An Archive for Fanatics of Land Rovers
An Archive for Fanatics of Land Rovers
The new Land Rover Defender Specifications vs old Defender vs Discovery 3/4 is an interesting comparison. The excitement and anticipation of the launch of the new Defender 2020 has come and gone, an overload of change information and new things to look at. It is clear that Land Rover have created an entirely new vehicle in a class of its own. The old link to the Jeep which is what inspired the first Land Rover is now gone. Land Rover has clearly created its own unique positioning and this is now more evident than ever with the new Defender specifications. So is it a Defender, or is it a more functional Discovery? Reality is that it falls somewhere inbetween the two, infact it also has a bit of Range Rover in it. It all started with the Land Rover Series 1 then came the Range Rover and then the Discovery. Now it has come full circle with the Defender evolving with a full set of family genes. We have looked at the new Land Rover Defender 2020 specification for 90 and 110 and compared it to the old classic Defender and the Discovery 3/4. So if you currently own a classic Defender or a Discovery 3/4, how does this new vehicle compare to your current one in terms of specs? Practical side by side tests I am sure will be done in due course when these vehicles finally hit the streets, for now how do they compare on paper?
The full specs are in the table below and complement the full write up of the New Land Rover Defender 2020. There are some key features that can be highlighted. The overall look retains some of the key Defender features, the flat bonnet, wheel arches, the skylights, the shoulder section introduced in the Series 2, the hinged back door and the vertical rear with the wheel on the back. Inside, the flat dashboard, centre front seat and option to move across the cabin, use of hard wearing durable and cleanable fabrics and the ability to clean the ruberised interior easily. Performance wise the programable terrain response allows experienced drivers to manipulate gearing, speed, traction control and diff locks. The wheel options are extensive with strong offroad orientated smaller steel rims to large rimmed low profile options.
This vehicle has been designed to be customised and accessoriesed which was one of the biggest advantages of the old Defenders. This is evidenced from the significant array of accessories offered by Land Rover. The initial vehicles launched are super high specced with all the cutting edge technology, but the anouncement of the commercial derivatives and rumours of 130 variants point to a continuing range of more basic workhorse models into the future. The new Defender 130 is expected to be on the same wheel base as the 110 but be about 500cm longer. Land Rover is adamant that this is the most capable Land Rover yet, that is significant because the Defender has always been that, straight off the showroom floor and the new Defender looks no different.
The fundamental difference for hard core off roaders is the move away from a ladder frame chassis and solid axles to a monocoque chassis with independent suspension, as was done with the Range Rover and Discovery. The biggest areas of comparisson for traditional Defender owners will be the proven durability, simplicity and lack of electronics of the old Defender vs the unknown complexity and electronically dependent new Defender. This is Land Rovers strategy and vision for the future, a tough pill to swallow for some. Either you embrace the new or refuse to accept it and you stick with the old, they will be around for 70+ years just like Series 1. Next up is off road capability, on paper the new Defender looks like it has it and Im sure drive tests will verify that soon. Approach and departure angles are good and very close but not as good as the old one except for departure on the 110 being better than the old one. However if you remove some of those plastic bumpers im sure you can increase it.
The new Defender is streaks ahead in terms of safety, comfort, power and acceleration. All round a more pleasant driving experience, obvious from the engine specs and the chassis, suspension and interior design. The practicality of the materials used inside should also provide the durability and functionality that Defender owners will be looking for. Interior space and usability is critical as the old Defender had alot of usable space making it ideal for camping and travelling. The new Defender has similar total loadspace capacity behind the front seats but behind the second row seats it is a bit smaller. However the roof load on the new Defender is higher than the old one. Affordability is actually similar, the new Defender will cost around R100k more than the old one if inflation is added back to 2016 pricing when it was discontinued. Considering the level of refinement and technology vs the old one, this is completely understandable although still expensive.
The old Defender remained largely unchanged since its rebadging from the 110, besides some engine refinements and other cosmetic changes. This left many owners looking to the used Discovery 3 and 4 market for a more comfortable all rounder. In many ways the new Defender is just a more functional Discovery 4 and perhaps what some were expecting the new Discovery 5 to be. So you can expect many of these current owners to be looking at the new Defender as their go to vehicle. The biggest diffrence is the monocoqe chassis vs the ladder frame of the Discovery 3/4, but base technology is similar with independent air suspension and terrain response.
