How do you drive a Defender? (Like a 911?)

[@phildon5]

I'm a New 300tdi owner. I drove it like I've stole it for the first 2 weeks ....... But I'm getting into the landrover way of life. Slow and steady. Loving it😁😁😁

[@aidanring7364]

All that you have said should be mandatory watching for all new landy drivers all over the world .well done from series 2a series 3 and 300tdi defender owner here in cold wet ireland.

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Cheers !👍😁

[@solarbuduk]

I love trying to avoid using the throttle at all when driving at slow speed, turning a corner, reversing out of a parking space etc! Just let the clutch in and steer!

[@themeetings8522]

Landrover defender drivers must be the same all over the world. I drive mine pretty much the same way. Love your vids. Always makes me smile and as you say......keep rolling.

[@axelcordes]

Take a seat, start smiling, warm up the engine and keep on rolling - thank you Marcel for that one!

Squeaky clutch pedal is also a great feature, i miss it when i change my cars.

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Totally agree!

[@peterkane9822]

Nice one Marcel, The other thing i do is get used to listening to the Defender as if you hear anything even slightly amiss could be worth checking out apart from the usual noises ie thud when the throttle is eased off be the prop shaft flange ready to go the only noise i wish i could hear more is the indicator as i'm always forgeting to turn it off and forever checking if i have done as the smaller steering wheels block out the vision of the warning lights to tell me they are still on.

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Spot on on the indicator 🙄😀. And yes - every clunk and vibration is mentally archived and subliminally monitored 😁

[@richardtedeschi9290]

300 Tdi here, I never go over 50 mph, warm up the engine nicely before driving, do the same as you with clutch gear change and braking, slow in and fast out, never floor it, except when I see a road going uphill got to get there with the right speed... trying to keep fuel consumption low ahahahahahahhh...

[@ASimplyFabLife]

👍😊 You've just summed it up in a couple sentences... Yeah - consumption! Although must be said not too bad if you don't 'push it'. Thanks for the comment!

[@Simonandisla]

You forgot the automatic sun tanning elbow out the window pose crucial for effective driving !! Lol. Plus the semi automatic self adjusting aircon flaps !! And last but not least the all important landy wave at EVERY given opportunity 👋👋

[@ASimplyFabLife]

👋😎

[@whiskeyromeobravo3645]

Be cautious of foot slipping off accelerator pedal...it is quite narrow and slick.

[@johndiaz7240]

Everything applies to my FJ40 except the blipping of the gas between gear changes , that was fun thanks.

[@joewakeford]

Bonus points for your Czech beer t-shirt. Greetings from sunny Prague! Another great video.

[@adangollo3149]

I got my first TDI today , I am excited this is fun I have been waiting for a long time. I do not have experience in driving manual car but I learning. Thank you

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Welcome to the club!

[@thecustomer2684]

I have a Series 3 and drive Dad's Defender 130 TD5. The Series 3 is a completely different beast, but you're absolutely right about everything being slow and smooth.

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Series👍😎

[@ssgill]

When in the city i move off a lot slower from traffic lights when they turn green and It used to make me nervous as i am holding back traffic behind me. Eventually driving off slowly, slowly increasing throttle to not have any gear change sound, i stopped thinking of people behind me as this is how a classic Land Rover needs to be driven. I try to stay on the slower lanes as much possible at the traffic stops. Yes, it is very mechanical, and driver is totally involved in the vehicle. With all the tech around us, this experience is meditative :). Ride is a 1997 110 Defender 300Tdi.

[@louisesergaki8592]

Thanks Just about to drive up the white mountain of crete this helped

[@diecastculture7066]

Great tips there & ones I'm familiar with after 5yrs with our Puma. Still getting used to when to change gear! After driving a new courtesy transit van where you can change up at 2000 revs, I'm still learning in the Defender that you need to exceed 3000 with the engine beginning to scream otherwise the next gear up won't have enough torque. Glad to hear the vague steering is not just me.

