How did our New Defender go on a 32,000km Lap of Australia? Mods & tips. Warts & all wrap up.

You asked the questions and we've answered them. After 32,000km of ‪@nextleveloz‬ Big Lap of Australia, towing a 3.3 t van on some of our roughest remote roads, we share how our New Defender went as a tow car.
Some say the new Defender is the best off road car in its class, some say it's only for the city. We share our warts and all experience, why we bought the Defender, our mods and our tips, what broke and what got fixed.
If you've been watching our Big Lap Gap Year series, you will know we did have some issues? Watch and see if they got resolved and how we feel about the car and the JLR service.
If you are considering a Land Rover Defender to do this sort of travel in Australia, we hope it helps with your decisions and set up. If you prefer a different tow tug, that's all good by us, but hopefully our share still offers some tips for other tow car owners.
If you are a Land Rover tragic, please watch. If you are brand tribal for another brand and want to see if the Landie failed, please watch. We think there are some surprises for everybody.
Welcome to this Equipment Series vid from our Big Lap Gap Year. We're David and Paula @nextleveloz . Like many of you, we've worked hard for 40 years, but we are too young to retire. So we took a gap year from work, we bought our first ever caravan and we did a 32,000km Big Lap around Australia taking in the iconic destinations of thisr fabulous country.
100% of our KZbin channel ad revenue goes to charity, so please watch and share with anybody you know who is considering a Big Lap of Australia and we send that bit extra to charity before the series finally ends.
It's a little bit long, but a number of you wanted a more detailed coverage of the Lap route, so we aim to please.

[@johnallen3555]

I am glad you like your defender David, you give me a good laugh with the rear axle capacity. Made my day when I looked up the specs for the disco2 with SLS. The Discovery 2 with sls ( self leveling suspension) has a greater rear axle capacity when towing than the new defender, provided one is prepared to limit the top speed to 100kph. 1928kg for the disco2 towing with the rear air suspension is more than 1900kg on the new defender. who would have thought - folks have said for a long time that the discovery 2 was a good tow vehicle, but who would have thought!!! I am pritty sure the new defender 110 would be a more stable tow platform with its longer wheel base and lesser overhang than the discovery 2. The discovery 2 only has 250kg towball capacity (100kg less than the new defender, so it looses out there a bit, but all in all the disco 2 starts with a lower tare on the rear axle, so, one is not faced with reducing the load inside the vehicle when towing as much as one is with many of the current fleet of comprable tow vehicles

[@nextleveloz]

@@johnallen3555 Thanks for watching and the comment. Thats interesting. I don’t know anything about the Disco 2 and amazing that it has a higher rear axle capacity . I wonder why the max tow ball weight is so low? It doesn’t surprise me that what was old might also have some advantages. It would be interesting to see what the kerb weight difference is also between the two cars to see what the effective payload difference is 🤷‍♂️. It’s not wise to tow a 3.3t van over 100kph so that 100kph limit for the Disco 2 isn’t much of a limitation in real terms and the rear axle max only becomes a factor towing. As I say the Defender is highly capable but that rear axle rating is an important issue for those towing. Thanks again for watching and for the share and yes - not all that is old is bad! Many people love their Discos!

[@PaulSwan-oz2ty]

Many thanks Paula and David - refreshingly frank and fair, and so informative. We are LR D4 family, with both copies of the LR gene (we've previously had D2 and D3 models). Keep up the great work, and hopefully we'll see you in the wild somewhere.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks Paul for the kind comment. Glad the Disco(s) have gone well for you and yes hopefully we might see you out on the road some time. All the best and safe travels. David and Paula

[@willem932]

Really enjoyed travelling with you guys. Appreciate your honest reviews. Greetings from South Africa

[@nextleveloz]

Hallo. Thanks so much for watching and the kind words. We try to call it as it happened. And we get to send some money to charity while we enjoy life. Maybe one day we will get to South Africa, you guys enjoy a bit of overlanding and a good braai. Maybe if the Wallabies are a chance to beat the Boks?? 😂😉. All the best and thanks again. Totsiens, my vriend!

[@traceybjorksten4445]

A thoughtful wrap up, thanks David and Paula. I've enjoyed watching the whole series of videos. We had already bought our defender when we discovered your vlog, but watching where it has successfully taken you has certainly reinforced our comfort level with our choice. We looked at the same suspects as you did, and came to the same conclusion. We've yet to start our lap but we already love the car, despite an issue with the BiSG from new and a pretty shocking mix of arrogance and incompetence from some JLR dealerships. Honestly if we had to choose a tow/touring car again we'd struggle to find an alternative. At the moment there's just nothing readily available that's as comfortable, capable and well finished straight out of the box.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for following. Your experience is regrettable and rein forces one of the things I think needs attention not juts by JLR but others, which is the timeliness of repair part supply. And the variability of the service experience. It's an excellent vehicle, hopefully the BiSG replacement is resolved soon ands all the best for your future travels. thanks again. David and Paula

[@Dorko85]

Great review - we got a D300 and has been great. We have an amazing dealer and it’s an unreal tow vehicle!

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and great share thanks. Good to hear your feedback on your dealer. The more of that the better. And yes it tows very well.

[@damiant5876]

Thanks for the series. The car problems you had would be matched by just about every other car on the road. Comfort and reliability are paramount. The fuel economy towing is a real bonus.

