wolverine_man

Checking the stats, a stock D-90, with its aluminum body, actually weighs almost 600 lbs lighter than a JK Rubi 2-door and is about 8 inches taller. And despite being aluminum the body panels and hood are about 4 times stronger than those on my JK.

MJS_Jeep_888

Hmm - guess that makes it all the more impressive that, while heavier, the JK is more capable off-road, generates more power from its smaller-displacement engine, goes faster, looks better, is likely more reliable, and gets better fuel economy.

Had to jump in here and give the JK some praise, because this was turning into a Land Rover praise-a-thon. Let's not forget who the king of off-road is, OK? It's Jeep, plain and simple!

bofer84

The landrovers offer some pretty stout parts, as well as jeep to. But i think the difference is the landy was designed to be a farm vehicle, so things are just dont differently. IE, they are designed so that if the 4x4 fails, it fails into 4wheel drive...pretty cool huh...Its just certain things they can do, that jeep couldn't do now because of a law suite problem or something. Besides, you are comparing it to a stock jeep...who keeps their jeep stock anyway...

wolverine_man

Those who can't afford mods.

blueox

I love my 4dr Jk and my 90. But the 90 as built makes the jeeps look like silly little school boys in the dirt. JP

Florian

Wow, thx for the pics! The JK does look small.

I like the US version of the small defender much better than the european one. Is that the V8 or the 5 cyl. turbo diesel? Unfortunately, they do not sell the V8 in europe. I've driven the diesel and was totally disappointed. Extremely loud (no need for a stereo - you couldn't hear it anyway), extremely slow and just a pain in the a## on road. I was surprised when I drove the american V8 once because it sounds great and is yet so quiet.

Also, I notice your dad's defender has a different kind of soft top than the european ones. It actually LOOKS like a real soft top and not like this thin noisy one-piece plastic crap they sell in europe as a soft top. Is the US soft top also tied to the defender with a rope? Doesn't look like it. I also like the big black roll bars much better. And are those soft upper doors your dad has?

Does Land Rover actually sell the Defenders 110 and 130 in the US? I wonder how awesome those would look!

USAF_GroundRat

Click free!!!

wolverine_man

Thanks so much USAF_GroundRat!! I could not figure out how to do that.

wolverine_man

A couple of things. First, the original 1994 D-90 soft top snapped to the side of the Rover. The snaps (rivets) are still on the vehicle. Then bestop came out with a replacement top which used the more preferred belt rail system. My dad replaced that with a Badger Coach works top in a gray color (thing cost more than $1,200). Second, the doors have steel framed sliding glass uppers which are fully removable. I love that idea. Third, exterior roll bars (LR calls them a Safari Cage) are nice, especially for anchor points like for a roof rack. Fourth, I have never driven a European diesel version, but the U.S. version is pretty damn loud (I could really never use my cell phone when driving on the free way).

Finally, I don't want people to think I am praising the Land Rover Defender. It has its reliability issues, it is loud, it gets absolutely horrific fuel economy (oxy moron for this vehicle at about 12-13 mpg), it's very loud at highway speeds, and it requires premium gas. Oh and it costs an arm and a leg if you need to take it in for repairs. That being said, I think it's a rugged looking, very capable vehicle right out of the box. My pop has not had to lift or change the factory tires or change the front or rear bumpers and he is able to wheel the hell out of it in his off-roading club.

Lloyd_Swartz

I looked at a D90 in 1996 or so and got a Used Montero instead. The horrors of reliability stood out and the salesman told me after driving Japanese my entire life I would not be happy, or afford the maintenance. I appreciated the honesty. I also noticed the following on the " Worlds greatest 4x4".

1. GM under powered engine. Why buy foreign then?
2. Engine air intake looked like after market street ones ready to suck in dust and water.
3. Truck brutally not water tight.
4. NO BRUSH SHIELDS, had to buy them separate. Do what?
5. NO TRACTION AIDS AT ALL! Sorry, cant be the worlds best 4x4 with open diffs.
6. All controls backwards, and in strange locations.
7. It went on, and I moved on despite how cool they look....