Does The New 2020 Land Rover Defender DOMINATE Off-Road? Jeep Gladiator vs New & Old Defender Review 

That would be me. FML!

They don’t know how good they have it out west

I'm in Melbourne, Australia. Stage 4 restrictions. Curfew 8pm to 5am 7 days a week, no activity other than going to (some) work places, caregiving, medical, or essential shopping (groceries) only. 5 more weeks and maybe we can go for a drive somewhere, anywhere :-)

I wonder how many are watching this and thinking ....haven't I seen this before, more than once. There are several TFL versions all of which I watch and like but there may be overlap or too many similar comparisons.

Off-roading is illegal here. So no 4x4.

I like how it basically just ate every obstacle. To me it proves that although its older, it still cannot be underestimated, everything is mechanical which may take slightly longer than just simply turning a knob or dial, yet it works the same if not better. I have a v8 disco 1 and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Its simplistic and has real 4wd not any electronic awd system that is likely to fail when you need it the most potentially leaving you stranded

The old Defenders come down to Driver skill you feel what the the wheels are doing through the steering wheel, the new defender is all electronics it's a bad mix just because it says defender on the tin doesn't mean it's a defender under the hood, because the new defender isn't.

@@krookdfinra your worried about being left stranded and you own a disco? Lol!!!

@@MrCareer707 lol, well said, got a 300tdi, 110, don't see anything that makes me want to change or swap for, on the market as a whole

@@sturdivanthouse4614 surprisingly it has never actually left me stranded. (Meaning needing it towed home) The shift solenoid almost did once however I took apart the center console and used a center punch on it so that would never happen again. Problem solved lol. It has 220k miles on it. I done alot of work to mine rebuilding it better than factory even. Ive replaced the headgaskets, thermostat, fan clutch, fan blades, new wheel bearings all around, new brake calipers all around painted caliper red, new pads and rotors all around, new brake servo, new master cylinder, new brake stop switch, new rear differential gasket, all drained/flushed and replaced, new ignition coil pack, new spark plugs and wires (yearly), new oil pan gasket, upgraded HD steering and track rods, upgraded HD pan hard rod, new power steering gearbox, all new silicone hoses. Its one of the best offroad vehicles you can get. It's more reliable than the disco 2 in alot of ways. Primarily being the 3 amigos and traction control issues. I've probably put 6 to 7k worth of parts and another 15k worth of labor into it however you learn exactly how your vehicle works and every part that makes it work by replacing everything yourself which I have done. There really isn't anything on a disco 1 that will honestly fail causing it to be actually disabled apart from the fuel inertia switch, fuel relay, fuel pump and timing chain, unless you crack the block or put a rod through the side of it. I'm currently putting a new fuel relay and pump on my discovery as we speak, I'm of the mindset to replace things before they need replacing. After all any vehicle is only as reliable as its maintenance schedule regardless of the make and model. I honestly love the vehicle, most people wouldn't put that much into a 20 year old vehicle but then again I'm not most people I'm very meticulous of my vehicles. In the next 12 months I plan on putting a 2 to 3 inch old man emu lift , upgrading all axel half shafts to hd, replacing and upgrading both drive shafts, upgrading to ashcroft air locking differentials front and rear, I also plan on getting diff guards and oil/steering guards.

😂 even the ones that are over 20 years old! Step aside Jr 😂

I think these guys need a few more boots on the ground for this terrain. I play it a bit safer on my channel.

Driver is the biggest denominator

😂 I thought the same

@@badhombre8383 The older 4Runners make better platforms for building off pavement rigs. I'll take my 85 and 93 any day over newer ones.

I agree 🙌🏼

The OLD defender. Thought the new one was a disco

Is the new defender struggling on the rocks or is the driver just jerkin it?

First obstacle on the new defender shows exactly what happens when you have zero downward suspension travel

even i had an old jonga military jeep which is a highly capable off-roader.. only issue is ull bang ur head against metal and ur spine will feel the pain once u pass the bad rough road.. it had no features no airbags no safety assistance as well .. Incase of an accident im pretty sure one of the metal part which it is made will go right pass my eye socket and exit through my skull behind like a bullet.. its a coffin..

Yup - was an SR5. That one spot in the video where it had a lot of wheel spin would have been a moment when they had traction control turned off. A-Trac does a lot better than a lot of people give it credit for

It clearly states it is a TRD off-road on the side of the vehicle. I doubt it is just an SR5 with TRD badging. Pause the video at 12:33 and you can see it.

