I’m Sincerely Surprised By The Land Rover Defender When I Take It Off-Road in Moab!

[@mattjordan9521]

Back in the mid 1990s while working in Ethiopia we had a convoy of 5 trucks headed from Addis to Axum. Two original discoveries, one older land cruiser, and a hilux, and a truck from Eastern Europe I couldn’t identify. At the end of the day we all got through the torn up roads and off road sections equally well. The difference was that the folks in the discos were still fresh. The washboards didn’t beat them up half as bad as the other guys. The difference was so profound I decided to buy one myself when I returned to the states 2 years later. I’ve owned 7 rovers over the years. They aren’t for everyone, but I love them. Best 4x4xfar.

[@Lyallthetime]

I find just as much entertainment in watching someone with skills driving with accuracy and sympathy to the vehicle as I do watching someone going hell for leather. And the fact that the vehicle is still able to provide an enjoyable drive home makes it better.

[@andy14landy]

Roman did so well getting great shots, while driving and all by himself!

[@daveallen7767]

Roman, you lucky dog, beautiful day in Moab & you're not in the office. It is good to be king ! I enjoy your solo videos, thoughtful commentary & you don't interrupt anyone .

[@4x4enthusiast]

I agree. Great job capturing your day for us to enjoy. So jealous.

[@MaithamL]

The D90 is like a mountain goat the way it just climbs hills effortlessly

[@dadventuretv2538]

Modify that thing!!! Do a series on it. The aftermarket is there, just not as extensive as for aJeep. I know, I modified an LR4 You got the perfect model to do it. don’t have to go bonkers, but a small lift rock rails wider wheels to accommodate slightly larger tires skid plates and a bull bar that would fit the winch. Show people what can be done with them.

[@rlaracue]

Agreed. Do a cross promo with the guys at Lucky8 in NY. Would love to see you both wheel together as well.

[@MTROVER1]

Just put a winch on mine using the Lucky8 kit, so mods are available.

[@nunyabidness3075]

The problem is the market is there, but not very competitive. I’m amazed at the prices when compared to similar parts for other vehicles.

[@MTROVER1]

Yes supply vs demand. Less Defenders mean higher prices.

[@mfreidberg]

@SarekTV makes coil springs in a few lengths to lift a new Defender. He would be great to collaborate with on a project.

[@bjrn-einarnilsen687]

Great video Roman. It's a stunning car the Defender. And now you have two of my favorite cars in your collection. This and the G-Wagon heheheh. Cheers, Bjoern

[@TFLoffroad]

Thanks! 👍

[@TreatsOnTheStreets]

Roman loves LR for the same reason I do. When i see jeeps and toyotas lifted to heaven, of course they're very capable off road, but I know that 90+% of the tire tread will be worn out on asphalt, not dirt. The compromises with them lifted like that on the road totally suck. With the air suspension you get a great ride on road and very good capability off road as well, especially when paired with the terrain management in LRs. Makes more sense to me unless you have a purpose built off roader that you almost never drive on road.

[@joezephyr]

My 2 door jeep is not lifted. I am Australian and I noticed on US based videos that almost everybody lifts their Jeep. It is not nescessary!

[@PumpUptheJam81]

@@joezephyrcompletely uncecessary. We revel in a life of rampant consumerism.

[@MrIpjrobson]

The Defender is awesome. The colour is spectacular. They look so sharp on the road.

[@brianbass4971]

I really like this series. I have a 2020 110 P400 that I’m building out. The capabilities of this truck are incredible.

[@lamec4343]

The biggest mistake most people make with the air suspension models is to raise the suspension whenever off road, I only raise when needed, goes 95% of place on normal height. A lot more comfortable and capable.

[@ks-vq5er]

Actually no need to set in off road for many cases. Auto is clever enough to manage the wheel spin. I only use this mode when I need to raise the height

[@natehoule567]

Absolutely. And when you see the pretty bad articulation, it can be better when left alone in normal height. It's even better with the sway bar disconnected :)

[@jdfleetguy28]

Great video Roman. Love the defender 90. I think my 23 model 90 v8 is one of my all time favorite vehicles. It just does everything I need it to do so well, and you mentioned they just look so good, just have to look back at it whenever getting out of it. All so very true. Just really a fun and super comfortable vehicle.