[@nextleveloz]

Very true! The pennies fall where they fall, but for us it has to be based on actual evidence not claim. We aren’t rusted on LR owners, it’s about functionality and purpose with a good eye on value. No issue for us if people choose another product and if they are satisfied then well and good. It’s a car. The struggle for us is when people make claims like this brand doesn’t break down etc. Some things will come down to a particular brand and support, but we’ve pointed out elsewhere many components are common to brands. The ZF transmission for example. Turbo technology is dominated a few widespread brands so a fault is likely low incidence but can happen in any number of supplied makes. Safety, performance, comfort and reliability - for a given purpose for a given price. That’s roughly the equation isn’t it. And over that, some people will regard it as an emotional buy - sizzle or insurance. The fuel economy was great and it interesting to watch some rusted on 70series and 200 series content creators absolutely stumped by the fact the new 2.8litre turbo, 8 speed cars Toyota has juts brought out can do pretty much as much on less fuel. Same people who swore by old technology only a couple of years ago. Anyway. I knew this vid would do my head in! Cheers

[@PeterRowe-ip7ow]

Another great expansive and unbiased presentation. Thank you David and Paula for your honest updates, not only about your experiences but also your car and caravan. Although I bought a different tow vehicle I respect everyone’s right to drive what they fell will do the job and enjoy owning. I’m glad yours has done the job you wanted it to and wish you all the best on your next adventure.

[@nextleveloz]

So true. We’ve met so many people with varied rigs and they are mostly all having a ball doing their own way. It would be boring if there wasn’t a variety of preferences and views - all part of life’s colour. While there are bad things to do with vehicles and clearly some vehicles are unsuitable, as you say people make their own judgements on what they need or can afford. As we said, where we live most of the time has a bearing on the car options. I struggle with the brand tribal stuff . It’s worth noting that something like the 79 was never on our agenda for all sorts of reasons, but the new 70 series troopy might well have with certain mods if it could fit in our place . Completely different car to ours but shows that these things can and do evolve. I also think, cost aside, emissions standards is going to change the future vehicle lineup Thanks for watching and the feedback and input.cheers

[@softnotes]

Thanks for the open and honest review. We're just celebrating the first anniversary of our 110, and we've been a little uncertain if it is going to live up to the marketing hype and be able to fill the shoes of the three previous Land Rovers we've had. We live in Western Australia, and we've received some criticism for not choosing Toyota, but our Land Rovers have always quietly enabled our outdoor adventures. Your practical, experienced-based review has reinforced my opinion that it is the right car for us and should be more than capable of taking us on whatever adventure we choose. Thanks again for sharing your big lap with the world. I've lived vicariously through your videos and will genuinely miss them. Good luck planning your next adventure.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for following along. We know you have done so pretty much the whole time. Thank you. We had a ball in our car (a couple of well known moments aside) and were confident you will also. Safe travels.

[@RGVJ21]

Another great review, we were very happy with our Discovery, had a few problems but always got us home.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for the share. We’ve met quite a few Disco owners who say the same. There is a lot of ill informed commentary about reliability etc. No question there is a market perception, so it’s a real issue for JLR. If only there was some transparency about the actual incidence of major problems for different models. But the whole topic seems to attract such sting tribal views.

[@jamestreloar5827]

I've been looking forward to this. Just opened a beer and will enjoy. Thanks for posting and the info.

[@nextleveloz]

Enjoy the beer. So many things you can include and lots of questions asked. We’ve tried to cover as much as you can in one vid. cheers

[@mjaK42]

Excellent videos really enjoyed following your Lap, we’ve owned 4 Patrols and have travelled off road all over Australia for the last 25yrs, we had a break and did some sailing for a while and when we went back to needing a 4wd I searched extensively and the car we bought in our price range up to $45k was a 2011 L322 Range Rover 4.4lt and we love it, last year we did 13k klms Victoria to Exmouth, only problem we had was a loose connection to a height sensor, due to corrugated road which put us into limp mode, but the trusty Gap iid tool told me exactly what it was and I was able to fix it, a lot of other caravaners asked me “Why” and are you lost 😂 simple, comfort and performed exceptionally well off road, it’s sand capability with 20” all terrain’s surprised me and I’ve been to Fraser Island 25 times, done a lot of sand driving. I do my own maintenance and have done a lot of preventative maintenance, if an item is known to fail at a certain mileage I replaced it, alternator, all belt pulleys, oil cooler, all suspension and now carry old as spares or are boxed up ready to send to me. The Gap iid tool is a must for any Landrover $$$$ but value for money, if you can carry out a 10 minute easy repair like I did instead of paying for a tow or a dealer charging you $$$ it will soon pay for itself, my case (height sensor) we were 200 klms from Esperance on a beach after going down a corrugated road, sitting on bump stops 😮 these days does not matter what car you buy your going to have trouble with it, they are getting too technical, my mechanic that I use when I can’t do it says you don’t need to be a mechanic you need to be an auto electrician to fix cars nowadays, hope to see you on the road one day, planning a trip up west side of NSW to Camerons corner and other places next year. Thanks again for the videos cheers Mike

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching. Yes, as we pointed out, not having the GAP tool was a regret and it's now in the kit. Great story and glad the RR has treated you well. One of the common criticisms of the Defender and Land Rovers generally - and that's extending to other makes as they catch up on technology - is concern about the fact stuff and "sensors". I get the concern about complexity which I think is coming anyway. But the sensor one I've had a rethink on. Sensors can tell us if something is going wrong. it might be catastrophic but then that's not about the sensor, or it could be an early warning or tip. That's only a problem if you don't know what it is, but if you do AND can reset it if the circumstance warrants it, then it's not a problem. You get where you have to be then deal with it before catastrophic failure. Amazing the number of people who thought limp mode on ours was a failure. It was a real pain, but we reset it in that case and were able to get 280km safer before we had to send the car away. To my thinking, without the sensors and limp mode we would have kept driving until the thing did fail much worse. So never happy when these things happen but for some reason when a Cruiser or a Ford blows an engine because the intercoolers weren't good enough people juts say it's rare and accept a blown engine. When a Land Rover goes into limp mode and 3 weeks later we are heading to the Gibb River road towing 3.3 tonnes, everybody talks about unreliability. Anyway, too much. Great share, thanks again for watching and safe travels.