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Yeah, the 2.2 has the annoying 'rev-hold' electronic stuff🙄(rather counterproductive when switching from the old Tdi 😅). Basically it is just 'rev-matching' where possible and go easy on the old clutch... Cheers for the comment👍🤙

[@ccw5886]

Exactly the mentality to have. Excellent

[@jonnystage6747]

Nice video Marcel :) Hope life's treating you well in the sun!

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Hi Jonny. Great thanks 👍 Thank you for asking. How are things up north?

[@HeliRy]

Funny, I had an old ‘86 Jeep CJ7 with a four speed gear box. Drove it the exact same way. You had to or else you’d be lurching all over the place every time you changed a gear.

[@jofher007]

Amen Brother..

[@ElmerJFudd-oi9kj]

Hai Marcel, bij de Puma aan de linker achetzijde onder de motorkap (als je er voor staat) zit een klein plastic contact containertje. Als je dat uit elkaar trekt en het gedeelte aan het smoertje mbv een stukje u vormig draad doorlust, houdt het automatisch gasgeven bij het schakelen of gas loslaten op. Dit is door ford bedacht voor mensen die geen auto kunnen rijden. Groeten Chris.

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Thanks Chris 👍. Zo'n idee had ik al. Wel een beetje vreemd dat het gaspedaal niet echt vast zit aan de motor 🤔😬... Goed plan (als die Puma van mij was !) Hoe kom je daar nou achter ?

[@ElmerJFudd-oi9kj]

via garage Barrington in la Cheze@@ASimplyFabLife

[@ariouredy6064]

I love your channel ! Keep it up. Your vidéos are fun, funny and fresh. You seem cool and to enjoy life. Thanks for this.

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Cheers, thanks! 🤘😁😎

[@maleka58]

Shit I’ve got it wrong again 😂 Love my Puma! It loves going fast! I overtake all the time, and drive it like a sports car! and it shifts. I did used to have a 1966 with a V8. Really funny, sounding like a fast sports car, and an old military 1A comes round the corner. My Puma always seems smooth whatever I do with it! Also towed a broken down Disco back to portugal to Jersey on a 1 ton Trailer. The guy never took the piss our of my defender again! My Defender is small, beautiful, loved a very capable Vehicle❤️🇯🇪

[@davidstrachan8912]

Did you say change gears then wait a sec before letting clutch out? Im trying to avoid the "clunk". Thanks

[@ASimplyFabLife]

If you're referring to the Puma, then I find it advisable to dip the clutch, wait a second (while picking the next gear) and then letting it out slowly. Basically a Defender needs 'lazy' (slow-motion) smoothness to your movements. This is to counteract the engine programming that holds on to the revs for a second before the the engine revs lower down to idle. Which is/was actually Land Rover's way of trying to protect the 'clunk' in a convoluted way. However, as a 'pre-Puma' driver we already do this subconsciously by blipping the throttle during the up change and rev matching on the downshift in order to avoid the clunk. Very satisfying when done right, and smooth progress can be made with a lazy (slower) clutch motion... When combined with the Puma engine's mapping, you find yourself second-guessing yourself with each gear because the engine is hanging on to the revs... Hope this makes sense.

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Not sure my reply made sense as I read it🤔😅. Basically the clutch is your friend - slow, smooth and deliberate. Allied to that is rev-matching (up or down). Try to anticipate the revs with the throttle. The Puma hangs onto its revs for a second - which can be counter intuitive...

[@Canaleopardchangeitsspots]

Love your humour and advice for a newbie to the Landy game - 60 years old and my first is beckoning - a 1996 130 300 tdi..... so much to look forward to if all Defender owners are as witty and wise as your good self! see you down the road in Oz maybe

[@ASimplyFabLife]

👍Awesome! Welcome to the club! Be aware that once you enter there will be no going back😅

[@kikinananom4038]

Good one

[@ElmerJFudd-oi9kj]

Each time i drive my 90 puma, i'm having a ball !

[@lehlohonolomoji8341]

Need to go deeper on how you drive a defender and more on how you change and tap the axcel

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Yeah, good point. Will file that for a future vid. Thanks, cheers😎

[@Jin-Ro]

I went from a British Ex-Mil 109 Series 3 to a civvie Defender. It's like jumping from a Model T Ford to a BMW 3 Series :D Love the Series; terrible, terrifying and brilliant. Loving my Def though.