@@Justforfun-ek7et TRD 4Runners have a different grille, that was just a SR5 with a TRD badge on the Pillar.

Just for fun yes, it has the badging, but the badging is placed differently than it would have come from the factory. The front and rear bumpers are those of the SR5, there is no hood scoop, and the rear hatch has body matched paint where it says 4Runner. That’s an SR5. On all TRD models, that rear hatch has black on it. TRD Off Roads have silver valences on the front and rear bumpers, and also have the hood scoop.

I did notice that it did not have a rear locker ( or it wasn't used ), Kinda lame to fake TRD it though

Exactly my point and exactly what this was made for. This is a family vehicle that for family recreations, it will take you anywhere! No rock crawler goes with family inside. Ill go with the defender

But that's what the LR4 is for. Land Rover is nothing without at least one dedicated off roader - and that has to be the Defender. That said, I think the video was biased and deliberately trying to show the New Defender in a poor light.

Guess LC or LX does better job in both area. And, way more reliable.

You mean Discovery.....

@@afei_lx4709 the Defender is better on and off road compared to those.

for $76,000 you shouldnt have to pay extra for lockers or anything. Jeep wrangler rubicon unlimited fully loaded for around $50,000

More to come with our locked HSE Defender that just arrived.... stay tuned!

Correct! 4Runner and New Defender are very similar in off road capabilities...

The 4Runner was hauling all the camera gear

@@cotrails8356 Nah, the new Defender can't touch the 4 Runner

New Defender is more akin to a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk or Grand Cherokee Trailhawk

When you go out with some of the most unreliable brand cars you always need a back up truck to get back to home.

@r2d23678 they made it with ifs because it will get the job done and will be more comfortable for 95% of the drivers who will never go off road. Apparently Ford's new broncos completed the Rubicon trail

@@floof4444 All true. Those of us who crawl always want a solid axle but the truth is Ford is better off selling it as IFS because the fact is most people will buy it because it looks cool and won't do anything more serious than a fire road. As you said, IFS is better on road and even for going fast in the desert. Where it looses is in technical terrain, strength, and easy of modification. From the videos this week on the Con it does look like it did well for IFS, but it will never match a real axle for flex.

@@donhappel9566 true. But with this kind of truck. It doesn't need to imo. It's impressive as is. Literally stock to stock almost everything is better on the bronco. Atleast as far as approach and departure angles and they seem to match in articulation from what I remember from looks at the stats

Ifs on the Defender behaves like a solide Axel. One wheel up, air goes tot the Opposite side and Push down the Opposite wheel.

@@floof4444 im tired of seeing this comment. you need to look at BOTH the vehicles stats not just your bronco. Stock for stock the wrangler is not only cheaper but also more capable offroad. You can't just go babbling false info like that

@Aqua man sure thing why not

Building locked Defender now. Comparison coming... stay tuned later this month!

It hangs lower then in the discovery wierd design flaw

@@coolsquad7428 Other than portal axles how do you get better angles crosswise? Live axles have that big diff housing. Got to have a tradeoff and it's control arms.

@@deanfawcett2085 The whole point of the Defender was that it was supposed to be Land Rovers take on what the ultimate off roader should be, so it should be massively better than a Discovery, so I was 100% expecting portal axles or portal independent suspension. Or if they really wanted to impress me - using the air suspension to shape shift it from a fast road cruiser to a portal axle based off road monster when it's jacked it up to off road mode. The 2005 Taureg TFL used in previous videos has more ground clearance than the new Defender, so 15 years ago VW just threw something out that may well have ticked more off road boxes than this and sold it as a luxury SUV. Losing chunks of the lower control arm on a rock a Suzuki Jimny would have cleared is pretty shameful, but part of it is that I suspect everyone driving was so used to beam axle 4x4s that it didn't occur to them that the new Defender would need to use the trail differently.

@@deanfawcett2085 Lower control arms being below the hubs has nothing to do with CV angle. LR could have easily given it a higher clearance lower control arm. Rock crawling UTV's literally have the control arms bend upwards from the hub until they are just below the CV axle and then go strait off from there. They could have also made the control arms longer and mounted closer to the vehicles center line for better travel numbers. . Now, a portal hub could allow for higher LCA placement, that would cause leverage issues with the tire over the LCA but could allow for a higher mounted differential for more ground clearance down the center of the truck.

