube guide.
The infotainment system can act up but 99.9% a reboot sorts it.
Do not leave the oil for the 21,000 service intervals.
On a modern diesel it’s just asking for trouble. 10k changes.
The windscreen glass is apparently rather thin, hence rather susceptible to chips and cracks.
Despite claims, there’s a surprising amount of owners who do use them off road, tow with them and generally treat them like a defender should be.
With decent tyres and some understanding of how to use the systems, they are very capable.
A friends got a D300 HSE x dynamic with every option ticked for a 5 seat model.
It’s not had a single issue and with no concern for mpg it’s still doing over 30mpg average.
A D250 is a decent performer and the D300 is a cut above again.
SE or HSE spec will bring a good spec, there’s a few option packs like tow pack, off road pack, cold climate pack. If you get one with the matrix lights then you can’t go wrong.
Make sure it has air suspension, the coils arent as good.
They can suffer some electrical problems, the drls like to fail on some cars, which can be expensive as it’s usually a new light unit needed, Powerful U.K. do a repair kit if you can follow a YouTube guide.
The infotainment system can act up but 99.9% a reboot sorts it.
Do not leave the oil for the 21,000 service intervals.
On a modern diesel it’s just asking for trouble. 10k changes.
The windscreen glass is apparently rather thin, hence rather susceptible to chips and cracks.
Despite claims, there’s a surprising amount of owners who do use them off road, tow with them and generally treat them like a defender should be.
With decent tyres and some understanding of how to use the systems, they are very capable.
A friends got a D300 HSE x dynamic with every option ticked for a 5 seat model.
It’s not had a single issue and with no concern for mpg it’s still doing over 30mpg average.
A.J.M said:
A friends got a D300 HSE x dynamic with every option ticked for a 5 seat model.
It’s not had a single issue and with no concern for mpg it’s still doing over 30mpg average.
That’s what MrsLT runs (on air suspension), she’s also a former (multiple) XC90 owner, due to horse related stuff. It’s not had a single issue and with no concern for mpg it’s still doing over 30mpg average.
She loved her XC90s, but prefers the Defender. No issues at all in the year she’s had it.
I’ll admit to not having been a fan when they first came out (I’ve had, and still have, various Series and “old” Defenders which MrsLT doesn’t much care for). I actually quite like it though and will willingly drive it, which isn’t what I expected.
When she was looking she considered the latest Disco, RRS, and FFRR. As a horse/family bus it’s quite hard to beat. Not as plush as the FFRR but more practical than the others. They seem to be out-selling Discos by a fair margin too.
Not sure if it is standard, but the electronic rear view mirror is both a bit odd and very useful at the same time. Takes a bit of getting used to, but it renders the dog guard invisible. Similarly, the electronic “driver aids” are intrusive unless disabled (every trip, from the steering wheel).
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