Drive Before I Decide?

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J2Landy said:
I'm really loving hearing these positive experiences, and as I'm not one that's huge on modern cars/requiring huge amounts of refinement I think I'll be absolutely fine. I'll still plan to have an extended drive in both the TD5, and Puma, but I'm feeling confident both will put a smile on my face.

How is the airflow/cabin temperature in the TD5 without AC? I was thinking about things I might struggle to not have, and cruise, AC, and decent speakers definitely came to mind - the AC being the most difficult to tackle aftermarket, and probably too expensive to be worthwhile, so I think I need to make a decision on if it's an essential thing to have.

Hugely grateful for all of the replies already!
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If that's the case I reckon a Puma is slightly up market compared to a TD5.
 
Difference between the two is really

Tdci -
slightly more costly to fix/modfiy
Nicer more car like interior, nicer seats, especially the 110
Underpowered given todays standards, however a simple remap will allow you to keep.up with traffic
Engines can be a pain depending on which one you get.
Exhaust are a ballache
Internal slave cylinders is are a nightmare - 20min job and £30 on a TD5. Gearbox out job on a TDCi

TD5s -
My personal choice.
Incredibly easy to work on, even for a novice. Parts are fairly cheap but quality parts are becoming hard to come by due to the age
Incredibly reliable if looked after well.
Easy to service, easy to fix.
Huge amounts of power can be had from very basic bolt on items.
Interior is very dated and very basic but again easy to live with.
Sounds great for a diesel
Very easy to modify
Can be difficult to get a good one now as they are really showing their age.
Generally the manufacturering of the TD5s was better than than the TDCis (this is a personal opinion based on experience with both models)
Cruise control can be retro fitted for about £120
Without AC its not as bad as youd think as you have the front vents
TD5 AC is basic but works very well for what it is

Overall id say if you want one to drive on tarmac and leave standard and prefer a slightly more modern one then TDCi if you want to go off road, bit of travelling or love to tinker then TD5.

Im a little biased as I absolutely love the TD5s, very easy to make your own, great to drive, make a good noise and very reliable.

If youre ever around Gatwick/Burgess Hill youre welcome to come have a look/drive of mine and chat about the two models.
 
J2Landy said:
How is the airflow/cabin temperature in the TD5 without AC? I was thinking about things I might struggle to not have, and cruise, AC, and decent speakers definitely came to mind - the AC being the most difficult to tackle aftermarket, and probably too expensive to be worthwhile, so I think I need to make a decision on if it's an essential thing to have.
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You can fit decent speakers. And it you wanted extra and to overpower the general road/wind noise of a defender you can put them in the headlining right next to you ear. That is where I have mine.
Cruise control come into the same catagory of Modern superfluousness as parking sensor in my opinion. Although I know if you are that way inclined you can fit it to the electronically controlled variants you are looking at so you could retro fit if it doesn’t come with it.

In terms of AC the TD5 comes with the original AC they got rid of on the tdci. You move your left hand forward a little and there is a magic lever that opens the cabin to a whole new world of refreshing air flow.

1743957558711.jpeg


On a more serious not I have done Morocco twice and driven through the Sahara with nothing more than the front vents fitted to my 110. As long as you are moving above about 10mph they are more than sufficient to cool the cabin. And combined with adopting the correct driving position of elbow out an open window regardless of weather I have never missed not having AC.
 
Ok I can confirm these guys don't have an old Defender anywhere in England, and only have one in Edinburgh. It's a shame.
Anaconda said:
4x4vehiclehire.co.uk

Land Rover Defender Hire | 4x4 Vehicle Hire

4x4vehiclehire.co.uk 4x4vehiclehire.co.uk
?
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Ok - I can confirm these guys don't have an old Defender anywhere in England, and only have one in Edinburgh. It's a shame, but I'll look for alternatives.

