Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Defender van

Well I saw one just like this in a light metallic green yesterday and am now thinking of a way to justify owning one It's the Tonka personified
Diesel of course and not silly money.

They have their quirks, and are not as agricultural as the L316, which is both a positive and has a few downsides, but in 90 Hardtop format the new Defender is hard not to admire; especially in base spec with steel wheels and one of the heritage colours.

One downside is the commercial versions have a reasonably long wait time (was 15-18 months) but I believe this is coming down.

I agree Simon. Painted in series Deep Bronze Green with maybe Limestone top and rims it would look the part.

Thanks Simon for the update and differences, I blame Ewan and his recent acquisition for all this interest

Ewan's is very nice.

The colour you saw is called Pangea Green and is also nice; works really well with both a white or black roof.

The Hardtop 90 has a fixed, full size, panel behind the seats (either two or three seat (the third being a jump seat between the two), hence making it a commercial vehicle. The also make a 110 version, which Ewan's may be?

I think Ewan's maybe is a 110 it did look bigger and good in white.

I saw a couple of 90's with the jump seat trawling around and that looks quite handy, there seems a lot of under floor stowage in the cargo area from what I can make out.
Next time we are in Marsh Barton I'll trot along and have a good look over one.

Do have a look on Defender2.net which is a fantastic forum from top to bottom. There is an active dedicated area for the new Defender which might give some insight on a possible purchase.

Thanks Perry, I'll check that out.

So far so good, the engine and gearbox are sublime, silky smooth and effortless power. My one is the 3 litre straight six with 250 hp, the entry level diesel, had a full 3.5 ton trailer on the other day, yanked it along like it wasn’t there!

I wondered about the jump seat but you lose the superb centre console, that and the incredibly practical dashboard are the best features of the interior, the car like interior of the discovery model looks good but nothing like as useful, they go however have a better load area.

The load area of the defender is probably its weakest point, even in 110 it’s not very big considering how large the vehicle is, the back door in particular is quite awkward and narrow . The underfloor storage is a good feature though, the full width locker behind the bulkhead could accommodate a huge amount of claptrap, its lockable too so guns etc would be no problem. It’s all very good quality and I suppose, good value for money, it cost around £50k plus vat, much the same as the top end pick up truck it replaced, crazy amount really though for what I need it for. I had to buy and aftermarket towbar, I need the pin type now and then and oddly enough, landrover only offer swan neck ball hitches, seems daft for this model, I can’t be the only one who wants the thing to earn its keep. I waited about 9 months for mine, there were a few nearly new ones available straight away but they were usually higher spec and more expensive.

Happy new year one and all!


,

Good to read your running report Ewan and confirmation that the base power unit and drive train work well.
A very good point about the jump seat especially as it would only be for occasional use, have to get a good look over one sometime when we go to Exeter.