Defender: Open diffs. Disco 3: traction/terrain control. Patrols: Rear locking diff. Give that defender a rear locking diff and it will eat up that hill.
All this clip shows is that this particular defender has no traction control or front/rear difflocks while the other vehicles do. The defender does have the most wheel travel though. Without traction control/difflocks the other vehicles would've had much more difficulty. With front/rear difflocks that defender would've gotten through as easily as the others. I drive a defender myself but I also own several Japanese 4wds and I've found the defender more capable, versatile, practical and tough. No problems with reliability either. My Japanese 4wds are good machines too and served me well, but my defender is a better off road workhorse.
+Peter Kallinikos Defenders are actually the most widely used miliary vehicles in the western world. My facts are perfectly straight. Every vehicle in this vid lifts wheels in the air. With a wheel in the air standard diffs send all drive to that wheel. Traction control/difflock keeps drive going to wheel on the ground. As every vehicle is lifting wheels traction control is what is making the difference. Also driver with standard diffs would normally take a different line up this hill. What country are you in? If you're in North Island of New Zealand perhaps we could go 4 wheeling. You can show me how much better your truck is than mine.
The Defender probably didn't come with front or rear locking diffs as standard to save money, enabling LR to offer a cheaper vehicle to the market...with all the extras, it would have been outside of many people's / companies' budgets, like a Merc G-Wagen. With either Traction Control (an option on the TD5), aftermarketlocking diffs or a driver "upgrade", the Defender would've done this easily. Also can't help but notice that all of the Land Rovers are on smaller tyres, with the D3s on road tyres. - It's pretty impressive what the newer Discos and Range Rovers can do even on those.
the centre diff lock does nothing except send equal power to the front and rear diffs, it doesnt lock the diffs, if a wheel loses traction its gonna spin while the other stops dead. the newer defenders have traction control similar to that of the discoveries. the patrols came out with a limited slip diff in the back.
First defender is an older model without traction control, it won't make those type of axle twister without further modification or using alternative route. Second discovery made it easily, even though slow, because of the small tyres and ground clearance, but that's the power of traction control. Newer model of defender features with traction control will make the climb easily... By the way, patrols is an amazing vehilce as well, but just to say, the comparision here are not fair, both patrols have been heavily modified including suspension, lockers and bigger tyres etc...
TC is great! What was apparent though was how easy the Patrols made the rest of the obstacles. The TC equipped vehicles worked alot harder over the trail. One of them even snapped a sideshaft ;(. Despite being driven SO SO slowly
You can break a lot of things driving slowly if your on those types of trails so I would get used to it, and the discos looked completely stock so good job to those guys!
+Mingdu Li defender's driver doesn't know how to drive an old defender in this case !!! you only need to smoothly press the stop pedal with the left feet, while you press the accelerator (rigt pedal) and it runs like others ! ;-)
it's obvious from the tyre size and wheel articulation... Not sure whether they have lockers as well as the huge wheel travel give it full contact with the ground
Ro6245, this was filmed in South Africa. I too own a landy and to be honest the patrols make things look very easy despite not having any tc or electronic aids. Their diffs are huge though. The front diff is as big as a land cruisers rear. Their rear is a trucks. My dad is one of the d3s filmed here and he recently bought a patrol.
The Defender made it look hard, the GQ 'troll made it look easy, the D3's made it look like a car park and the GU whined itself up the hill, but was nice and smooth. All in all, a great vid and hope you all had a beaut day. Thanks for sharin' the vid. :)
Before I get blasted for being PRO Nissan, at the time of this clip, myself and my family all owned Land Rovers, within a year all (4) but one were traded for Patrols. Despite driving so slow with the Discos, one of them suffered a broken sideshaft by the end of this trail. Disco is VERY capable sometimes more so than a Patrol but it just doesn't last and isn't designed for regular trail use.
Probably any 4x4 would come over this situation provided they have diff locks or good TCs. The ones that never came with factory lockers could be installed with aftermarket lunchbox lockers. At the end what matters more is the wheel travel which prevents the truck from tipping over. The defender is still impressive for what it offers out of the box. Full time 4x4, solid front and rear axles, coilovers, 3ton GVM, 3500kilo braked towing capacity etc.
It is a diff lock, just because a lot of people fail to understand it's workings, that doesn't mean it isn't so. The centre , or third diff, allows the front and rear axles to rotate at different speeds - due to the fact that all four wheels describe a different arc when turning. The third diff allow the use of permanent four wheel drive on hard surfaces without the transmission winding up.The diff lock effectively locks the front and rear propshafts together- same as a series3 in 4WD.
I've never understood why Defenders don't come with (at least) a rear diff lock. It just doesn't make sense when you think it's mainly built for off roading
mftgdeserteagle They don't mate you were correct. They have a center diff lock locking the "2 Diffs" together, because the are constant 4x4 like all landrovers. NO front or rear locker in any standard defender,just shitty traction control on late model ones.
