Old vs New Off-Road: Land Rover Defender vs Discovery 2 vs Range Rover Classic vs 2018 Discovery 

This video is incredible, how you guys managed to use all those camera angles and yet not get a single shot of the waiting tow truck or any gushing torrents of oil from these things, I am speechless. 👏

Disco 2 was the last old school land rover, except for the defender. It combines luxury (depending on spec) with solid front and rear axles, body on frame suspension, best combination ever.

Nice video. Big bonus - you got to do the drive with Bob Burns. He is a HUGE figure in the Land Rover world! Also, a really great guy.

I love how the Discovery Series II from Land Rover Heritage has a sagging headliner 😂

Thanks for the ride guys, nice informative demo!

Best off road channel on RU-vid. Period. That invisible technology he talks about will be a very pricey headache for replacement in the future.

Supposedly north america will get the new Defender. I am excited.

Went to the overland expo but missed you guys. Saw modern day land rovers run this course with the ease of running through a school lane. Very cool, thanks for sharing.

Best line of the video at the 5:30 Mark. Yep, the Grand Wagoneer had all the creature comforts and could still get muddy. Love the show guys! Keep the vids coming. And YES, I am wildly biased towards the Grand Wagoneer. lol

Land rovers and Range Rovers are my passion

Great video! The thing that sticks out most to me about this video is that (and I already know this from experience) that no matter what the vehicle, open diffs are garbage. In stock form, yes, the new one is quite capable. However, once you get into really rugged terrain, or modifying the vehicle, and it just won't cut it. While the new one had the better traction control, notice that it lifted tires WAY higher than the solid axle ones. Being able to keep the wheels on the ground is a huge plus, and combine that with locking differentials and you get the much better offroad setup. Of all of those, I think the D90 is the coolest, however I love the look of the early Rangie. For function and the way I use a vehicle, I'd probably most want to own the D2.

Good video. Only blooper is the 1948 comment. Drivetrain/suspension technology only went back to 1970 for the Range Rover launch. Series 1 thru 3 models (1948-1984) used leaf suspension with a part time transfer box. And actually share very little with the Defender.

Nice video! Land Rover rep is a knowledgeable and nice guy.

OMG defender is my number 1 dream truck

Defenders stole my heart years ago. I’ve had discovery’s and range rovers which I liked, but I LOVE my Defender.

This was so calm and enjoyable! Loved this review and its informative content

Interesting comparison. Thanks. I have both a TD5 Defender 110 and a Discovery 3. It's interesting to see how the vehicles have evolved. Personally, if I was changing up from my Discovery 3, I'd go for a second-hand Discovery 4 rather than a Discovery 5 but then I do regularly use my vehicles off road as part of my work.

That 03' headliner is showing legendary reliability

"I don't jump on camera" Too funny!!

Thank you so look much for doing a special on Land Rover. Nothing against jeeps, but Land Rover will always be the best 4x4xfar...

The best episode by far!!!

Wow I mean that’s astounding they are so capable and they’re older than me!!!

Great video. Very impressive. Thanks

One of my favourite episodes ever big fan of the older stuff personally I am looking for a series 2a or 3 to build with a om 606 merc engine. But I just drove an autobiography tdv8 range rover and it can light up all 4 wheels on dry tarmac I think it had 365hp and very smooth and comfortable. Great engineering

Land Rover should try releasing a real offroad SUV again. Tired of all the luxury crap with "heritage". Bring to the US a real capable Defender. Jeep seems to be doing pretty well with making solid axle vehicles..

That was a great, informative, fun video!

Love the typical sagging headliner in the Series II. The start of dependability issues with LR.

I’ve owned 6 Land Rover/Range Rover products over the years. Zero reliability issues. I also had a two door Jeep Rubicon, also zero issues. The Jeep and the Disco are both amazing vehicles, but they are not in anyway competitors. Vastly different experiences and purchased for different needs. I’m currently driving a new Discovery. I wasn’t sold on the looks etc when I got it. For my needs (mtb, family of 5) it works perfectly. The car has fantastic utility. The factory wheels and tires are useless. The JK Rubicon was also amazing. This by far would be the one I would do any real off roading.

Great video Land Rover are the best4x4xfar!

Nice comparison and nice calm vibe. Both you and the LR guy did a great job of presenting that. Thanks

Truly amazing video. It's not often that you see Land Rovers and Range Rovers running for so long without a breakdown.

Excellent video. Thanks. Can really see the advantages of the TC clearly.

Love the 'British' head liner in the disco, makes me proud. Every car made here does love the saggy roof look!

Technology is cool what it can make up for in skill. The problem off-road is tech failure and repair on the trail. I’d like to see how they all fair over time with only the help of the knowledge and tools that an off-roader takes along.

