Why Is Defender Such a Poor Choice for Adventure? @4xoverland

#landroverdefender #overlanding #defender110
Stories of breakdowns, even minor ones requiring Defenders to be hoisted onto flatbeds continue to flood the internet. Why are minor issues causing such havoc? Its because programmers at Jaguar Landrover do not understand the meaning of adventure.

On-Line Training for Overlanders

4xOverland is the world's first global 4WD adventure off-road motoring channel. Established in 1996, it is hosted by well-known 4x4 writer, explorer and filmmaker, Andrew St Pierre White. AKA: ASPW.

[grahamthebaronhesketh.]

Asa tow truck driver I had to pickup a new discovery one time and take it back to the main dealer. The fault was it only went backwards. On arrival at the dealership the guy was in the car with his laptop and by the time I had winched it to the road the car was going forwards under it's own steam again. Software update he no more.

[hammycow]

Jeremy Clarkson went on Harry's Garage and talked about the doors opening killing the battery on the 2010 Range Rovers they would use as crew cars on Top Gear. For that year model, they introduced the digital gauge cluster, which would do a welcome animation every time the door was opened. The crews were constantly in and out of the cars retrieving film equipment. If I remember rightly, he said it'd only take about 10-15 door openings to kill the battery. A very stupid, very modern problem.

[motioncompensation]

The Defender is a perfect choice for adventure. Your trip will be very adventurous for sure.

[IncisalArt]

I am right at 60, 000 miles on my 2021 P400. I am a wildlife photographer and I have given this vehicle pure hell and it has been absolutely I have owned 3 Range Rovers and this is my first Land Rover. It absolutely the best all around vehicle I’ve ever owned .

[lelandmize]

I’m happy to share my story in detail but in summary: I’m in a loaner because my two month old Defender P400 shut down on the interstate at 75mph and went dead as a hammer. Tow company had to drag it onto the flatbed bc with a dead vehicle “Neutral” doesn’t exist and the jump pack didn’t work. It has been a week and I am still waiting on a solution. It will be out of my fleet immediately once I get it back from the dealer 6 hours away from my home where it failed. This vehicle is the beautiful girl that has inner demons that you wish you never met.

[tropical.romance]

“True adventure begins when everything goes wrong“ Yvon Chouinard (Patagonia founder)

Therefore, the defender must be the perfect “adventure” vehicle

[koborkutya]

Was never into overlanding but this video made me smile and made my day :) So in line with my thinking.
My dad toured Africa a few times and told me car cannot have a technical support there - the car itself IS the technical support. If you can't repair something at the roadside so it keeps on rolling (lousy maybe but still) then you should not dare into the outback with it.

[nathankitts]

I have a L663 New Defender 110. I take it overlanding, camping and multi day off road adventures. The battery thing is true unfortunately. Having said that, it’s never left me with a dead battery but I try not to lock and unlock the doors often while camping. I don’t think it deserves as much criticism though. Let me explain, I off road pretty hard and broke a front right axle and also ripped out the front right wheel speed sensor. The defender didn’t leave me stranded. I had to drive it off road nearly 2 miles to get it back to a safe location. Hearing the axle clicking around I had my friend who was off roading with me flat tow me with his Jeep on a forest road to get back to a country dirt road that was suitable for a flatbed tow truck to pick me up. I will say there was a weird process we had to go through to get the transmission fully in neutral for flat towing. Not sure why Land Rover has so many warnings about damaging the transmission flat towing, the transmission is a pretty standard 8 speed ZF. I think carrying a scanner is a good idea for any new vehicle. All new vehicles are rolling computers, even the new Ineos Grenadier which boast about simplicity is not in terms of electronics. It has nearly the same amount of computer components as the new Defender. If I’m not mistaken they even have the same 8 speed ZF transmission just different transfer cases, mechanical vs electronic shift for high/low. I knew what I was getting when I bought it and wouldn’t trade it for any other 4x4 on the market. It is more complex than some others but if you know how it works and what components to maintain and can accept some of the quirks it’s an amazing 4x4 that can take you anywhere. Just my opinion of course and experience with the L663.