[@LaunchpadGP]

Cool timing, just took my (stock) Defender 110 to Moab a few weeks ago. Did Fins & Things as a warm and Hell’s Revenge. Even with air suspension I did scrape up the plastic bumpers a bit, so your assessment of Hell’s Revenge was correct!

[@steveharrison8249]

Love my Defender 90 D250. It has far more off road capability than I have the balls for but it’s also comfortable for long days on the road. The only downside is it’s a bit more compromised on interior space than my previous Discovery 4 (LR4).

[@nothingtoseaheardammit]

having just bought a Defender 110 in July, there are certainly not as many aftermarket parts suppliers as there are for Jeeps (no other car does really) but there ARE a lot of aftermarket parts suppliers out there. Many of them are in the UK Things like skid plates and rock sliders are readily available and have multiple options . But Roman said the key point, out of the box its just so damn good. My 110 has the expedition pack which has the rack and the widdle wadder (which I use to put my fishing rods on the rack) and the air compressor in the boot.... its all really well done. Now my big gripe about the 110 specifically is that the cargo area is quite small. So small in fact that its tough to pack my wife's belongings for a weeklong trip in the back.

[@J.Young808]

Gotta get the wife into minimalist packing for Overlanding.

[@nunyabidness3075]

I’ve overstuffed my 110 several themes now. The key is utilizing the height. If you get the right combo of plastic tubs, you can can actually get a ton in there.

[@DAVOPARKES]

Great video Roman, I love my FJ, but your LR looks great too. Keep it how you like it, I only did the suspension on mine because the rear springs sagged, and i wanted to put a steel bar on the front. Who cares what anyone else thinks, my FJ has taken me places that surprised me, and never struggled, 8 years in and I still love it.

[@fabulousoffroaddesigns5080]

Roman, those are REAL steelies! They are NOT fake! The 20" ones on the new LR are aluminum. These wheels are steel.

[@McGurble]

Right? At this point I'm starting to think they're saying that on purpose to drive engagement. Every time they do a video on this truck, they mention "fake steelies" and someone always corrects them in the comments. They HAVE to know they're real, after all the first defender they had used these exact same wheels!

[@torquewrench3909]

Roman, Fantastic job! I really enjoyed the content, as well as, your excellent commentary showcasing the journalism skill! Well played! You make me want one of those! This content really hit that perfect you tube note. Well done, sir!

[@robtearle565]

It is stunning and dry unlike here in the west of Scotland!

[@bmclaughlan]

Your part of Scotland is like Heaven.

[@robtearle565]

@bmclaughlan to be fair, when the sun shines even Greenock can look good. No denial that Scotland is stunning, raw brutal mountains, beautiful Glen's etc. It's just not so nice in the face of horizontal rain and drizzle! 🤣☔😎

[@timoliver8940]

I also live in Central Scotland - the Trossachs area - and have a D250 90 HSE with the additional rear diff and air suspension and it’s much better than the 2020 110 I had before it BUT one thing that really cheeses me off with both of them has been that if you stop the engine then the TR system defaults back to Comfort Mode, why? It’s crazy and none of the FFRR’s or RRS’s I’ve run since 2003 that had TR did it, if you turned off the engine they restarted in the TR setting you stopped in. Also my 110 had the programmable centre diff option yet my £10,000 more expensive 90 HSE doesn’t have it as standard which is a pain, it was so nice to be able to change the amount of slip or how early or late the diff locked on the 110. The area is magic for off-road driving BUT you need to fill out so many permits to get access to go Offroad that you really have to be a member of one of the big Offroad driving clubs like the Scottish Green Road Club who negotiate with land owners to get to drive some truly stunning drives as part of a group.

[@drewpaterson502]

A fabulous video Roman in a very special car! Many thanks.