My money is on the Rangie. I used to own one. I adored it. It was a beautiful car. I pulled so many Prados out of mud bogs that it wasn’t even funny. Now I’m a proud owner of a series 2 Disco. But my heart is with the Rangie.

The discovery II hands down was the best combination of old school solid axle with tech to male it better offroad. Love my disco II. I've owned 3 of them and they are best all around off road erst to me, along with the Toyota Land Cruiser fj80's

"i don't jump on camera" haha neither do i :)

I think Land Rover nailed it with the Discovery 2, has just enough electronics to be of use (traction control, hill decent, ACE and rear air bags) but is almost as basic as the Disco 1 and Defender underneath. Both the diesel and petrol versions are easy to work on and the electronics only need a basic code scanner. The interior and ride doesn't give up too much to newer vehicles (considering it released in 1999) especially with the ACE system and rear air bags. No doubt the newer vehicles are a huge improvement, but the Disco 2 is close enough that you don't have to feel like your missing out on much and it feels like a huge leap from the Disco 1. I laugh when I see brand new SUVs towing or with a full load in the back and see the rear suspension sagging down and think my 19 year old Disco fixed that.

I have a Range Rover 1988 my dream truck

I wish more manufacturers besides Jeep and Land Rover would do these media heritage type events. Be it on/off road, race tracks etc.

Be interesting to see the Wrangler vs Defender both are 4x4 icons

I wish we had the Defender

Those Land Rovers are not leaking oil. They must be all out of oil.

I greatly enjoy the videos TFL puts out. I suspect that deep down Nathan is far more a Jeep lover than a Land Rover lover. For many years (1964 to the early 1990s) I drove Land Rovers. There was a time where Land Rover (and Rover) products were my first love. But having seen the same problems with one vehicle after another over many years, I decided these products lacked the reliability that I wanted in a car. I bought my first Jeep in 2012. It was a factory order JK Unlimited Wrangler Rubicon. My Wrangler Rubicon is more capable off the road than any other 4-wheel drive vehicle I have ever driven. In approximately 26,000 miles, my Ruby still hasn't leaked a drop of oil. All its hoses are still the ones Ruby left the factory with. The speedometer has never quit. No part on my Rubicon---except the navigation system and the battery in the car has ever been replaced (other than oil, filters and wiper blades). My Rubicon has never broken an axle shaft. Nor have I ever had an exhaust manifold crack on the Rubicon. I'll always---and I mean always---have a warm spot in my heart for old Land Rovers (mostly the "Series" vehicles). But the logical side of my brain has become sold lock, stock and barrel on the Jeep Wrangler. I plan to order a JL Wrangler Unlimited with diesel when the order bank opens up for the diesel Wrangler. (My JK Rubicon is now in Hawaii; I need another Rubicon for use here in Utah where my wife and I spend most of our time. If the new Land Rover Defender is announced before we order our JL Wrangler, I'll take my wife for a test drive in the next gen Defender. But I suspect our next "car" will be a Jeep JL Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.) I love the videos you TFL folks produce. Thanks to your entire crew! Andy McKane, Springville, Utah and Maunaloa, Molokai, Hawaii.

Great vid. And great commentary by copilot. Interesting stuff. Thanks

As amazing as the new Disco is off road. It’s only as good as the tires. It NEEDS better tires for anything other than very light off roading. That simple upgrade takes it to another level.

That would be a walk through the park for any JK, even TJ :D

The loose ceiling lining is a great advertisement for the 2018 disco :)

Land Rovers are my guilty pleasure. Would love to have a clean, reliable D2. I wish the new ones had better tires.

I like the look of the old disco compared to the new forsure. The double sunroof was extremely cool imo

Same '97 NAS Defender as mine, but that one is just perfect. It's nice to see it on dirt! Mine is my daily driver and my trail truck (and it shows). Since I don't have the cabbage to make it perfect like that one, it will slowly disintegrate around me while I fix the important bits as they need it. I am genuinely lucky to be it's guardian. it's value though, continues to go up, faster I hope, than the deterioration. I expect it will even accelerate as more rich folks who earned their dough become more and more enamored with them for the fact that they do NOT use a computerized doodads to do it for you and for the pure form follows function of the best 4x4xfar. Long live my Blue Beasty!

This is a really cool video!!!

I've always been a Discovery fan and the Discovery 2's were the true last generation 4X4

Brilliant video

Crazy to think that it took 17 years for us to start selling Range Rovers in America...

Thank you for the nice, relaxing pace of the video. Did they say why on earth they don't make wheels that will take tires with cut resistant sidewalls? My Range Rovers have gone all over, including over Red Cone in Colorado. I tear up the sidewalls every time. I have to change tires on the trail, and then I buy 4 new ones when I get done. It is maddening that I can't get a steel wheel with AT or snow tires for when conditions call for them.