[@user-rx4dz5tj5n]

Having just taken delivery of my defender today I was pleased to see this. Thanks for putting in the detail about the wheels and brakes.

[@nextleveloz]

Wow, Congrats and we’re sure you will really enjoy where this beast can take you. Hopefully you are on the New Defender Owners in Australia forum on FB also. There are some really helpful and experienced people on that forum. Thanks again and hope you have a ball. cheers

[@user-rx4dz5tj5n]

@@nextleveloz I don’t do FB. But thanks for the well wishes and also your opinion about South Brisbane JLR.

[@jeetts59]

One again thanks for such a comprehensive review. The whole series has been so enjoyable and informative, couldn't ask for more in a series. Best of good health and life full of adventure.

[@nextleveloz]

Thank you so much. Too kind. We aren’t keen on the review type vids. We don’t aim to be tech experts, just user experiences and happy to share. It’s been a blast and given us a taste for more adventure. Safe travels to you and cheers

[@simonhjc]

Full credit to you both. I want to love the new defender (like i want to love the Grenadier), i really do, buuuuut having beenin the auction industry for 37 years, owning classic range rovers, having them as modern comapny cars, i just cant. Every one ive had has been inconsistent. Eg air suspension lets go, or once, the locks froze at the snow and we couldnt get into it. the interiors are inconsistent too. Beautiful to drive (we had 2 new defenders as company cars), when inwatched your first videos where it failed i felt almost sick. I could almost feel your pain. I resent toyota ive owned every model since 1980 but now inthink they are taking the piss out of their rusted on buyers. Thanks for the great videos….i may just go on line and “build” a defender 😉

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching.So much could be said. Maddening sometimes. We don’t gloss over the turbo issue. But keep in mind it’s a third party manufactured component, and that technology isn’t limited to LR and the car never stopped running. And if the purchase of a Toyota is an unloved “insurance” buy by many, good on Toyota’s brand presence. They pitch it as a safety play but charge a premium price. The best value tow car we looked at was the Patrol - but look at Nissan’s market position compared to 20 years ago. We had two decision points. the best car available to us then. We explained that. And now the relative utility and cost for a change now. We have the luxury of a couple more years of warranty to see if those things were rare or not and what’s that means relative to the driving joy this beast represents when it’s on song. Thanks for watching, we get it.

[@TheMowogman]

I did have a P400 110 5 seater on order unfortunately the company I worked made me redundant so that order got cancelled. I am in a holding pattern now on a Defender order. However looking at your video I have decided when I do order it will be a 7 seater and those rear seats will get removed. I have a similar weight van to you however I won't be putting as much gear in the car. Probably just a fridge. The P400 was a choice based on Value you can't get a D300 in S spec surprisingly they do the P400 in S Spec so that will save a LOT of Money

[@nextleveloz]

Sorry to hear that. We carry minimal gear in the car. The specs are constantly changing but yes, weigh up the best value for your needs. Some of the options are pretty expensive. All the best and glad the bid helped with your thought process. cheers

[@michaeldallimore8590]

Great wrap up. Surprisingly I get 17 L/100km from my 3 litre D4 which is the poverty pack 155kw model. Maybe because I was towing a lighter onroad van at the time. The Defender is very capable offroad, I have been out with my mate who has the new Defender 110 and it performs very well in the Victorian high country. I agree totally with your assessment of the Defender even if I don't have one! Does the Defender have different rear axle set up of some sort between the 5 and 7 seater? My 7 seater D4 is 1855kg but I agree that 300kg on the ball is the practical limit. Good move to remove the lock nut in fact I replaced all my LR nuts with solid steel wheel nuts. Spot on about the current draw every LR owner needs to know about double locking the vehicle and its not just LR cars either this is becoming more common. I was about to mention the Gap Diagnostics IID tool. You should never leave the city without it. Maybe it was still in Beta test mode when you left. I also carry some of the critical spares like wheel speed sensors, ride height sensors and the foot brake switch. The small items that can send the car into limp mode. This along with some of the critical suspension bolts. BTW my D4 has been very reliable with the only major fault being a failure of the EPB which was an expensive repair under warranty and LR did not manufacture that part which is common to many other vehicles. In that instance I also found LR assist to be very good with a 350km recovery from west of Alice Springs. I will miss your videos!

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks Michael. So many variables in the fuel economy outcome. We thought 17.2 was excellent given it was largely towing at 3.3t and a fair bit on rough stuff. Without the van it’s extremely economical. The set up of the rear axle is hotly debated. JLR say there are different components and nobody has had much luck getting a definitive answer that might allow a rerating for the 5 seater. In the GAP IID, I didn’t really look into it. I figured if there was an issue beyond the very basics we were recovery territory, but both the amber 2WD warning and the limp mode resetting with no other apparent signs reinforced the usefulness of detecting a code while the car is still running and the warning is a alight. So it’s now in the kit. Thanks for the feedback and watching and input. It’s been much appreciated. cheers

[@Steve_MFr]

Very nice vid! Thanks for the shout-out on the GAP IIDTool! I sent you a mail.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks Steve, I'm still learning all the tool can do and it would have been very handy to identify those codes we got when they appeared and before being reset. Yes they get logged, but when you are deciding the best course of action when and if something pops up, its useful to be having the discussion with better knowledge of what's happening and of course codes on minor issues can be reset. cheers

[@michaelnugara1]

Massive thank you for a very memorable lap of this beautiful country. Congrats and glad the defender was everything you expected. Wishing you both all the very best for the future. Cheers Mick

[@nextleveloz]

Thank you Mick for your regular input and feedback. It’s really appreciated. It really is a stunning and diverse country. The Defender is very good. Not quite always to expectations to be fair, but it made a massive contribution to our lap. All the best.