Stone56 said:
If you intend to take and drive it in a hot climate I would say you need A/C we get temperature regular in the 30 deg with the heat from the engine and gear box tunnel You will soon become part of your seat, look for one's with the summer pack, C/C is not a problem as there arei simple to install pack's available for both Td5 and puma , look for a Td5 Xs
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That's great, I will keep that in mind. The XS TD5's seem to be a bit on the rare side, but I'm sure some people have had them retrofitted too. Thank you.
 
bankz5152 said:
Difference between the two is really

Tdci -
slightly more costly to fix/modfiy
Nicer more car like interior, nicer seats, especially the 110
Underpowered given todays standards, however a simple remap will allow you to keep.up with traffic
Engines can be a pain depending on which one you get.
Exhaust are a ballache
Internal slave cylinders is are a nightmare - 20min job and £30 on a TD5. Gearbox out job on a TDCi

TD5s -
My personal choice.
Incredibly easy to work on, even for a novice. Parts are fairly cheap but quality parts are becoming hard to come by due to the age
Incredibly reliable if looked after well.
Easy to service, easy to fix.
Huge amounts of power can be had from very basic bolt on items.
Interior is very dated and very basic but again easy to live with.
Sounds great for a diesel
Very easy to modify
Can be difficult to get a good one now as they are really showing their age.
Generally the manufacturering of the TD5s was better than than the TDCis (this is a personal opinion based on experience with both models)
Cruise control can be retro fitted for about £120
Without AC its not as bad as youd think as you have the front vents
TD5 AC is basic but works very well for what it is

Overall id say if you want one to drive on tarmac and leave standard and prefer a slightly more modern one then TDCi if you want to go off road, bit of travelling or love to tinker then TD5.

Im a little biased as I absolutely love the TD5s, very easy to make your own, great to drive, make a good noise and very reliable.

If youre ever around Gatwick/Burgess Hill youre welcome to come have a look/drive of mine and chat about the two models.
Click to expand...

I feel like I am leaning towards the TD5 more and more each day, but it's definitely still an open choice for me, and so speaking with people who have experience of both is really valuable. I will be looking to work on the vehicle I decide on, and despite having experience on the tools, I have never worked on cars (all of my cars have been extremely well behaved) so again the TD5 pulls ahead.

I think the fact that it won't be my daily driver is pushing me towards TD5 as well (not to mention the sound). Lots of very good information in your reply though, so thanks a lot for putting the time in.

I do really appreciate the offer of a chat / look / drive, and I would love to take you up on that some time, I only live about 20-30 minutes away from there as well - I would probably pass on the driving though, just in case.

Thanks a lot.
 
dag019 said:
You can fit decent speakers. And it you wanted extra and to overpower the general road/wind noise of a defender you can put them in the headlining right next to you ear. That is where I have mine.
Cruise control come into the same catagory of Modern superfluousness as parking sensor in my opinion. Although I know if you are that way inclined you can fit it to the electronically controlled variants you are looking at so you could retro fit if it doesn’t come with it.

In terms of AC the TD5 comes with the original AC they got rid of on the tdci. You move your left hand forward a little and there is a magic lever that opens the cabin to a whole new world of refreshing air flow.

View attachment 338502

On a more serious not I have done Morocco twice and driven through the Sahara with nothing more than the front vents fitted to my 110. As long as you are moving above about 10mph they are more than sufficient to cool the cabin. And combined with adopting the correct driving position of elbow out an open window regardless of weather I have never missed not having AC.
Click to expand...
I think decent quality speakers is definitely on the list of absolute essentials, I like the fact you've got them blasting into your ears to drown out the road / wind noise haha.

I'm still torn on the cruise, but it seems to be a relatively minor consideration the more I think about it - I'll probably take it as it goes, and add it if I feel I am missing it.

Ok if you can handle Morocco / the Sahara I think I can handle Europe - I'm happy with that. How do you find the heater for dealing with winter months / colder countries, or is just a case of wrap up warm?

Thank you.
 
J2Landy said:
I feel like I am leaning towards the TD5 more and more each day, but it's definitely still an open choice for me, and so speaking with people who have experience of both is really valuable. I will be looking to work on the vehicle I decide on, and despite having experience on the tools, I have never worked on cars (all of my cars have been extremely well behaved) so again the TD5 pulls ahead.

I think the fact that it won't be my daily driver is pushing me towards TD5 as well (not to mention the sound). Lots of very good information in your reply though, so thanks a lot for putting the time in.

I do really appreciate the offer of a chat / look / drive, and I would love to take you up on that some time, I only live about 20-30 minutes away from there as well - I would probably pass on the driving though, just in case.

Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...

No worries. Happy to help, can at the very least come for ride if you want!
 