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Terrible, terrifying.... and brilliant!😊👍👊

[@AlexLR]

Alternatively, fit a Chevy LS3 and just leave it in 4th, forever. Will take a Defender from 0-135mph... 😁

[@julienchahine7601]

Bonjour Marcel, Greetings from Paris ! I have a defender TD5 year 2003. If I up-shift quickly with high RPM from 1st to 2d, or 2d to 3d, I feel a crunch/grind in my hand (not so loud to hear it in the vehicle, I can just feel it with my hand). If I leave the RPM/rev normal, and leave a 1 second pause on Neutral between these gears, all is fine. No crunch when downshifting. The gearbox runs with new MTF94 oil. Is this a normal behavior for a R380 ? Are we supposed to UP shift slowly with these gearboxes, losing momentum ? Losing momentum is not an issue on flat road, but annoying climbing a slope. Many thanks for your help and feedback ! Julien

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Bonjour Julien, merci pour votre commentaire. I am afraid I cannot help with this question, except to say the R380 is normally very smooth on the gearchange (not like our LT77😝😂), so it could be damage from earlier life. What I would recommend is to place your question on the Facebook groups. I was never on there, but I find they are normally very helpful, and there is a lot of knowledge. Vous pourriez essayez sur Facebook: 'Land rover forever pour les vrais amoureux des Land rover' (français), ou Land Rover-aide/réparations-defender,séries,range,disco (méme français). Chez: LAND ROVER DEFENDER il ya plein des gens qui peut vous aider . Good luck. I hope this helps you. Cheers, keep rolling! Marcel

[@chrisviviers5649]

Hi Marcel. I notice it didn't look like you were double clutching, just blipping the gas. Not a fan of double clutching?

[@ASimplyFabLife]

I found that rev-matching does the job - especially since our old Tdi seems to be missing a number of horses 😅and on a hill you really need a quick change to keep momentum. It certainly has its benefits but it's not something we learned to make a habit😬

[@ElmerJFudd-oi9kj]

Voor alle duidelijkheid, het draad gedeelte van het contactje achter de rem servo bij de Puma kortsluiten. Groetjes Chris.

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Thanks 👍 Ben niet zo van het electronica 😬, maar goed om te weten. Doe mij maar een 200tdi😀

[@betterbackwards2701]

As a 200 Tdi owner, drive it like a truck not a car. Don't gently massage it, let it work. Mine is an old model with no issues involving torque. It'll take off in third with no worries, it'll drag another landy around the countryside and barely feel it. Advice would be don't kick the crap out of it. Torque on landy is low down the revs. It's a work horse not a race horse. The engine sounds happy cruising around 55mph in mine, crank it to after 60 and it starts to sound like a two stroke earth mover ( not happy!).

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Yep - thanks for the comments. Sound about right regarding terminal velocity - 55mph 😅

[@bertspuma8705]

Hoe lang doe je met je koppelingsplaten? :)

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Geen idee eerlijk gezegd 🧐- kocht deze 110 met 280 000 op de teller, nu 360 000... Rijdt nog...👍

[@roboneoff2204]

I drove my 300tdi like the pope until i fitted a boost pin, now i'm spinning the wheels at traffic lights !!!! Yeee Haaaa !

[@phildon5]

Fitting a boost pin today. So will be back to driving it like I stole it

[@ElmerJFudd-oi9kj]

Bij de weg, mischien in het Engels beter? en zonder typ fouten? Laat me svp weten, mooie keuken kastjes trouwens, goed werk man ( en vrouw )! take care

[@ASimplyFabLife]

Dankje/thanks! NL of Engels - het kan allemaal 👍. Videos in het engels voor alle markten bien sûr 😁

[@bertju100]

I want a big v8 at the defender than I buy it

[@othman123ish]

Hahahahahaha steering all over the place

[@amilamsarathchandrajayasin2333]

Too. Much taking

[@alexsonkateiya6639]

You aren't doing anything to help....you showing yourself and honestly you're kidding

[@carolynatkinson9553]

expert get a proper car be honest its a shit box