[@paulrose622]

Thanks Paula and David for your wonderfully expansive series. I have viewed them all, most many more than once (and always let the ads run right through. 😇) Your comments on our wonderful country and honest opinions are much appreciated.

[@nextleveloz]

Thank you and thanks particularly for helping us send some important extra change to a couple of great charities. It is a wonderful country and there have been any number of times we’ve been lucky enough to be there and take it in. cheers

[@nzmarkb8713]

Fantastic honest wrap up, good to see all the issues have been resolved 👍

[@nextleveloz]

Glad you enjoyed it and yes, fixed. Just need to follow up insurance for the minor body damage from the the big roo near Borroloola now - again the bar helped heaps. thanks for watching. cheers

[@michaelsecomb4115]

Excellent review. Enjoyed the whole series. The knockers were wrong.

[@nextleveloz]

Glad you enjoyed and thanks for following along. the car did much more than the knockers say it can. Yes we did share some down moments and that of course attracted a lot of comment, but it was important to provide the wrap up how it all worked out. All the best.

[@usanz94]

Great review and have thoroughly enjoyed and learned from your adventures. Looking forward to what comes next. Thank you both.

[@nextleveloz]

Thank you for watching and the terrific comment. Much appreciated. We’ve learned heaps from other travelers, Defender owners and others and enjoyed sharing our adventures. Always more to come. Life is not a dress rehearsal. Thanks again. cheers

[@adamg3740]

Great balanced review thanks for taking the time and sharing your your trip. After having owned the 80,100,200 and recently sold my 2022, 300 Series for a D300 Defender (Picking up in June) your review gives reassurance the new Defender will be up to the job. I do the majority highway driving from the Sunny Coast to Brisbane , and the odd trip to Sydney with occasional light off-roading. I did have the usual issues with the LC300 DPF blocked and the donkey sound when the second turbo kicked in. The reason I sold it was it was so tiring to drive long-distance, soft suspension, ladder frame just made the thing so wallowy at higher speeds something I never had with the 100 or 200 Series???.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and your thoughts on this. Some good perspective. I've said it elsewhere, I don't have an issue with Toyotas or other brands, it's just the tribal nonsense that sometimes comes without any balance. Toyota's do have issues, some of them well known and the Defender is an exceptional car out of the box and in my view best in class. Doesn't mean it's all beer and skittles of course. Never is with car ownership if you are driving outside of city limits. Your new Defender will eat up that job, it's capable of much more and you will enjoy driving it. cheers

[@joeblogs4295]

Thanks guys for another great video. Really appreciated!!

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and the feedback. Review type vids aren’t our favourite, but happy to share the experience. This one was probably the hardest because there was so much to balance up and even more we could have included or commented on or expanded. So thank you.

[@martinsmith227]

Thank you again David and Paula, have loved your wrap up and have enjoyed watching your past videos again as we begin to plan a trip.

[@nextleveloz]

Our pleasure! Enjoy your trip. cheers

[@sallymassonphotography2013]

Brilliant video, thankyou!

[@nextleveloz]

Thank you for the lovely feedback and thanks for watching. All the best.

[@damo137]

Fantastic video, informative and honest, thanks guys!

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and the feedback. Much appreciated. Cheers

[@glmaguire]

Fantastic episode and overall your channel has been superb.

[@nextleveloz]

Thank you for such a kind comment. Bit bad for amateurs hey? All the best David and Paula

[@hartwigvanderneut]

Thank you for the informative and inspirational video! I am very much looking forward on doing some remote journeys in my own new defender as well!

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and we love sharing. We’re sure you will some great adventure in your new Defender. Wow. Were feeling a bit jealous now. All the best and safe travels.

[@simonhjc]

Absolutely agree. A very experimece mechanic friend said to me “simon, as the pressure of euro 6 comes on board youbwill have to accept it as part of your life. Buy, keep withing warranty and then sell

[@Crustypetee]

Great review and well balanced. Thank you so much for sharing. I have passed your review on to a friend looking for a new tow rig.

[@nextleveloz]

Thank you. The review stuff isn’t our fave l, but we aren’t paid etc so we get to call it as we see it and experience it, whatever comes. Hope it helps your friend. cheers

[@peterbullen3347]

The review was great guys, loved seeing the flashback scenes.. I think ill have watch all your videos again, how many bottles of red do i need if i watch them on a Saturday evening ? Sunday morning sessions were a coffee per episode at 5.30 to 6am.. damn ill need to pop out now..

[@nextleveloz]

We don’t need an excuse for a decent red in the evening or a great coffee in the morning after. thanks for the feedback as always Peter.

[@simonhjc]

Totally get that mate 👍👍👍👍 as you can see in my photo i had a 300- hated it. Lol.

[@nextleveloz]

Absolutely

[@johnlee4681]

Love the way you look at Land Rover ownership. Really enjoyed your review

[@nextleveloz]

Thank you. We aren’t brand tribal. Our previous cars have been quite varied. So we take the view of calling out what needs to be improved and credit where credit is due on our experiences. Glad you enjoyed the wrap up. Reviews aren’t our favourite videos because the aim of channel was to share our Lap. But totally can’t separate out your car and van for that can you? All the best and thanks again.