[@TFLoffroad]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@saltekmotorsports]

Let us know what you need, Roman! We got some offroad goodies for the Defender you may like!

[@Queensizemusic]

Roman, I think it’s incredibly rad that you still have all your toys from childhood (paired with your toys from adulthood). 🤘🏼

[@ribbit1964]

Hey Roman! I have missed your solo adventures, another fun video sir!

[@TFLoffroad]

Glad you like them!

[@dfberry]

Absolutely! Roman is the original reason I subscribed to TFL. All the people who have joined all the various TFL channels are great -- but Roman is the original reason.

[@rokuth]

The 1st generation Land Rover has its roots in the Willy's Jeep of WW2. After WW2 there were a lot of surplus Jeeps to be had in the UK, and Rover just took one of them and thrashed it off-road to figure the weak points and strong points of it. From there, they used that info to build the 1st Land Rovers. One thing they did from the get go was to build the body out of Aluminum. This helps in not only keeping the weight down, but also lowering the Center of Gravity on the vehicle. Very important in keeping the vehicle from being too "tippy."

[@grahameroberts8109]

Almost correct.

[@backwoodstherapy]

Needs a mild lift and some slightly bigger tires. Would be a great overlanding/camping rig and just an inch or two wouldn’t affect the geometry too bad. Also, I’m willing to bet Roman grew up without a lot of money. That’s probably why “take care of your stuff” is programmed into him - for those of us who grew up without much to spare, once you got something, if you broke it, you didn’t get another one. I grew up working class (mom was stay at home, dad was a factory worker), and while I never missed a meal or went without, I knew that if I didn’t take care of the few luxuries my parents afforded me, it wasn’t getting replaced. I’m still like that today.

[@ItsAlpha_]

Such a stunning car yet very superior off-road capabilities, Love the Defender 90!

[@TheGHardin]

I would like to discuss purchasing it from you. I had ordered that exact 90 and went to pay for it to be built, with wife in tow, and once she saw a black 110 on the lot I had to say goodbye to my Pangea green 90 with white top and wheels. She caught me watching your episode when you picked it up and she said , “that’s a nice one! I like that!” So now I’m looking for a ‘23 on springs with white wheels and top. Let’s do this guys! 😊

[@byronlarson5534]

Nice video Roman. As a casual Colorado off-roader, I really enjoy you and your team's content. Your content has definitely influenced my car purchases.

[@albertmeyer801]

Awesome video. I loved the camera work and the views and your enthusiasm really comes across. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@mikeattheimagebusiness6215]

I can’t believe those who leave comments against the capabilities of the Defender have ever actually driven one. Having taken many people off road in Defenders old and new I can attest to people being astonished by the capabilities of the current Terrain Response System. This includes Jeep and Toyota owners! The complete lack of drama when tacking some extreme terrain makes it all look easy. My choice for drama free mixed off-roading = Defender 90, D300 3.0 Diesel, (650nm torque from 1500 rpm), Air Suspension, TR2, Rear e-locker, Falken Wildpeaks. Then cruise home in comfort at highway speeds.

[@LaunchpadGP]

Agreed. I think a lot of the sentiment comes from the fact that very few modern Defenders ever see a trail. Maybe that will change as they age and start to trickle down to their 3rd or 4th owners.

[@2151abell]

Romen iv been finding that I seem to really enjoy your one on one videos about the best. But I do enjoy all the others by the gang as well !

[@simono4991]

Beautiful scenery. I'd love to take my Defender there, but unfortunately it's 4600 miles away with the Atlantic Ocean in the way...

[@libertystuffnthingsreviews829]

Roman is solid here...much better posture than the podcast about electric vehicles.

[@David67811]

Having had a Jeep, new style Bronco 2 door and now a Defender 90, the Defender beats the other 2 hands down for a daily driver. Very civilized on the hwy, with more than capable off road credentials.

[@tjbeadle894]

Great video!! I've been closely watching this series as I just picked up a nearly identical spec D90 base and I was encouraged to take it on the same trails in CO earlier in the series. Moab is next! Looking forward to more videos with the Defender!