J2Landy said:
Ok if you can handle Morocco / the Sahara I think I can handle Europe - I'm happy with that. How do you find the heater for dealing with winter months / colder countries, or is just a case of wrap up warm?
Click to expand...
I did find it terrible before I actually had a look at anything. I then found I had no thermostat fitted, replaced with a 78 degree one. I then found all the foam seals in the heater box had disintegrated, same with the dash air box, after replacing these the heater is nice and toasty. It is not a modern car hot to within single degree point, but it is hot enough to warm the front of the 110 happily on a winters day. Heaters are a bit like the seats in a defender, the people who complain about them usually have ones that are worn out and haven't bothered trying to maintain and repair them toa good working standard.
 
dag019 said:
I did find it terrible before I actually had a look at anything. I then found I had no thermostat fitted, replaced with a 78 degree one. I then found all the foam seals in the heater box had disintegrated, same with the dash air box, after replacing these the heater is nice and toasty. It is not a modern car hot to within single degree point, but it is hot enough to warm the front of the 110 happily on a winters day. Heaters are a bit like the seats in a defender, the people who complain about them usually have ones that are worn out and haven't bothered trying to maintain and repair them toa good working standard.
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Completely agree. The heaters arnt actually that bad at all when the are working 100%

People are just used to modern climate control systems that are way over engineered. Im not actually a fan, i genuinely prefer the separate heater and AC in my TD5.

Its just on and warm, on and cold, or on max and the wife complains my music is too loud but the AC is louder🤣

Downside is the TD5 takes 7.2L of oil and is very well cooled so on a cold day it does take about 15 mins to actually be warm in the cab so heated seats are a must. Equally it is a 20+ year old diesel so its going to take a while to heat up.

Easy way round it is a cheap diesel heater, loads of places to fit one. Fairly easy to fit and can be set on a timer.

Which remindes me I NEED to fit mine before winter again 😅
 
J2Landy said:
Haha an honest summary. I can imagine there's nothing fun about being stuck in traffic in one. Do you think you could stomach it on an extended drive (4-6 hours)?
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lt's easy to improve one to make it better as a car, if that's what you want to use it for.

First try to get one with aircon.

Adjustable dampers set to soft, give a better ride on the road
RTC steering damper makes the steering more suitable for road use (but first make sure the suspension is okay, swivel preload etc as that can make a big difference)
Extra sound insulation obvious really, there are various kits available, quieter = better on the road.

The TDCi is best for road use, the six speed gearbox is better for motorway use. l test drove one yesterday. Also the heater is much better in the TDCi

However l did 90,000 road miles in my TD5 110 and apart from needing an extra gear on the motorway it was fine.
 
That's so true. I also have a 2023 pick up that I specced exactly how I wanted it, but my '05 Td5 90 is so much more pleasurable to drive. I have driven it from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories to Vancouver Island and back (three full 12 hr days in each direction) out of choice more than once. And while I'm happy to walk into a car park and see my Ranger sitting there, I smile to walk out and see the 90. It's all about character. Landies have it. Modern vehicles - not so much.
 
Squonker said:
That's so true. I also have a 2023 pick up that I specced exactly how I wanted it, but my '05 Td5 90 is so much more pleasurable to drive. I have driven it from Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories to Vancouver Island and back (three full 12 hr days in each direction) out of choice more than once. And while I'm happy to walk into a car park and see my Ranger sitting there, I smile to walk out and see the 90. It's all about character. Landies have it. Modern vehicles - not so much.
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Indeed, it seems more like an adventure when you drive a Defender.
 
lightning said:
lt's easy to improve one to make it better as a car, if that's what you want to use it for.

First try to get one with aircon.

Adjustable dampers set to soft, give a better ride on the road
RTC steering damper makes the steering more suitable for road use (but first make sure the suspension is okay, swivel preload etc as that can make a big difference)
Extra sound insulation obvious really, there are various kits available, quieter = better on the road.

The TDCi is best for road use, the six speed gearbox is better for motorway use. l test drove one yesterday. Also the heater is much better in the TDCi

However l did 90,000 road miles in my TD5 110 and apart from needing an extra gear on the motorway it was fine.
Click to expand...

Tend to disagree on this.

Adjustable dampers are from Terrafirma and a absolutely awful in terms of reliability.

RTC dampers are a gimmick at best, unreliable and crap at worst. Better off with OME or Fox if bigger tyres.

Six speed box doesnt make much of a difference given the V8 5th in an R380 is the same ratio.

Ive driven to Barcelona a few times in my old 110, once without AC, it was bareable but warm.

That said the UK is worse because of our awful sticky heat!
 
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