[@aviaaron]

Thanks Paula and David, loved your videos, especially considering that I also own a LR Defender MY21, D250. Your insights on the vehicle were wonderful, and I couldn’t have been happier with my decision to go with the LR Defender as opposed to my initial idea of buying a Landcruiser 300 which was phased out of production in March 2021. On a separate note, I am wondering if you have had to replace your front windscreen due to stone impacts? I have driven down to Melbourne twice so far, and have had to replace my windshield both times. It’s not a LR fault, but have you had to cop any such stone impacts entailing front glass replacements at all? Thank you once again, and I hope you ease back into work life without much trouble. Cheers, Avi

[@nextleveloz]

Hi. Great to hear and thanks for watching. Yes we’ve had to replace a windscreen. We picked up a tiny stone on the M1 of all places and the subsequent crack was too big to repair. Replaced it under insurance with Obriens and it had to go to the dealership for calibration. That was before the Lap. We have a few stone chips from the Lap, the two slightly deeper ones were able to be repaired by us with a filler. Which reminds me, I might need to replace that kit in our spares box 🙏. Thanks again. Enjoy your Defender and safe travels.

[@michaelsecomb4115]

Excellent feedback, very realistic. Ñice to get away from Toyota propaganda and get real experiences. We are very happy with our well-travelled Defender. BTW we prefer our compact 13ft hybrid Jawa Lowdown to larger vans. Much easier to tow.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it. Great your Defender is going well. I get the appeal on the smaller van. We haven’t had too much drama towing the Zone but as we reflected in our van wrap up ideally we’d like to find something a touch smaller - not as small as yours - that retains some of the comfort of our current van. Not sure if our ideal van actually exists. But yes yours would be even easier than ours to tow. Thanks again for watching and the feedback and safe travels. cheers

[@deniseday4613]

Thanks for the series , we really enjoyed it, I agree with you re your statement regarding buying the first of the series (LC 300), however as you stated the 200 series is so expensive, with this in mind we went for the new 300, so far no problems (touch wood) apart from the occasional call back, heading off ourselves soon, you both have given us a look at some places we would like to visit, all the very best, cheers Les & Denise

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and the feedback. Love it 🙏. As you’ve seen we aren’t brand tribal so everyone has to work out the car that best suits them and their needs. Great that the 300 is going well. Yes the price of the 200s was just silly at the the time we were looking. A lot of people paid over the odds for old, expensive to run cars that will need a bit spent on them and the values will come back to normal. In our case - no question we bought an early production run mew model and everybody has a view but in our view it is a contributor to a couple of the things JLR have addressed 🤷‍♂️. But the important thing is where you’re going to head to and see and enjoy. There are some magic places we got to see and hopefully more to come. Enjoy your forthcoming trip 👍👍We’re sure you will have a ball and if our travels gave you some ideas that’s terrific. All the best, safe travels. David and Paula.

[@StephenFogarty2023]

Great video David & Paula. Very fair review of the Defender. It’s definitely not just a mall crawler vehicle. As you did, with your Defender, you can set up the vehicle, to suit your specific requirements. Now that Defender has been available for quite a while, people buying a Defender now, will encounter less issues, because folks like you, have taken their vehicles “ on a lap “ and exposed certain aspects of the vehicle, that need factory attention. Now that JLR have attended to these things, or now have much greater awareness of these issues, they are now resolved much quicker etc Also a lot more aftermarket products are now available for Defender. July 11 is the official release date of “ Defender Octa “ Will be very interesting to see what is now going to be available from factory, regarding suspension and wheels / tyres etc Cheers. 👍

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks as always Stephen. The car is most certainly not a mall crawler - even if there are a few buyers who do pimp them i’m that way. Let’s hope the early issues are few and far between and resolved as they become known. I’m not sure about the Octa TBA. And Od like to think JLR make their existing marques perfect before they keep stretching their resources. A petrol V8? It will be sexy, no question but we needed a car that crossed over between a town car and a worker on the backroads so no site it appeals being the initial wow factor. Let’s see. All the best and thank you again. Safe travels. D & P.

[@StephenFogarty2023]

@@nextleveloz Thanks David I agree regarding Octa It will have a wow factor etc And some great new technology And the BMW V8 But Hugely expensive ! A real shame JLR are not trying to release less expensive versions of Defender, that from the showroom floor, suit people who want a vehicle ready to tackle the outback etc The workhorse vehicle ethos is what the Defender originally was, and its reputation was built upon that heritage… In today’s market, JLR are chasing big profit via fancy versions of Defender. And all of their vehicles continue to go more upmarket. Understandable, but a shame, as they are moving away from being a utilitarian and rugged vehicle, straight off the showroom floor. I suppose JLR are happy to leave that market to Ineos ? The Defender platform is rugged and utilitarian, but ( sadly ) the JLR focus is on expensive versions of Defender, that most can’t afford, and 23” wheels etc, perpetuate the mall crawler image, as most are used by wealthy people as a city / suburban vehicle 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@nextleveloz]

@@StephenFogarty2023 The Ineos is still a work in progress. It’s more expensive than they originally suggested, more tech and perhaps not as customisable as “old” Defender enthusiasts might have wanted. I will keep watching it, but how the service coverage goes and parts delivery etc suggest it’s not as good as some might have hoped. Imperfect choices, but at least there are choices ATM albeit each with pros and cons. But the ability to woo well off city drivers and cash in on the premium they might pay for “Bond” cars is a concern for those of us that want the tourer/tower/ crossover. 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️😂

[@StephenFogarty2023]

@@nextleveloz Exactly 👍

[@onatrailnearyou]

Thanks for the review. I’m about to take delivery of a 2024 P400 so to know that Land Rover support has been there when you needed them the most is reassuring. No plan to tow a van currently but who knows what the future will hold. Did you choose the diesel for fuel economy reasons or were there other factors? Enjoyed your series too. Thanks

[@peterbullen3347]

You are in for a treat with this channel, they did an amazing trip and many hours of fabulous scenery... Enjoy.