Pixel Mixture on the first obstacle he went way too left

It's still an unmodified car All it needs is a 3 inch lift and bigger tyres but you probably have to replace that air suspension

It doesn't have rear lock like others, I've seen new defender with both centre and rear locking done much more rock crawling than in this video.

They just don’t know what they were doing bad driving. Or they just wanted to make it look bad full locked the wheels and asking it to climb fools

Tiny ! Are you feckin blind!

why dont they get one with the locking diffs

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-frTPchIuD4U.html

Should've had the LR3 in there

andrew wade we are building one next week with locking rear diff, 33x12.5r18 BFG KM3’s (way better rim size, wider foot print, and much better tire), sliders, and a 2” lift. More videos to come on even more difficult terrain...

@@cotrails8356 any chance to squeeze 35's or is 33 max.

Damn right!!!

Concur

Not a bad vehicle but if you live in America you really need to be going V8 engines.

@@bighands69 Why do you need a V8?

More to come... stay tuned!

Yaa those who can’t afford one and definitely not worthy of that lush luxury car will definitely buy a jeep no doubt that. People like you just know to comment but definitely can’t afford Land Rover

@@Middle_fingerrI actually own a 2008 Land Rover Defender 110.

@@Middle_fingerr PS: the Jeep Rubicon costs roughly as the new “defender”.

@@Middle_fingerr You're right. Most people can't afford to have their vehicle in the shop once a week. Nice analysis.

@@LigerZeroFtw if you could afford you had not commented this cheep and a decade old mindset lines, grow up kid get a life or May be go fu*k your self. Dumb aassss

You bet! More to come with our next one we’re building (has rear locker), 33x12.5r18 KM3’s with more foot print and better tire, sliders, 2” lift... stay tuned!

New Defender: $70,000 Jeep Gladiator Rubicom: $50,000/$55,000 4runner TRD Off Road: $40,000 Old Defender: $70,000 or more I know who won. But I would get the Defenders if money weren't an issue

Also, the speed limitations and higher maintenance that come with portals aren't something the average buyer will want to deal with.

@ no Farmer will buy the new land rover defender. Only some wealthy hipsters are and will only drive it on pavement. For my taste it should have solid axles be triple locked and have only the necessary electronic gizmos

@ maybe they don't. But this is a DEFENDER. It should be standard whether used or not. I understand the option in a Discovery or a Velar maybe but not in a Defender.

@ no i am not from England ,you said it yourself ''wealthy'' . Anyone who had the old defender was using it as a real workhorse.loading it up with all kinds of cargo going through stick and stone without worrying about a scratch or dent on the bodywork.the new defender is more like a lifestyle vehicle.

@ you're an idiot and a pretty stupid one at that. Lol.

check out some of the many forest roads out in the upper Peninsula! lots of great scenery up there in my experiance

The new defender survived but it was hopping and struggling over every obstacle. Personally I wouldn't call that amazing

The Gladiator is crap with that ultra long wheelbase. Better off with the 2 door.

@@andyb4796 it still made it to the top same as everyone else. So I don't think its crap

I was thinking the same thing cuz to be honest thst would be a better match up for the defender

4runner

Master JMA 😆 just watching this video, I think the defender is better matched against the Cherokee or rav4

@@mxerb5912 or a jeep Rubicon

We’ll make it happen!

Sorry, but he said "thanks buddy" to the spotter on the other side of the car...

Well, they both have transfer cases, but you are right, the Jeep has a part-time system with no center diff. Though the Sahara does an on-demand transfer case that doesn't have a center diff but can be left in 4hi"

As far as I know Jeep Sahara on demand system has clutch pack, not center locking differential. Clutch pack is way cheaper than center locking differential.

I knew someone was going to bring up the full time 4wd on certain models.....

My Mitsubishi Montero Sport AWD (permanently engaged) has viscous coupling center differential with two speed transfer case. My Toyota 4runner 4x4 has Torsen center locking differential with two speed transfer case. My Toyota Rav4 AWD has clutch pack. Toyota Sequoia 4x4 models come with Torsen center locking differential with two speed case. All Toyota Land Cruisers have Torsen center locking differential with two speed transfer case. Jeep Grand Cherokee models equipped with Quadra Drive II system come with Torsen center locking differential with two speed transfer case.

@@khondkerjamil39 Torsen is a limited slip differential type. All the Toyotas (save the rav4) and the Pajero you mentioned have 2 speed transfer cases, no center diffs. Get your facts right before commenting.

