Land Rover Defender 90
Considering buying a 2.4 Tdci Defender 90 for general daily use but not sure how it will perform as a tow car for our caravan which is a single axle Lunar ES that weighs about 1450Kg. Has anyone got any experience of towing a caravan with one. For example: performance on long journeys, fuel consumption, rear load space capacity, which tow bar to achieve the correct tow ball height.
Comments
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Easy bit first - Dixon Bate do a multi-height tow bar. And you can easily keep the ball part inside to avoid dirt, theft and knees.
That weight of trailer is well withing the capability of a Defender. Some folk prefer a long wheelbase (110) as they think there is a sensation of pitching with the short wheelbase. Certainly there is a lot more room in the back of a 110.
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I for some years towed with a 1988 Defender 90, an 1100kg van. Its biggest issue is the pitching ride; I then changed in 1993 to an 110, a wholly better tow vehicle.
I used a "Shock-link" mounted on a Dixon-Bate rack on the 90 and the two 110s we ran till 2005.
The fuel tank capacity of a 90 is another pain.
Both 90s and 110s make for fatiguing long distance vehicles, the more so towing. Those of our vintage could not have air-con without seriously risking the front passenger on long hauls being at some risk of getting "deep vein thrombosis".
They are undoubtedly charismatic vehicles and bring a lot of pleasure, but make sure any passenger can also "live" with being in them. After 17 years it got to us, but still miss them when I see a decent one!
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The fuel tank capacity of a 90 is another pain.
There are two easily fitted after market auxiliary tanks that virtually turn it into a fuel bowser.
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We had a 90 Defender for years, brilliant tow vehicle, although have to agree re pitching if you have a long van. I noticed it a lot, OH didn't, but for me it became an issue.
V9 is correct regarding LR Defenders being seriously prone to theft, whole vehicle or parts. It is so bad in our area, the NFU would not insure a LR for us, not at any price. Friends and neighbours all report either full thefts or parts going missing. It was a factor that prompted us to look at Jeeps. So I would check out insurance before buying and invest it some serious anti theft gear if you do, way beyond a wheel clamp!
They are brilliant vehicles though, we towed thousands of miles with one for years, including ton and half of horses on the back.
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Hi K9, when we re-started caravanning back in 2015 we were towing with a 2.4 TDCI 90. As you can imagine it did extremely well when towing our Quasar 462. It had a factory fit towing bracket, but our local towbar specialist changed the towball to one suitable for a Alko hitch and from 7 pin to 13 pin.
We didn't go down the route of a Dixon Bate shocklink. The clutch and gearbox were heavy going and when I compare to our now Audi Q3 DSG, my preference is for towing with the Audi.
If though changing gear a heavy clutch and lack of hill hold don't worry you they don't really come much better as a tow vehicle, although I'll admit that I had less sleepless nights once it had gone as I also feared I'd wake up one morning and find it gone.
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Absolutely shocking vehicles!
The driving position is terrible squashed over to one side, making long distance driving appalling, there is barely enough leg room because the seats won't go back far enough.
Every squeak, rattle and thud is potentially something breaking, about to break or already fallen off.
There are gaps round the doors you can put your fingers through and they come out of the showroom without a single straight panel.
They drive rubbish, handle rubbish and perform rubbish!
....I love my 200tdi 90 to pieces and wouldn't change it for the world (well, I might change it for a newer one!)
In all seriousness they are a marmite car and you do need to like them to have to drive them, they are basically wrong, but brilliant!
I know mine is older, but they are a light vehicle that can tow more than twice their own weight - don't, its scary!
Oh and it is mandatory to wave at other defender drivers as you pass!
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Memories CJ! Not a Defender, but a LR Series 2A. Hiking boot jammed to stop low range stick from rattling, bungee across passengers knees from door handle to gear stick to stop the brain boring gearknob rattle on the motorway, it was "bungee off, bungee on" at every junction! 400 miles from Yorkshire to Lands End, no point in radio, couldn't be heard above all the rattles! Soft top in Summer, hard top in Winter! The only time I complained was when OH decided he needed screen folded down, I couldn't cope with the insect pinging off my eyes and teeth! God, we loved that vehicle...... had a camp kitchen in back for picnics!
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Brilliant TTDA!
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Reading this thread reminded me of a joke I heard. Apologies for going off topic.
The guys at LR where invited to visit the Toyota factory to see how they build the Landcruiser. The LR guys were amazed at the effort put into getting the shut lines correct and how small they were. At the end of the day a cat was put inside a random Landcruiser off the production line. The LR guys were intrigued by this and asked what the purpose of this was. Well said one of the Toyota guys, if the cat is dead in the morning then we know we have got the shut lines correct.
Back at the LR factory the guys were keen to try this out on a Defender. At the end of the shift a cat was duly placed inside one and they couldn't wait to check it out in the morning. When the morning came they rushed in to check out the cat in the Defender. They found that the cat had.......escaped!!0
