Is the Land Rover Defender a good 4x4 vehicle? I saw  it climbing steep slippery grades once on TV and thought that it looked like a tough vehicle. They use them to cross deserts, too, so it must be one helluva tough vehicle just like the Land Cruisers. Am I correct on this? By the way, if say I were to get one, how much is an LR Defender? And is it really tough or is it just pure media hype? Thanks!

Its a tough truck, but I have a friend who has one and says maintenance is a bit of pain though. And parts availability is also a problem since there's really no official distributor here as of the moment.

But I think the best inputs you can get would come from the Land Rover Club members.

A 97 to 00 Defender with the TDi 300 will cost you anywhere from P700K to P1.2.  

These vehicles hardly depreciate and are very off-road capable even in stock form.

As for maintenance costs, if you do buy one, joining the Land Rover Club of the Philippines will solve most of your problems.  As a member, you'll get info on about half-a-dozen Land Rover parts suppliers and repair shops.

Jaguar Philippines now holds distributorship but there are no exact details yet on import plans.  However, they do have parts and service for existing units.

Defenders don't need to be serviced at the Jaguar dealer since there are more affordable options.  According to a friend or mine, owning a Defender (not the Range HSE) is just as expensive as owning a Land Cruiser.

I can give you more detailed info if you really get one.  However, since you're a 4x2 Trooper Skyroof owner, maybe you're not the Defender-type of guy.  Just kidding...  

And if it doesn't leak...IT'S NOT A LAND ROVER!  

Just an old LR joke.

Now that it seems that my Trooper can't be converted, I'm seriously considering getting a Land Rover considering that it's just less than 2M. However, I'm just wondering whether getting the Toyota Prado is a better option than getting a Land Rover Defender? What's your take on this? If I do decide to get a Defender, are there any distributors around because I haven't seen any.

Quote from: troopersky on April 13, 2004, 10:08:42 PM
Now that it seems that my Trooper can't be converted, I'm seriously considering getting a Land Rover considering that it's just less than 2M. However, I'm just wondering whether getting the Toyota Prado is a better option than getting a Land Rover Defender? What's your take on this? If I do decide to get a Defender, are there any distributors around because I haven't seen any.

Ford has assigned Jaguar Philippines as distributor of Land Rover products.  But, as of this writing, I have no idea if they will ever import the Defender.

If imported by an authorized distributor or dealer and sold again to the general public, a brand-new Defender TD5 would, most likey, cost close to P2M but probably not exceed it.

Defender TDI300 110s were last sold by Asian Carmakers at P1.4M in 2000.  97 units were sold at less than P1M.  This is for the D110 5-dr wagons.  The D90 pick-ups used to cost P590 in 98.

If you're really interested in importing one yourself, PM me so I can give you LRCP contact numbers.

The best unit to import would be the D110 TD5 (5-cylinder) with traction-control.  There are some in the Philippines but they are all NGO or government owned.

16Apr2004 (UTC -7)

Quote from: troopersky on April 13, 2004, 10:08:42 PM
Now that it seems that my Trooper can't be converted, I'm seriously considering getting a Land Rover considering that it's just less than 2M. However, I'm just wondering whether getting the Toyota Prado is a better option than getting a Land Rover Defender? What's your take on this? If I do decide to get a Defender, are there any distributors around because I haven't seen any.

Dude, the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is a totally different beast than a Land Rover Defender. The Prado is more of a luxury 4x4 vehicle, is much more comfy and powerful, and has more electronics. But it has independent front suspension (IFS), unlike the live axles on the Defender (which can a make better showing off-road than IFS). The Prado is comparable more to the soon-to-be-discontinued Land Rover Discovery.

The Defender is a much more basic vehicle than the Prado. More utilatarian and rugged. That's the reason for the lower price. And if you're more than 6ft tall like me, you'll find that the Defender has poor knee space. The Defender is more comparable to the Land Cruiser 70-series.


If you evaluate your needs a little more, you'll see eventually which among the two highly-capable 4x4's is better suited for you.