I currently have a 3 door Rav 4 which is a nice car but I need something that is short (so I can park in town and miscellaneous other tricky spots) and has really formidable off road capability (we spend a month each year up a mountain in Austria with a really steep ice and snow covered track)

The Rav with winter tyres copes most of the time but sometimes just slides down the hill, which is scary.

I could afford a new Defender but am not too keen on electronic stuff - I would like to be able to just lock the wheel diffs when I think appropriate rather than some computer program deciding for me (call me old fashioned)

Also, needs to be reasonably comfortable and reliable as it is 1,000 miles to Austria (and the same back) from where I am

So, which later models have straight forward diff locks please? And any general observations really appreciated
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If you have the money the Range Rover is surprisingly capable but be ready for its foibles. Newer Disco is very good too. If you want to lock everything up then you're looking at an old G-Wagon where both axles and the centre diff can be locked but they're nowhere near as nice to drive, especially long distance.
 
If you have the money the Range Rover is surprisingly capable but be ready for its foibles. Newer Disco is very good too. If you want to lock everything up then you're looking at an old G-Wagon where both axles and the centre diff can be locked but they're nowhere near as nice to drive, especially long distance.

This thread is 10 years old 🤣 🤣 🤣
 
(the ABS does not seem to help when really slippery - you put the brakes on and it just slides for quite a while)
I really wouldn’t be braking on slippery downhill conditions! - I was always taught low ratio and let engine braking do the rest (until it stalls and then pray). In a Defender, gravity will decide what happens before Lockers on the Diffs. Best gadget was Hill Descent Control in D3 etc. early witchcraft at play right there.

I had a rear locker in one of my 90’s, great for mud plugging, useless for anything else.

save your money.
 
Also, needs to be reasonably comfortable and reliable as it is 1,000 miles to Austria (and the same back) from where I am.

Well that rules out all but the new Defender then on comfort and maybe all on reliability.
 

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