I recently got my wife a 2017 Discovery HSE. We drove it for 600 miles and we found the ZF transmission leaking. It has been sitting at the dealership for a month now. Dealer has thrown 2x trans oil pans, 1 new transfer case, and now we are waiting for a new transmissions which is on national backorder. Who knew the most unreliable part is the German ZF 8 speed transmission. Land Rover: Above and Beyond .... REPAIR

They look so good, wish I could have an old defender.

I'd like to see a further comparison of the various generations of the Discovery (LR), circa 1995, a 2000, 2004, 2010 LR3 and LR4 as well as the latest Discovery and Discovery sport.

I love your videos! Can you guys do a video of 2018 Range Rover off roading?

Where did this take place? I would love to visit that course....

It's hard to tell whether the Electronics actually contribute to the off road cars because they make them more likely 2 malfunction overtime!

to avoid that spinning wheel a keep moving press lightly on brake and at the same time on the accelerator to avoid stalling. standard practice when driving defenders offroad without traction control here in the uk

Rather drive a fiat multipla than that new discovery. From the back it is the ugliest vehicle I have ever seen, they’ve just stopped designing it past the B pillars. Land Rover of ten years ago would be ashamed by what they make today.

My granddad had a classic land rover but it got stolen off of his driveway at night. He loved that car and it broke his heart. The police never found it and it was probably sold for parts. The sad thing is that his dog never heard it so was never able to warn him.

The old LEGEND rock!

Dear Land Rover - Please bring back a "less is more" vehicle (like the Defender). I drove the new Range Rover at Overland Expo East last year. The new traction control and air bag suspension is impressive but not what I would want long term or for long trips in remote areas. For that I would want a vehicle I could do trail-side repairs myself with simple tools. I know you have to sell the "city" cars in order to make a profit but just give us one real durable, minimalistic off-roader.

if I remember correctly the VW Taureg was the first to use the ABS system as traction control. Pretty slick tech.

Great video!

Did anyone else notice that Nathans driving got a little more sloppy the more tech he had ... not a criticism on Nathan's driving it just shows the less a driver has to do the less they think about what they are doing.

I have a well equipped 2003 Discovery II. I wish I had all 4 in the video. :-D

awesome video guys!!

I liked my 2001 Discovery 2 but a lot went wrong with it including the power locks and the transfer case. My 2005 LR3 is a much better vehicle and is still going strong at 157,000 miles.

He for sure, my next truck is an old school defender. Got the Disco II on life support again in the garage 😥😟😞

Now have they discovered how to keep the air springs from popping like balloons and causing thousands of dollars in damage? Why doesn't anyone ask about that..that system is the worst in terms of reliability.

nice display of land rovers but they seem to be missing the oil leaks

Nathan where was the best Land rover the first one who introduced the terrain respond and today everybody copy.... LR3

I wanted to bring my d90 to boulder for you guys but looks like that’s not needed. Also bob burns is the man.

Finnaly Overland Expo West i own once RRC 3.9 Vogue, great very capable 4x4. But, but body rust as hell.

this is gradually depressing, seeing off road fun taken away generation by generation, no off road enthusiast would willingly buy the new Land rover, unless they're absolute beginners and richer than wiser ...

great, now I miss my old Disco 2 again...

High tec is great till you have a small problem then the car stops where it is and you just can't call out the local garage or fix it on the move thats the problem i have with high tec, now if and its a big IF make something high tec which can be turned off so as to beable to get home but that will never happen can't have old school with new school high tec,can't use the battery on new tec to weld anything up lot of good points lovely points with new tec but i don't believe it will out do old school 100 to 200 mile off road and something brake's' The Fast Lane Truck love the review though thank you :-)

I like the Defender 110.....very rare to be seen on the road. I have the 1997 Discovery series 1.....not very good quality suv.....it has very expensive parts, but love the boxy design.

Nice comparison.

The best one is the land Rover hse luxury 2012

They must’ve cut out footage of the Freelander.

If you’re a fan of the Defender 90, read the book Crossing the Congo.

Was there no lockers in the first defender shown here? No traction control either?

I want them all.

Nothing like seeing LRs struggle on easy obstacles!

Disco 2 looks the best. LR3 is easily the best.

That was a cool comparo!

I was wondering why the defender didn't do as well as mine on the frame twister. I realized the one they used has an anti roll bar.

I’d like a LWB Classic though, with aftermarket lockers

It's funny how they didn't compare an LR3/4 to this new one. I really wanted to see how it stacks against the precious generation.

Also, what’s with the amount of V8 Land Rovers in the USA? I don’t get it. I’ve always gone for the Diesel option since the V8 landies are too thirsty.

Great clip, great LR guy! The rear of the new Discovery is so ugly, it makes the car a nogo :(

Classic beauty...Defender.

So, you bring a Jeep tee to an Range Rover showcase...

You forgot the LR3!!!