Somebody said in a comment that defender td5 in SA has no traction control. That's why. Open diffs. Probably just central diff lock(same as engaging 4wd in the nissans). But the patrols come stock with rear and "central" diff locks and bigger tyres(even bigger in these two models it seems). Both are fantastic cars. But it's difficult to understand why the defenders don't come stock with rear diff lock. Even the new ines with TC should bring it.
Nissans do it really easy. With the TC or the rear diff lock, or even bigger tyres, the def would have done it easy as well. Wake up LR people. Don't finish defender production. Build them with diff locks stock. They're awesome.
I own a Defender. Love the car, and learning about its flaws. Nissans are very capable as well. Never wanted one because they don't last on mine sites, and fall apart very quickly thorugh poor quality interiors, but NIssan have always been great at engineering reliable vehicles for mass market. LC is the king of mining vehicle and australian outback, anyone who can't admit that is in denial, and it has nothing to do with brand awareness. Defender isn't practical on a mine site or in general, but I love the vehicle. Great video.
So true. In fact, the defender is complete and total crap. On other hand, I wouldn't trade mine for anything. BTW, for those wondering about the diff locks, a defender cannot be ordered with diff locks. The reason is that the axles are rubbish. Unless they are upgraded, I would avoid a locker. A limited slip maybe, but no locker.
tonkachow I own a Land Cruiser,Defender and Discovery and have just recently sold my Range Rover. My Land Cruiser has never broken down or given trouble it is bullet proof. My Discovery and Range Rover gave me nothing but trouble. They were amazing off road but my god they have issues. The defender on the other hand I find to be amazing. It cheap and easy to modify. I have had troubles with it but that is due to the fact it gets a trashing on the farm. I am replacing my Discovery and Range Rover possibly with either A VW Touareg Or A Porsche Cayenne.
Good point, what i meant was that i go up some VERY steep sand dunes and i see a lot of discos and other 4x4s stuck, but yet in your video the other 4x4s appeared to cope alot better than the defender, but i suppose this is ware all these electronic gadgets come in handy.
"This is a sentence by roasting N translation software" This is a great video. I'm riding the Nissan Patrol. (It is named Safari in Japan) It's simple but I really like the sturdy advantage.
Two things are crucial when driving like this: Tire size and tire pressure. To me it seems like the Defender rides on stiffer wheels than the Nissans. And the wheel size is, if not smaller, definitely narrower. What to do? Raise the Defender one inch (nearly visible, but very effective off road) Fit 285/75/16 tires (33") and lower the tire pressure to 18-20psi. You could even go further down to 8 psi and lower if needed. A modest modification. Then you will have a very capable offroader, and still a car you can drive 1000 kilometers in a day. If you bring coffee :-)
Poor Defender, could do with a driver who isn't scared of his own right foot. One must maintain momentum when travelling in the footsteps of elephants!
I definitely wouldn’t. Swap my defender for a Nissan ...although I did do a road trip in a patrol years ago and it was very good...just something about a defender..
In what world does the Y60 have ton of computer electronics? (The last car) I've got one and the most advanced thing I can think of in my car are the electric mirrors.
You might watch this and think the defender underperforms..... but it doesn't if you think about what its up against. A vehicle that mechanically hasn't change (apart from the engine) for almost 30 years is still competing (and winning the test of time and hardship) with vehicles that have a ton of computer electrics to drive the car instead of the driver.
Landrovers are by a giant leap the best 4WD's. However you need to be the best 4WD driver to release that potential. That is - unless you have the Discovery3-4 with a bigger brain than yours. Nissans are fine, as long as you don't mind the bonnet going "plink" as it distorts in rough going. An earlier commenter said it all - the Nissans needed heavy mods to do this, but the Rovers are bog standard. And by the way - the best 4WD traverses the roughest ground at the lowest speed - thus showing it's wheel control and saving your spine too
+Edwin Henry Blachford Are you blind ? That white patrol is bone stock, and the cherry one had 2" of lift at best, and maybe 1-2" taller tires from standard, so they are far from heavy mods. Diff locks, and wheel articulation are the main factors in this kind of obstacles. Easy win for nissan here.
If you think that is heavy modified, you haven't seen any modified Patrol's before.. The only thing the red one had was slightly bigger than stanard tires..
This clip wasn't done to bash the Defender, as the comments say it was driven by an inexperienced driver. I personally own a Landy and have JUST purchased a Patrol after being on trips seeing BOTH in action. The patrol drivetrain and chassis is a tank compared to pretty much anything else. The biggest issue I have with a Defender is not is abilities but it's lack of space for a drivers outside arm...
Not quite, the TC on the modern vehicles use the ABS and it's highly unlikely ABS will fail. If it does you'll have worse problems on your hands ;). I do agree to an extent with the Discos electronic rear diff lock I'd prefer manual. Yet the Patrols have no such gadgets. Over all I love them all ;)
Sorry to be the one with the bad news, but the only ones that have central diff are the land rovers. Nissan does not have central diff. They only have transfer box and fornt/rear diffs.
