Motorway cruiser - options

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dag019 said:
I have a 200tdi in mine, ignore @lynall saying to forget one of those, that are fine, and much easier to work on than the later models. Also ignore any one telling to buy a rusty discovery, they will just be trying to off load their one so they can get a defender instead :D

Mine is a 200tdi, 1.2 transfer box, 265/75/16 bfg AT's and I get 50mph at 2000rpm and 75mph at 3000rpm, but similar to @wireman I tend to stick around 65-70. I do about 25k a year on mine (including towing) and it is fine on the motorway. I have some sound proofing on the bulkhead and seatbox, and a full headlining, but other than that is is a standard hardtop. I did 1000 miles of solid motorway driving in 20 hours earlier this year on the way down to morocco, and got out at the end of the day feeling fine. MPG is the problem, at 65ish I can get 27mpg (I run heavy with addons and have a roof rack) but if I am doing a run at 75-80 that will drop down to 23/24mpg.

I am in same boat as @wireman however, I bought the 110 when I was 18 and have it is all I have drive meaningfully for the last 10 year other than the series so I am very much used to its speed, comfort, and mpg levels. Due to this when I have toyed with additional vehicles (jag s-type, work Hilux) although they will go faster and possibly be more comfortable (a debatable point as I am so used to the 110 I adjust every other car seat to be as near to the 110 driving position as possible) for me this did not out weigh the down sides, such as sitting on the floor with no visibility of what was going on around you, and being full of electrical gimmicks I did not want and just went wrong!
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That s a brilliant answer mate, just what I was wondering! I'm the sam, my defender is the vehicle I've driven the most, and the only thing I want to drive in the future! :) cheers for that reply, mine is doing around tee 23-24 mpg mark, with mostly short journeys and mixed towing/greenlaning, was doing more like 26-27 on long journeys but I tend not to go much above 55mph with the 1.4 as its very loud! Will probably be the next thing I do! :)
 
1988smithy said:
Do you do any towing with that set up?
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I do tow with it, I borrow friends Ivor Williams two axle car transporter, 800kg unladen I brought a 110 back from Mansfield and it pulled fine, also i dropped off a SWB in Cumbria and brought another one back, again no problems. Unladen i get 30-33 mpg. Mine has had a modest remap to 144 bhp, decat pipe and egr blanking. I can still hear the radio at 70. When I first got the 90 it had a1.41 box on it and it felt like it was stuck in 3rd.
 
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I have a 1984, 110 van, fitted with a disco 200tdi, tranfer box, with 235/85/16s and lots of extra sound insulation .
It will quite happily cruise at 65-70, but to overtake someone going just slower than I want, takes planning.
Its quiet enough to listen to a radio easily .

Round town and on the 25mile journey to work, mixed countryside and town driving. I get 32mpg.
Hitting the motorway / dual carriageway 25mpg.

I tow, up to around a ton these days, mostly boats and have no problem. .


Time to go, I have 1/2 a ton to tow now. ..
 
dag019 said:
I have a 200tdi in mine, ignore @lynall saying to forget one of those, that are fine, and much easier to work on than the later models. Also ignore any one telling to buy a rusty discovery, they will just be trying to off load their one so they can get a defender instead :D

Mine is a 200tdi, 1.2 transfer box, 265/75/16 bfg AT's and I get 50mph at 2000rpm and 75mph at 3000rpm, but similar to @wireman I tend to stick around 65-70. I do about 25k a year on mine (including towing) and it is fine on the motorway. I have some sound proofing on the bulkhead and seatbox, and a full headlining, but other than that is is a standard hardtop. I did 1000 miles of solid motorway driving in 20 hours earlier this year on the way down to morocco, and got out at the end of the day feeling fine. MPG is the problem, at 65ish I can get 27mpg (I run heavy with addons and have a roof rack) but if I am doing a run at 75-80 that will drop down to 23/24mpg.

I am in same boat as @wireman however, I bought the 110 when I was 18 and have it is all I have drive meaningfully for the last 10 year other than the series so I am very much used to its speed, comfort, and mpg levels. Due to this when I have toyed with additional vehicles (jag s-type, work Hilux) although they will go faster and possibly be more comfortable (a debatable point as I am so used to the 110 I adjust every other car seat to be as near to the 110 driving position as possible) for me this did not out weigh the down sides, such as sitting on the floor with no visibility of what was going on around you, and being full of electrical gimmicks I did not want and just went wrong!
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27mpg at 65:D still half that of the micra and I would bet several times the maintenance costs of the micra to.
Just face it defenders are bits of crap that gullible people think are the bees knees, hence the silly prices.

I should add I ran my 200 for 4 years as my one and only daily and I still have it but dont miss driving it one bit.
 
biketeacherdave said:
More photos on request but seeing as he is the other end of the country very unlikely to be interested but happy to post more if wanted
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Fair enough but I always put a good few pics if I was to advertise any of my motors...…...also if it was a really good
motor someone will travel for it, I know I would ;)
 
Having regularly over the last 5 years done 800 mile round trips to far west coast of Scotland and back in my 1996 300 TDI defender I've had no problems (apart from the fuel cost, but not realty an issue) and being able to assist when the trailer failed a couple of time with our boat being towed by a modern Isuzu, (and being the only really capable vehicle for launching , retrieval and pulling up and down muddy fields) no issues with fatigue or bad backs etc. returns circa 35 MPG and a very enjoyable experience not just an insulated, isolated commute
 
marjon said:
If you can, borrow one and spend a few hours on the motorway in the cold and rain. Once in a while is fine but if you are thinking of it as a daily thing, think, and I don’t believe I am saying this, Freelander. That is if you don’t need it to towing anything more than the skin off a rice pud. :)

M
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I had a early freelander 1 rover diesel when they first came out and was no good on motorway, it did not seam safe at speed if there was any more than a light wind, the td5 Discovery I would take anywhere on motorways and just love driving it, it is nearly 19 years old and is happy at motorway speeds even with big trailer on back but always drinks the fuel at any sort of speed, I now have a td4 freelander to use for family travel and will sit on motorway all day at 130 km uses a lot less fuel than the TD5 but would not use it for towing as I think if I put 2 ton on the back I will soon break it
 
If your going 1.2 transfer box I would stick with Disco sized tyres, taller ones will ruin 200tdi pulling power on the motorway, I had 1.4 box and tall tyres on mine and it was just about right, with the 1.2 box I had in it wasn't happy under 40 in fifth and change down time on motorway hills unless you hit them at seventy five.
 
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