[@peterbullen3347]

Mmm fabulous choice Defender P400, I think I will get one too.. one day, when my Discovery 3 dies...

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and thanks for the question. How exciting, I’m sure you will love your new Defender. Look, the JLR experience is fickle. We are very pleased we’ve experienced the upside of it and TBH that’s the standard owners should press for for their big car investments (whatever the brand). If you aren’t towing, it’s a complete weapon. Long range, heavy towing represents an extra challenge for any car. It happens to be a good tow car out of the box but I meant it when I started the conversation with my view the Defender is the best in its class. We chose diesel intentionally. No reflecting on the other variants and Paula drives a ULP car when we aren’t traveling. But the D300 engine, the torque and the economy and range of the diesel variant was better for towing in our view. Remote travel also means you have to consider that as much as ULP is common, diesel is more available in the most remote places. Weights meant we could install an extended range fuel tank so range plus what was in jerrie’s on our van was better with diesel than petrol. If you aren’t towing you have heaps of payload to play with for options. Thanks for watching, much appreciated and that helps us send some money off to charity as well. All the best.

[@nextleveloz]

@@peterbullen3347 The scenery comes courtesy of a higher power. 😉. We are just lucky enough to capture it sometimes. cheers mate

[@Wilbargosh]

Ah, good to hear. I’m not a Landrover fan any more. I just look for a cost effective reliable car that is fit for purpose. My touring 4x4 setup is not going to tow a caravan. I’ve decided to use a Oztent tent in remote areas or use a motel, cabin or B&B when in town. I want to stay light and only take what I need. Did you put an after market fuel prefilter in the Defender? I hear a lot of diesel injector failures could be related to poor fuel quality (water, algae, wax, micro contamination) particularly if you regularly run on low fuel.

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching. That’s a great approach. It’s why we aren’t brand tribal. Not towing a van provides a good bit of leeway for choices and there are different ways to see the place. It comes down to your own preferences. No we didn’t change anything in that regard. Yes one of the nags in the back of the head is always the risk of poor fuel. I’m almost OCD about not running low on fuel so we carry an extra jerry or two on the van if we are going anywhere where the legs get close to the range of the car. Thanks again, much appreciated.

[@drewherbert2227]

@@nextleveloz David, did you have a long range installed? I didn't see anything pop up on your background text comments saying you did. I am trying to figure out fuel and water carrying for shorter trips with no van but also thinking ahead to longer trips with a van! Thanks

[@simonhjc]

Many thanks paula and david. Ive had landcruisers 45,47,75,76,78,79,60,80,100,200,300(hated it). My only recent issue was a clutch in my 79. I did have an fj cruiser modified which caused me grief in ghe aftermarket eg suspension. Our family run cruisers on the cattle station, we have 3 hiluxes, stock with nil issues. Im at retirement age and said to my wife “i resent toyota and their attitude (its a bit like CAT and their equipment), id like a new defender (ive had old classic range rovers), however having watched this…. I simply cant. Turbos, limp mode re 4x4/transfer case issues, suspension issues ie loose shocks, battery issue because it wants to “wake up” all the computers etc. Im bored and owning a Toyota is like owning a washing machine or a fidge freezer- boring. I just watched a stock hikux do the canning stock rount nil snorkel etc… serviced in broome. Issues? Nil. Inlove the look of the defender, the comfort (we had 2 as company cars), the interior. I want to fall in love… but its a dull as dishwater toyota for me and that makes me sad in a way

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks mate. And yes you’ve had some service issues as per your last note. The new Toyotas will be less like the old ones. The issues in my Defender are out there. Plenty of people reporting no issues also. Just be careful not to make make our issues look like a bigger list. The turbo issue and limp mode was one and the same and it’s a third party component by a brand used in many other cars also- not good but worth noting . It wasn’t the wake up that caused our battery issue - as much as i’d prefer a camp mode, it was a collapsed battery. Yep replaced the transfer case most likely because of a faulty sensor but yep. As best we can tell that was a very rare issue and it didn’t stop us thankfully. Suspension annoyed me because it looks like a quality control issue and that’s on JLR. Didn’t stop us. But yes that’s the frustration isn’t it? Toyotas won’t get less complex as we move forward and more people feel as you do. But the only thing we can do is share our experience and as far as we’re concerned people have to make their judgement. Was our Defender a rarity like you 79 issue? Who knows? Time will tell if there are recurring issues for sure. We didn’t like the 300 but it wasn’t going to be available for us when we bought the Defender. We know of several people who’ve been across the Simpson and we’d like to do that and maybe the Canning - news to put a platform on for that and can’t take the van of course. Thanks for the comment, it sums up the dilemma. All the best

[@tempestv8]

Have you had your transmission serviced and if so, what was the condition of the old fluid like?

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching and good question. We try to do the routine service every 15k including engine oil and filter. We were considering the transfer case pending the outcome of the 2WD light issue - but they’ve replaced the transfer box. The transmission is conditions based servicing also and we haven’t done anything extra there but we are discussing the options with the dealer. Transmission has been good - but yes it’s worth keeping all that in mind given our usage will make it prudent to reduce intervals as we have with the engine oil.

[@peterbullen3347]

Next trip.. ... Paula, were you hinting at NZ?

[@nextleveloz]

She is so bad at keeping secrets. But no not NZ. But not a bad idea.