The defender driver hadn't put diff locks on his vehicle while everyone else had done so they got up without much fuss, now I'm not hating on Nissan but let's be honest, a defender with diff locks (like mine) is pretty much unbeatable on the trails. Combined with the insane suspension travel that other vehicles don't have makes it an incredible 4x4 and that is why you should buy one. Don't listen to people who say the quality of the defender is questionable because it isn't, while the defender is much more basic than others it stays it 1 piece for much longer! I've rolled mine several times and everything has stayed in place. (Even the wing mirrors) And for people who are gonna say I'm a bad off-roader you could be right! Haha Great video btw 👍
Jordan Smith Both the Patrol and the Defender are very capable offroad machines. I know how capable the Defender is and that's why I got a bit surprised by its struggle to pass through.
The original Defender, like all Landrovers from that era, is useless off road without a locking diff. The real test for these cars ia a grassy hill. However, the Disco seems to be the best and you can actually see the traction control system stop a wheel spinning - someone should tell mine..
This was a issue of articulation which the defender lacked compared to the patrols. Unless you raced through you wouldn't have made it without breaking something. Still by the time you get to the 3rd twister you'd have lost momentum. I've seen Rubicons struggle here - with aids off.
@Adam Ellis. Saying that one short would render these newer vehicles useless is nonsense. I could say the gear box could go in the 200 or 300 & where would that leave them. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
exactly my point (land rover calls it difflock yet we know its not). contrary to popular belief, difflock does not distribute equal power to wheels on the same axle, but wheels on the same side are locked and spin at the same speed, which is clearly not happening.
the defender seems to have basic 4wd without the traction control that the discovery's have. the old nissan patrols have limited slip diffs and are quite capable 4wd's but have terrible ground clearance and from what i understand, the new nissan patrols also have traction control. so these days its all about technology
yes,bad news for you,you sholud learn that if the cent. diff is locked,than the car has same power transfer on front/rear axle like a car with partial 4wd,with simple engaging from 2wd to 4wd
Having computers control the way a car performs off road does have its benefits, Traction control is clearly good and diff locks would be ideal but the defender will still out do the technology run cars any day.... because a single short in the electrics of a technology run car and its stranded helpless with 2, usually 1 wheel drive at best. This modern technology is good, but for pure rugged off road potential and life span, the mechanically basic defender will out do them all.
The defender has a centre differential lock for use in these situations with assistance from traction control it would have walked over these obstacles without the slightest wheel spin. Old story if you don,t know the vehicle you shouldn't be driving it.
The central diff lock serves no purpose except to give half power to front and back. You still can get one wheel on each axle spinning and get nowhere. It is a mystery why LR ever did this
Nothing wrong, sand dunes and hills AREN'T deep holey axle twisters and on a steep uphill. Any vehicle without traction control or rear diff lock would be similar - maybe a bit worse cause the Def has good articulation. I've seen a Jeep Rubi struggle there. Check my other clips
I don't know of a 4x4 with low range that doesn't have a centre diff lock. As for the three diff locks yea obviously however I have a clip whereby a land cruiser needs all three and a patrol and pathfinder don't...
the red patrol at the end, you can see the front wheels spin briefly indicating the use of 4wd. Do you mean it went through on another run in 2wd? the discos made it look bloody easy!
This just shows the lack of technology the Defender has. That one doesn't have the traction control or differential locks (or even limited slip) that the others have. My classic Range Rover has the electronic traction control but still has the solid axles and coil springs. It would have walked through this no problem. Is it better than a defender? No, not really.
Well you couldn't because he was driving it correctly and he didn't have diff locks, if you try to pelt it up the axle twisters you will ruin the steering arms and possibly tires. Not a good idea
I think the clip speaks for itself-in this case. I'm interested in the 'africa text 'comment. Things are a lot different in Australia. Outside the city, where disco's and range rovers almost rival landcruisers and nissans for popularity ( as children movers ) all landrovers are conspicuous by their absence.Toyota is king (and I drive a nissan ) followed a long way back by nissan then all other sorts. Land rover are almost nowhere to be seen. Pity, the roads could do with alight oil spray to quell the dust ! As for resale, people vote with their wallets, land rovers do not hold their value. No I"ll stick to my under powered 1996 3 litre petrol (probably only a brief Australian option ) for my next Simpson Desert trip. I"ll bet there will be more 18 year old nissan patrols out there than ALL the Land rovers combined- like last year !!
Africa is much like OZ in that respect. Toyota obsessed. Those with most experience however have owned both a Patrol and LC. Patrol is way better for value and many including the Dakar Toyota Hilux from South Africa have Patrol parts ;). Where strength is needed.
Your funny, your little joke about landies doesn't make sense as Land Rover vehicles pretty much never leak oil while your ugly nissans and toyotas lose wheels and explode because you pushed the gas peddle. Makes sense though as you have never owned a defender, don't say you have because I can tell if somebody is just hating because they have never experienced one, if you owned one you would never turn back to a Nissan or toybota!
Jordan Smith Almost 70% of 4x4's on the road are Land Rovers...the rest made it home ;) - Just a TIC joke relax. I have owned Landies - not Defender though.
