I can't decide between LC vs defender

[dawson]

I have a deposit for a 1958 Trim... and will be trading in my Defender.... please help me with my lists....

Defender pros:

1. 3rd row (though unused)
2. air suspension (kinda problematic)
3. larger infotainment/display
4. heated windshield
5. wireless charger
6. currently i pay nothing extra for it.
7. more storage all around
8. seat material better
9. design
10. digital rearview mirror
11. better backup camera/display

1958:

1. better reliability?
2. better MPG
3. .....

 

[Nuke]

I am not sure you are comparing apples and apples. Does the Defender compare price-wise with the 1958 LC trim level? For instance, the LC with the Premium Pkg does include a digital review mirror and many of the other features listed. BTW, welcome to the forum!

 

[dawson]

I am not sure you are comparing apples and apples. Does the Defender compare price-wise with the 1958 LC trim level? For instance, the LC with the Premium Pkg does include a digital review mirror and many of the other features listed. BTW, welcome to the forum!

good point. i guess price-wise, 1958 is where i wanted to be.... and it just happened to be the only thing available for deposit.

 

[lcfirstedition]

I think the Fe is better comparison to the defender. I leased a defender and loved it but I was worried about long term reliability. Had 3 repairs under warranty over 3 years. Design and material in the defender was very good.

 

[DctrEvil]

For some perspective, I sold my 2022 (actually took delivery in mid-2021) Defender 110 last fall as soon as the new LC was announced. I wanted to get as much as I could for it, before it began to break down or lose too much value.

I had about 30K miles on it and other than some initial quality issues that the dealer took care of, I honestly had no problems in the time I owned it. My three previous Land Rovers (LR3, and two current LR4's) all began to have MAJOR problems around 100K. I have no information about the longevity of the new Defenders to know whether this will be a problem for them or not. I just didn't want to take the chance, so sold it to a Land Rover forum enthusiast for a fair deal for us both. A new job is causing me to drive about 20,000 miles a year and I didn’t want to put those “junk miles“ on such an expensive vehicle. For some reason, I really don’t seem to mind looking forward to putting those miles on the Land Cruiser.

The Defender was amazing on the highway and performed very well in some aggressive off-road situations. I really loved the vehicle! I like the more classic exterior design of the Land Cruiser much better, but that Defender's interior was amazing! Storage everywhere and very comfortable. I'm a little worried about the lack of storage in the new Land Cruiser.

The aftermarket has grown much slower for the new defender, and I think the land cruiser aftermarket will quickly surpass that. I think about all of the cool things that will be able to do with the huge inverter.

Happy to answer more questions as you need them, and as I finally get my hands on one of these new LC‘s!

 

[dawson]

The aftermarket has grown much slower for the new defender, and I think the land cruiser aftermarket will quickly surpass that. I think about all of the cool things that will be able to do with the huge inverter.

Happy to answer more questions as you need them, and as I finally get my hands on one of these new LC‘s!

what is this inverter advantage.... the outlet in the boot....? will use the hybrid battery...?

 

[LCHOU]

the defender is getting a refresh announced July 3rd ish. Might wait to see what is offered to make a final decision.

 

[DctrEvil]

what is this inverter advantage.... the outlet in the boot....? will use the hybrid battery...?

Yes, it’s a 2400 watt inverter with 120volt plug in the rear that uses the hybrid battery. It can run continuously and the engine turns on occasionally to top it off. I’ve seen an overland group using air fryers and microwaves!

 

[dkell00]

I have a deposit for a 1958 Trim... and will be trading in my Defender.... please help me with my lists....

Defender pros:

1. 3rd row (though unused)
2. air suspension (kinda problematic)
3. larger infotainment/display
4. heated windshield
5. wireless charger
6. currently i pay nothing extra for it.
7. more storage all around
8. seat material better
9. design
10. digital rearview mirror
11. better backup camera/display

1958:

1. better reliability?
2. better MPG
3. .....

you better look at youTubes and reviews of the defender will all kinds of expensive reliability issues. Once you do your research you won't be asking this question.

 

[Dragoon]

I would add power and performance as an advantage to the Defender. Cabin filtration and ionization could be another positive for the Defender if yours is equipped with it. Ours has it and it's a really nice feature when the outside air quality is bad.

As for Land Cruiser pros, I would say the rear door is better and not having the spare tire on the back is also a plus. It looks cool to have it mounted on the tailgate, but it's a pain to clean around and harder to use if you need to use it.

 

[dawson]

just canceled my deposit on it.

 

[dkell00]

just canceled my deposit on it.

smart - while it's a GREAT looking vehicle there's nothing worse than poor reliability and even worse resale value.

 

[DctrEvil]

One more thing that has gotten some flaming press on Utube and I experienced with the Defender was the battery warnings. There are SO many computers that fire up every time you open a door that during extended camping, I would get battery low warnings constantly. They haven't figured out a much asked for "camp mode" or way to keep the computers and ECU's from activating constantly and this will wear a battery out. You couldn't leave doors or tailgates open without problems.
I was regularly topping off the battery with a charger in my garage at home...

 

[Esquire]

Land Rover / Range Rover has been overdone. They send the wrong image.

I have had 3 Range Rover Sports. One was supercharged and two were regular V8's.

I leased 2 of them new and purchased the other one CPO'd which was about a year old and 12k miles on it.

All three of them were plagued with significant problems. Steering problems, emergency brake issues, excessive rattles from day one, front end noises which were never resolved by LR, strange lights randomly appearing on the dash--never to return. Overall, I did not have a good experience with any of them and grew tired of having an $80k plus vehicle at the dealership and driving a Landrover LR3 / LR4 or whatever else they had in stock as a loaner.

I won't ever purchase a Landrover / Range Rover again. Hence, Landcruiser from here on out.

 

[Roonie]

even my 93 Defender 110 is constantly in the shop several times a year. It has the diesel engine even. My 88 FJ Toyota is rarely in the shop maybe every 4 years on average? Both driven about the same as I share the defender with my brother. The shop costs and parts are usually more expensive with the Defender as well. I finally this year let my brother have the Defender so I didn't have to deal with it anymore as it was problematic.