[@user-oz4dz2ub7m]

Hi David...very informative. I seem to notice 2 different styles of tow hitch in this video..one noted to be a Hayman Reece recomended hitch, the other shown at 16:09 (car on hoist) which appears to be an upturned hitch of a different kind with the D035 pin in a higher then OEM position. What type of hitch is that? I need a hitch that is higher than OEM but close as possible to the vehicle to reduce loss of rear axle capacity. Do you recall where you sourced it? I find the low hitch location a problem for offroad vans esp. given no riser hitch alternatives. Keen to hear your thoughts! Jason

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching. Good question and well picked. The hitch on the hoist is an older one (it was just the sequence of the mods in the vid). It was also a Hayman Reece and not inverted . It had two chunky welded supports and the hitch bar was solid. The problem was it was too short (160mm) and that was causing issues with the proximity of our van handbrake and the rear spare. The one we use is also HR and inverted. 190mm long and we get up 20mm which was just at the bottom of the range for acceptable tow height for our van. If you’re in Brisbane by any chance, Arrow Towbars at Brendale were very helpful and but anygood HR dealer should also be able to assist. Thanks again for watching and the questions cheers D

[@user-oz4dz2ub7m]

@@nextleveloz Many thanks for your quick reply David. When you refer to 190mm, do you mean distance between centres of hitch pin to ball hole? We drive a Discovery 5 and I need the D035 much higher than factory hitch, but LR recommend a max of 165mm length. Van nose is 600mm off the ground, and the closest hitch option I can find places pin to hole some 210mm, so 45mm back from factory hitch, and 200mm higher than factory. I will contact Arrow to discuss but I wondered if you went through same issue and if you had to settle for something a little outside dimensions LR recommend. Thanks David!

[@nextleveloz]

@@user-oz4dz2ub7m Yes - hitch pin to hole. For the Defender the recommended distance is 175mm. The recommended tow ball towing height for our van is 490-530mm. 600 seems high - but zone have a section of the draw bar that has a downturn in it, reinforced with a welded steel gusset. That’s great for cars with rear So the best compromise we could find that did it was a hitch that was 190mm and gave us a tow height of 495mm which is within range and ever so slightly nose down. You’re right the factory hitch is too low for an off-road van. Arrow Towbars were great. They even advised us to bring the whole rig to their forecourt and they did a trial and error on a range of options. Because the variations in rigs is so great I never recommend a particular hitch - for all the reasons you clearly understand. But finding an exact match to both car and van recommendations. It’s a compromise, you just have to apply the safety principles to get the optimum. Hope that helps and hope Arrow can assist.

[@user-oz4dz2ub7m]

@@nextleveloz Cheers! David. I'll research further. Was concerned re additional stress on the rear of the car, but 'assume' the main issue is to stay under the max. rear axle load. The handbook uses language such as ' max recommended length' and 'minimum recommended ball height', but then notes that 'the tow hitch dimensions must be adhered to'! The dealer advises that I just use a different hitch and stay with max towball and axle load weights. Van is 280kg on nose. Anyway, perhaps I am over thinking it!

[@midlandgeordie]

D350 now in UK

[@nextleveloz]

Yes. I’m not sure why TBH. They still seem to have the D250 in the mix but moved from D300 to D350. Same displacement. About kw extra on power and a bit more torque. We found the power and torque great for towing and off road in our experience and good fuel economy and don’t need any extra acceleration. But not sure what else on the drivetrain has changed if needed. Anyway who knows. D250 and D300 was essentially the same engine setup except tune so I’m not sure if the D350 is the same power plant tuned better. I’m sure we will find out at some stage but doesn’t really affect us unless parts are changing and that affects ability. For now the D300 does our job well. 🤔🤷‍♂️

[@streetleswa8053]

Noooo , you cant be saying ASPW is wrong 😁🤣🤣

[@nextleveloz]

We enjoy his overland adventures, no issue. He has a view on the Defender that I feel he is predisposed to because it’s not the old Defender - but no issue, people have views. Just on that particular point it’s not correct. Not personal but if people want to know the pros and cons of the Defender let’s keep it real.

[@streetleswa8053]

@@nextleveloz I remember watching that episode haha , in fact it was he last of his content I have watched .Agree with all you say , Just sold my Discovery after 27 years of service , had the odd problem but travelled all over Oz towing a van . Great vehicles .

[@sbGOM]

Have a look at "Overlanding with Bruce". SAfrican guy overlanding in the current Defender. There's also people in the US overlanding them.

[@davidmilledge221]

Ive never known a pomy vehicle to be reliable in Australia , even when the Australian army got landrovers they had to put reliable Isuzu diesel motors and air-conditioning in them

[@nextleveloz]

David, You aren’t letting go are you? 😉😂. Having spent a large part of my life driving in Series 3s and Perenties I have a view. But we spent a lot of time waiting for MkIIIs getting fuel vapour locks, the mogs were great new but on time for less reliable. I always wondered if the troopy was the internationally recognised reliable work horse, why the Army never made them a mainstay. All interesting except none one them were great military vehicles - just great runabout tractors if you had first line maintenance support. But now your on about the motors and i thought your issue was the fancy electronics? 😉. Have a good one. I knew there would be people who had strong views on this stuff and no issue.

[@nicholastaylor8154]

All sounds like a nightmare

[@nextleveloz]

Hi. The problem with reviews is they do tend to spend disproportionate time on problems, noting only one took us off the road and even then for a matter of less than 3 weeks total. Overall we had a great year as the rest of the video series shows. And all fixed. We saw different people with different cars have their trips ended and that wasn’t our experience, so we tried to give some perspective as well. But would have been equally wrong to try to gloss over a couple of the more important items also. It’s a tremendously capable car. People have to weigh their views though. Van and car contributed to a brilliant year and that’s the bottom line even if it wasn’t glitch free. But that’s also why I included the summary package of the overall trip and emphasized the fact the car out of the box was a very good tow car.