[johnperry]

Good report . From 1992 to 2002 I was responsible for the training of 100 staff of aPolice department to use four wheel drives in the snowy mountains in australia, and we used non turbo land cruisers and Nissan patrols and in all that time over all those miles using multiple new student drivers over a good 120 cars, in hard conditions and the cars were used 24 hours in the bush and on country roads and highways we had not one breakdown, not one minor glitch, not one failure of any component . I can’t recall any time at all those cars would not start . So why would anyone settle for less in their own car with their own money ?

[theotherbrad]

The Defender I drove had error messages and a very glitchy center screen on the test drive. I purchased a TRD Off Road Premium 4Runner instead and I friggin' love it!

[yeti]

Reminds me of a local farmer who spent £94000 on a Range Rover but only used it at the weekends, spending the working week running around in his old Trooper 3.1. The Range Rover would run its battery down during the week and not start when he wanted to use it. After several returns to the LR dealer he was told to "you have to drive it more often" so he paid a further £300 to have a spare battery with a changeover switch fitted in the rear to ensure that he always had power to then told him he had invalidated his warranty.

[bogdanhh]

But Andrew, I had a similar issue with the new Isuzu d-max ;). Opening/closing the door, for some reason, killed the battery. It's not a Defender issue, it's a car with lots of electronics issues. Yes, the d-max is full - leather and a gazzilion of sensors.

[klimraamkosie]

The exact same thing happens with my 2015 Subaru Outback. We'd be camping for 2 days in and out of the car (fridge was in there) and then dead. I finally figured out two hacks.

1. Pull the key proximity sensor fuse when I'm going to be at a camp site.
2. When the rear hatch is open (fridge, food, clothes access), put a carabiner through the hatch lock as it's coming down to make it think the car is closed so that the lights won't stay on.

And this car has LEDs inside, not power hungry. But that proximity sensor just chewed threw the battery.

Thank goodness I had a lithium battery being charged off of solar that I could use to trickle charge a jump starter that eventually got the car going again (and I didn't turn it off that day...) We were in Big Bend State Park (in West Texas) with the closest ranger house 45 minute drive way that week but the 3 month old survived just fine.

I now have a Prado (Lexus GX).

[CHAGrady]

Andrew absolutely love your enthusiasm about this !! Also having a chuckle as us real Defender owners know fine well, it’s a Pretender, not a defender. Keep em coming !!

[villadazzler]

I am 2.5 yrs and 70k km in to my MY21 110 Defender. It's a weapon both on and off road. In that time, I've drained the battery 4 times while camping beside the vehicle before I worked out what the issue was. Disable keyless entry and remember to disconnect your Bluetooth OBD scan tool and you will never have a battery drain issue, no matter how many times you open the doors. If you want to be super sure, press and hold the light switch to disable cabin lights, and only open the barn door when grabbing your beers. This doesn't fire up the pivi pro computer. If you can't forgo the convenience, carry a 1500A lithium jump starter.

[lostandnotfound]

As a vehicle detailer I can confirm Defenders constantly go flat within 1 hour of working on them with doors open.

[Conan]

Another beautiful, expensive and flawed LR. My dad told me: “A Landrover will get you where you want to go in Australia, but if you want to get back you will need a Toyota”. No change in LR fundamentals in 30 years. I bought a new Discovery, loved it, was so lucky to trade it before too many $$$ surprises. A solid review.

[Paulo]

Andrew, a ZF 8 speed Defender does have a manual disabling of the parking pawl, it is located under the gearbox ( a bolt that you have to tighten up to push the parking pawl up to disengage it)

[series]

The reason there has not been any broken down in the out back is due to the fact no one takes them to the outback.
Just like you don't see any lions in the Aussie out back due to the we don't have lions in the outback.

[patricklawrence]

I owned a LR Discovery (95) model...with the center lockers, full time 4WD...i loved it. it was a tank. and then it started to break, and kept breaking across 3 years. And no, i didnt get a Land Cruiser, but i did get a 4Runner (a modern day LC60)...and its run for the past 10yrs, off road, on road, snow, ice, mud, stuck, unstuck, with the only problem being my remote lock actuators dont work anymore. I dont know what the LR designers, engineers, and builders are doing, but they miss the mark when it comes to building an adventure vehicle that is actually tough in any way.