Land Rover Defender 110 TD5

I have had my td5 defender for about 12 years ,has done many miles off road and has now done around 210,000

miles and has has cost me very little on repairs and it still runs like a clock

When you buy a Defender your not only getting the greatest 4x4 of all time but one of the most iconic vehicles ever made. When you buy one your joining a club. Get ready for other Defender owners to wave to you as you drive by. Kids will want you to take them driving just because it looks so different. If the Defender were a man it'd have a chest full of War medals. These are the vehicles that opened up Australia and Africa. They've been the choice of Armies the world over for decades and for good reason. And best of all they don't age like other cars. The old ones look like the new ones!

200, 300TDi's are great but a little gutless. If you can get a TD5 even better and they tune up great if you need more power. Keep up the service and these vehicles will literally last forever.

Learn to work on them, they are agricultural and quite simple when you get a little experience.

Watch out for idiots who have owned and abused them. These cars are designed to go through hell and back but they need to be serviced properly so watch out for Defenders that have been neglected or submerged in salt water.

Find a good workshop and beware of mechanics who lack Land-rover knowledge their ignorance will cost you money. I really do think there are a generation of mechanics that only know how to work on mainstream vehicles. These are the guys that will burn you beware.

They say that 70% of these vehicles are still on the road since they were released in 1948 which is a testament not only to their reliability and quality but to their worth as a classic or collectible vehicle.

Buy a good one look after it and you may never buy another car again.

I am sorry to hear the first review on this site and can only assume the previous owner had ruined the engine prior to selling to this owner.

I have a 2002 TD5 and have had absolutely no reliability problems with it in the 10 years I have owned it. I have traveled in 45 degree heat towing a 2.5 ton caravan all over Australia. the big difference with most poor reviews and satisfied owners is that most of the dissatisfied owners rely on the dealers for service and repairs who are generally not looking for why the failure occured but how quickly they can get the customer out the door and how much money can be made on this.

I have never had my vehicle to anyone for service and only rely on specialist landrover companies for parts and advise.

These vehicles are generally very well made but can always be improved on as with any brand. I hope to keep my defender until it is a considered a classic in car shows and I am to old to drive which is 30 or more years away yet.

This is by far the worst Land Rover ever manufactured.

After almost three years of ownership, it's time to say bi bi rubbish.

I have spend a fortune in repairs and the end is still not in sight.

In three years the engine was replaced four times, the turbo blew, the wiring harness failed and we could never go on holiday in the last three years, as the Land Rover never made it to any destination without getting stuck with major mechanical failure and it let's you down everytime in the middle of nowhere.

It is extremely expensive to maintain and the cost of spares are extremely high, let alone the fuel consumption and the ripp off from Land Rover dealerships in service schedules. Engine replacement warranties by Land Rover means nothing as there are always excuses not to honour these warranties/Gaurantees

Better be without it, there are so many other options. What a disappointment to ever bought and own such a piece of rubbish.

I've owned and driven most utility Land Rovers from the SII on, in assorted petrol and diesel forms. My personal favourite was the Defender 300TDi, but when the chance came to swap it for a 2002 TD5 Dual-Cab Pickup I couldn't resist. Not least because it was a Land Rover Special Vehicles build that had been used by Land Rover themselves. It's supposedly base spec, but has all sorts of do-dads.

Anyway, we use it on our croft for transporting everything from weaner pigs to 500 litres of water to 750kg of pig feed to boulders. It tows our fully loaded livestock trailer. And when it's not being used as a work truck, it's also the family vehicle carrying four of us, plus dog and camping gear. It cruises effortlessly at 70mph, ploughs up hills with 10-15% gradients in fourth, and stops extremely well (especially compared to our old rear-drum braked 300TDi).

Downsides? It's noisy inside, but unlike the 300TDi we can actually hear the radio when the engine is running. We had to put an aftermarket wheel rack on the back as the standard one in the traybed takes up too much space. And the rear seats are really not up to scratch in this day and age-not even head rests. Fuel consumption isn't that hot with a decent load on board: 21-22mpg. And I can no longer do all the maintenance work myself thanks to all the computer doo-hickeys.

Upsides? We can load it up, stick the family on board, cross a ploughed field, plough through deep snow (we have mud and snow tyres), pull out tree stumps, tow farm implements, and use it as mobile scaffolding. And people wave to us/give us a thumbs up.

As a go anywhere utility truck that can also double as a family car, it's great. But if you want a nice, quiet, comfortable ride, look elsewhere.

I have owned a defender 110 td5 for a year and half now. It has covered nearly 100000 miles and still drives like a dream. With regular servicing this is a fantatic 4 wheel. Even if not to everyones taste and it's no sports car, but can do a thousand and one jobs for you.

I have grown up with toyotas and land rovers both are exellent 4x4,s but land rover is tops. funny my father drives a land cruiser 100 vx 4.2tdi and I drive a defender 110 td5. The only thing the land cruiser has over the defender is the 1hd-t 4.2tdi motor over the td5.

I have had very good experiences with the Defenders I have owned; it is essential to keep on top of routine maintain and this I understand is not for everyone, but if you want a car that has some caricature and over 60 year of history a Defender is for you. I will take the risk in getting angry replies from the many Land Rover fans by saying there are probably better 4X4, from Toyota and Nissan in particular, but these cost far more to buy (in Europe anyway) and are lacking in other areas.

There is no point buying the Land Rover Defender TD5 with your eyes closed. It's a serious workhorse that comands respect from all who drives it and all who faces one in a narrow lane. No it's not the quickest or most comfortable over long journeys but idea for most occasions.

I wish the Japanese had built the Land Rover Defender instead. But then they say they did and redesigned it as the Landcruiser! Notwithstanding that the Landcruiser lacks any romance compared to a Landy...Given that I have been slowy rebuilding my landy to what it should be to deal with it's inadequacies.