Performance can be expected to be similar or slightly better with the lowest engine option in the new Defender matching the figures of the Deiscovery 3. The new Defender will be lighter than the heavy Discovery 3/4, that and better engine options will mean a Defender with some decent power to weight ratios. Off road performance will better with a lighter and stronger construction in the new Defender and better approach and departure angles. Comfort and driveability will probably not be as comfortable as the Discovery but will still be more than adequate. The Defender 110 appears to be slightly smaller than the Discovery 3/4 inside with a smaller loadspace capacity. However the more functional practical interior should make the new Defender a better choice for day to day functionality, use and abuse.
| 2.0 SD4 (D4H) 200 PS / 240 PS | 2.0 Si4 (P4) 300PS | 3.0 I6 (P6) 400PS | Defender 110 2012 | Discovery 3 TDV6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission | AWD 8 spd Automatic | AWD 8 spd Automatic | AWD 8Spd Automatic MHEV | GFT MT-82 (6 speed manual) | Auto 6spd |
| Engine type | Inline 4 Cylinder, 16 Valves, Common Rail Direct Injection | Inline 4 Cylinder, 16 Valves, Electronic control, direct injection | Inline 6 Cylinder, 24 Valves, Electronic control, direct injection | North-South, 4-cylinder, 16 valve | V6 24v Diesel |
| Displacement cm3 | 1998 | 1997 | 2996 | 2198 | 2720 |
| CO2 emissions (g/km) NEDC | 248 | 277 | 272 | 295 | 244 |
| Max power | (147kW) @ 4000rpm / (177kW) @ 4000rpm | 221kW (300PS) @ 5500rpm | 294kW (400PS) @ 5500rpm | 90kW @3500 rpm | 140KW @4000rpm |
| Max torque | 430Nm (317lb ft) @1400rpm | 400Nm (295lb ft) @ 1500-4000 rpm | 550Nm (406lb ft) @ 2000-5000 rpm | 360 (265) @2000 rpm | 440nm @1900 |
| Fuel tank capacity (litres) (usable) | D110 - 85, D90 - 83.5 | D110 - 90, D90 - 88.5 | 75 | 82 | |
| 0-62mph (0-100km/h) (secs) 10.2 9 8 6 | 10.3 / 9.1 | 8.1 | 6.1 | 17 | 12.8 |
| Top speed (km/h) | 175 / 188 | 191 | 191 | 144 | 180 |
| Fuel consumption l/100km | 7.5 - 9.6 | 9.9 - 12.5 | 9.6 - 12.2 | 9.7-13 | 8.7 - 13.2 |
| Steering | Electronic Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) rack and pinion | ||||
| Front suspension | SLA suspension with twin lower links | ||||
| Rear suspension | Integral link suspension |
| New Defender 110 | New Defender 90 | Defender 110 - 2012 | Defender 90 - 2012 | Discovery 3 TDV6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS, mm | Length 5018, Width 2105, Height 1967, Wheelbase 3022, Front Track 1704, Rear Track 1670 | Length 4583, Width 2105, Height 1970, Wheelbase 2587, Front Track 1706, Rear Track 1702 | Length 4785, Width 1791, Height 2134, Wheelbase 2794, Track 1486 | Length 3894, Width 1791, Height 2134, Wheelbase 2360, Track 1486 | Length 4829, Width 2022, Height 1887, Wheelbase 2885, Front Track 1605, Rear track 1612 |
| Angles | Approach 38, Ramp Over 28, Departure 40, Wading 900mm | Approach 38, Ramp Over 31, Departure 40, Wading 900mm | Approach 49, Ramp Over 30, Departure 35, Wading 500mm | Approach 47, Ramp Over 33, Departure 47, Wading 500mm | Approach 36, Ramp Over 27, Departure 30, Wading 700mm |
| Clearance mm | 292 | 292 | 323 | 314 | 240 |
| Roof load, kg | Static 300kg, Dynamic 168kg | Static 300kg, Dynamic 168kg | 150kg | 150kg | 75kg |
| Loadspace capacity 7/6 seat, litres | Behind Row 1 - 2233, Row 2 - 916, Row 3 - 231 | Behind Row 1 - 1563, Row 2 - 397 | Behind Row 1 - 2100, Row 2 - 1574 | Behind Row 1 - 2100, Row 2 - 1574 | Behind Row 1 - 2558, Row 2 - 1260 |
| Loadspace dimensions, mm | Width - 1211, Height - 904, Depth - 1763 (900) | Width - 1183, Height - 904, Depth - 1313 (460) | Width - 1320 (900 wheelarches), Height - 1130 (760 wheelarches), Depth - 1640 (1220) | Width - 1320 (900 wheelarches), Height - 1130 (760 wheelarches), Depth - 1168 | Width - 1230, Height - 1020, Depth - 1090 (1925) |
| Headroom (mm) | Row 1: 1032; Row 2: 1025, Row 3: 1033 | Row 1: 1030; Row 2: 980 | Row 1: 940; Row 2: 760 | Row 1: 1000; Row 2: 930 | |
| Legroom (mm) | Row 1: 993; Row 2: 975; Row 3: 520 | Row 1: 993; Row 2: 929 | Row 1: 760; Row 2: 450 | Row 1: 960; Row 2: 680 | |
| WEIGHT 7 seat, kg | D4H - 2380, P4 - 2318, P6 - 2418 | D4H - 2231, P4 - 2162, P6 - 2268 | 2062 | 1887 | 2404 |
| Cost, Rands | +- R900K | +- R800K | R643K | R600K | R663K - HSE 2009 |
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