I know right? Actually the Defender vs 4Runner makes more sense

@@WW-wf8tu Sure, dream on buddy :)

@Gus Johnson Suzukis are for people that don't need to carry their lunch.....

Old School Defender: wake me up when this gets interesting.

@@einfelder8262 Suzukis are for people that don't need to bring the whole house with them when they go camping ;)

Working on it... stay tuned👍🏽

@@cotrails8356 😅

Check out our current build with 33x12.5r18 Toyo Open Country MT’s. Nex tbuild we’re moving to 35’s🤣

Current build on Wheeler Lake... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6CEuycT-jYQ.html

And R/D Lock

understated and overrated

It's perfect if you never want to take it off pavement.

New defender was on road tyre. That's what made the difference

LMAO, tragic looking and not all in the grand tradition. Did the Chinese buy up Land Rover?

Grenadier

Yeah, I was impressed with the 4Runner. Give me more confidence in mine.

We wheel both our 4Runner and this New Defender... they are almost identical off road. Both on 2” lift with 33” BFG KO2’s. Building another Defender next week locked With 33x12.5r18 KM3’s (more foot print and more sidewall), sliders, and 2” lift. More videos to follow...

@@WW-wf8tu Was the one in the video not a real TRD? I couldn't tell. In a few scenes I wondered if the rear was locked. Mine is a Trail Edition, so it has the rear locker and Crawl Control. I think in 17 they changed it from Trail to TRD OR. I'm looking forward to getting mine out and seeing what it can do. Right now I have RSG sliders and RCI skids, with tires/suspension next on the mod list.

The gladiator is modified....

@@371kenny so is the defender...... They said that

And the obvious winner was the dirt bike

The Jeeps at a disadvantage (being a chrystler/Jeep)

Yeah decent, long wheel base vs. Short wheel base....

Correct! We are looking forward to more lift so we can get 35’s under the New Defender by next summer. It has amazing capability out of the box. These have only been in the US a few weeks... stay tuned for the next New Defender build!!!

@@cotrails8356 I look forward to it! I was already waiting to see the Defender in larger tires.

Yes I think they have lift rods fitted. It really limits the articulation as the bags are running too high pressure to work properly.

@@jimmysando99 thanks for the explanation ! I hope there'll be a way to lift it without losing that much in articulation... I just felt sorry for the thing spinning and lifting wheels each time it went over a pebble.

@@DuckSherminator Something else that I was disappointed by with the Defender is that it is not available with active sway bars. The Active Roll Control system on my L320 Range Rover Sport is great on-road as it can effectively hydraulically stiffen the sway bars (front and rear) when cornering to significantly reduce body roll. The additional benefit of this system is that it can loosen also when in some of the Terrain Response modes like Rock Crawl. Independently sprung vehicles are always limited in wheel travel, however, between the cross-link air system and the active sway bars, I think that it performs extremely well! Would have been nice to see the Defender with this. Also, the one shown in this video lacks the optional rear e-diff which would have also helped some of that wheel slip. Not to mention that some bigger tyres wouldn't have gone astray!

@@jimmysando99 does the LR3 have the same active roll control as the L320?

@@GhassanAlHarthy Unfortunately not, though it can be retrofitted if you're extremely keen! This is in my opinion why the Discovery 3 and 4 lift wheels like crazy and appear to not have great articulation through moguls etc. I know of 2 Discovery 3's that have had the 3.6l TDV8 engine and ARC system fitted from a Range Rover Sport. That would be a great car!

It was actually and SR5 in TRD clothing believe it or not! No locker or crawl control, just ATRAC. Next time we’ll give it more camera time! Thanks for the kind words -Tommy.

We aim to please. Thanks for the kind words!

Is a luxury “offrode” car not a crawler

​@@vladb1701crawler LOL these aren't crawling Trails these are decent off-road trails crawler something way more extreme. The Land Rover Defender is a joke because it stiffens up the suspension so much to gain clearance yet. Makes it all bouncy at the same time and the traction control works against itself. Funny how I can just observe that yet Engineers supposedly designed it. Good thing the Grenadier came out even though I'd rather drive my old disco or Jeep which is dramatically better. Land Rover just lost their way now everything is a damn Range Rover with a different body on top. Off-road only company and everything is delicate and crappy off road

Most situations you don’t need the locking diffs. If it was the JL Unlimited with a decent set of tires it wouldn’t need to lock. But the Gladiator is almost too long for trails so it needs the extra assist.