[@davidmilledge221]

Might be comfortable to drive but they have too much fancy electronics on them , thats why tow truck drivers love them 😢 ok its still under warranty and things are fixed that should never have failed in the first place , but when out off warranty and them fancy things get old whos going to save you then , probably explains why they drop in value so fast 🤔while its still in warranty sell it and buy a Toyota simple

[@nextleveloz]

Thanks for watching. Too much to unpick in all that. I saw two 300 series on tilt bed. Does that mean the 300s are unreliable? Whatever went wrong there shouldn’t have gone wrong either. But I hope they get back on the road, repaired quickly. I’m curious about the fancy things argument though. Which bits? Our case also a good example. The turbo? Yep, bloody frustrating but which car are you going to buy that doesn’t increasingly rely on turbo chargers? In our case we kept driving but if course it had to be fixed. Terrain modes - they all have defaults. But the 300 relies on electronic terrain modes also. But these didn’t fail in our case. Sensors and microprocessors - all modern cars are loaded with them. Adaptive suspension - on our case it wasn’t the fancy electronics it was a mechanical nut. But on that note I’d point out that many toyota owner towers / off roaders don’t rely on their stock shock absorbers, they pay even more to upgrade them and sometimes even put in airbags. So - no issue, get the simplicity v complexity perspective, but new cars aren’t going to be simple and increasingly there will be software upgrades and in my view new cars will generally be more reliable and components swapped out than old cars ever were. Let’s hope Toyota gets a grip on DPFs and emissions compliance before too long besides that’s coming like a steam train across lots of its markets - and it’s a bit surprising they didn’t incorporate it in a new 300 model. Bottom line is if you want simplicity I don’t think it’s going to be available in the future. If the safety of brand is a key part of the decision, no issue from me. They are mostly functional cars. But there is a reason the latest troopy is a 2.8 litre turbo charged, auto. Great debate, appreciate it. We will keep our options wide open as technology changes. 😉

[@davidmilledge221]

@@nextleveloz I guess that's why the older landcuisers that don't have fancy electronics are going up in value , end off the day you need a reliable 4x4 way out bush , computers , sensors and other stuff don't belong there

[@nextleveloz]

@@davidmilledge221 This is really good discussion point and more detailed than comments can really cope with. Some toyota models do hold their values well. It’s a function of demand as more disappear isn’t it? Supply and demand. Toyotas and parts were so ubiquitous (and cheap) and they did an excellent marketing job. Partly car and partly market perception. They did do simple pretty well. It’s a maddening thing, but there is an inherent contradiction - on one hand it’s said they are more reliable, but then everybody talks about the things they. had to fix out bush (so they did break) and then they talk about the dealer network smother could get help closer (so they did break and they did need dealer support). You won’t hear me knocking Toyotas generally at all. But they do break down, they had massive DPF issues as one example and even they are getting more complex. they aren’t increasing in value either. They do hold value better. But no question more recently there was a massive supply and demand spike due to pandemic and supply chain issues and frankly some of it was appalling profiteering. In our car there was no “technology” or fancy stuff failure that took us off the road. Ever. There was an electrical fault in a turbo and turbos increasingly are in all cars - and even that didn’t didn’t stop the car driving while we were remote. We drove another 280km towing. It went on a tilt bed to transport it to the dealer 700km away. A well known overlander influencer had a near new 79, and the low range selector rod failed. No low range in soft sand if i recall correctly. A $90 part ( and even then Toyota disputed the warranty claim). But no low range in an off-road car is pretty fundamental. And it was mechanical, not a sensor etc. We never lost low range or indeed any off road settings. not trying to convince you. Not bagging Toyotas - it’s not my thing. I get why they are popular. But I do get fascinated by perceptions based on comparing land cruisers of 20 years ago with range rovers of 20 years ago. Those who hope that cars are going to stay as simple, naturally asphyxiated boxes on wheels that they can completely rebuild up, are going to struggle for all sorts of reasons. Look at the Ineos Grenadier. It was going to be the old Defender. It isn’t that at all , because new models have to meet a modern market and regulatory obligations. So just as engine technology had to improve and cooling had to improve (remember the roads to summer time beach locations 40 years ago with all sorts pulled over taking the hot radiator caps off? That wasn’t reliable) the electronic systems will get more reliable, more modular, more plug in plug out. And of course if you even want an ICE engine in 10 years it’s going to have to have all sorts of things strapped to it to comply. Long and interesting. debate. But - the Defender is sophisticated. It’s also very good and maybe, maybe it’s another example of LR being a bit ahead of the curve. The bells and pings are bloody annoying at times. But I’d rather know well ahead of time something isn’t working as it should then find out because something has failed the hard way. We made some lovely friends on the Gibb, They had a Ranger and a. different make van. We had the Defender and a Zone. Couldn’t be more different but we both had a brilliant time. Different approaches. Sorry for the long note. I respect the thought and love the idea of building up an overlander from scratch etc, but it’s worth teasing some of this out.

[@grahameroberts8109]

Have fun in Antarctica. Cheers👍🏻🙏🦘

[@nextleveloz]

Close but no cigar 😉. We went to Antarctica a few years ago. But you are warm. Or should I say cool? 🤔. Thank you though for the thought and for watching until the end! cheers David and Paula

[@grahameroberts8109]

@@nextleveloz I’m a bit sheepish now. lol. Something about white clouds then.

[@nextleveloz]

@@grahameroberts8109 😂. It was a cracking good guess. When we share you will surprised how close you were. cheers