[@mr.robarbushites4055]

Great work and video. Especially being solo

I agree the Defender 90 base model is best for both off road and on road driving.. I will get one soon pre owned of course with a warranty

[@NewDefenderP]

Don't worry about warranty.. they are much better than you think

[@Mercipher21]

Excellent vid Roman! Gotta love that Land Rover!

[@toddblake5003]

Great work here Sir! You earned your wages on this one. Love that Defender 90!

[@MrKozanitis]

Fins N Things! One of my favorites, too! With my 2020 JGC Trailhawk though! 😊 and with original OEM…street tires! But fully protected front, underneath and back with aftermarket armor.

[@brianbanks5860]

Great video very interesting. It's good to see your back must be so much better.

[@davidbolam71]

Loved watching your genuine excitement when you cleared 1 tree hill! Now are you brave enough to take your G-wagon there?

[@joshuamugabi8781]

You said exactly what I was thinking!! Let’s see the G63 do its thing too!!

[@user-rl6px5ob3d]

G-Klasse wouln't make it

[@TFLoffroad]

Please stay tuned

[@michelleballinger5247]

Yes yes yes!!! I’ve wanted one of these for ages - I have the EXACT use case it’s designed for BUT couldn’t bring myself to go for it after the first one you had. Now though…. ❤❤❤

[@briankendrick284]

Well done Roman. Drive careful

[@anthonymrskipt9252]

I almost bought one of these about a year ago - it was whatever special edition (like a Camel Trophy, but I don’t think that’s what they call them anymore) was floating around about 18 months ago. Honestly, if it had lockers, I probably would have gone for it. Watching this is making me think about a 90 again. In truth, I think the 90 is the best looking Defender. I agree that they are probably the best looking SUV going. I wish I hadn’t owned a couple of Discovery 2s way back when. Still hard to pay that much and worry that it will spend half its life in the shop.

[@whos-your-mate]

There is a guy on your side of the pond who makes subframe lifts for these to increase you approach/breakover/departure angles, wouldn't upset the geometry 🤷‍♂ I'm still waiting for TFL to do a portal axle build 👌

[@J.Young808]

Don’t think they want to shell out the $20,000 for the install 😂

[@whos-your-mate]

@J.Young808 Pity though right! I'm sure Tommy did an episode with the owner a while back....? He'd just done some legendary trail somewhere 🤔

[@philippedeziel8264]

Nice review. I bought the P300 90 2 years ago. I have the rear locker (off road pack). I wish I can do this Moab trail this year! By the way, I also own a 2 door Ford Bronco and a 2024 Jeep Wrangler Willys 4xe …if you are looking for customers feedback: )

[@RyanD123]

I LOVE Moab.. I miss your Ride With Me trail guide videos. Any more coming? Soon, i hope! I wish you could film one in a new gen Colorado ZR2 because that's what I drive lol

[@garym81]

Off-roading without breaking things is more fun than the alternative. IF you are one of those people who can trailer your vehicle in and out, sure, go ahead and break your rig. For the rest of us, who take our daily drivers offroad, the thrill is driving it home and being able to brag about it.

[@TreatsOnTheStreets]

This defender crawled up 1 tree hill with a lot less drama than even the $85k ram RHO Andre just did it in.

[@wnelson8332]

Not a bad look at the capabilities - but it does bring back my problem with the 'short take' on the Grenadier. It wasn't given a reasonable chance, partly because of the oddball options - and partly because even cheap choices for rock use were ignored. I never even heard from them that a cheap spring swap, and larger tires (34 at least) needing nothing else changed would have shown what the thing was about! Oh well - I have been getting used to the group actually wanting some of the 'modern' equipment, whether a plus or not... :)

[@GF-cb8rr]

There is a coil lift kit that's available. Would love to see how that thing looks and performs with the lift kit installed. Although it's a Minor lift. I think you'd still be better off than keeping it factory at that ride height.

[@wesleyconn620]

you do not lose suspensiton travel in air the travel is limited due to not having solid axles and the wishbone systems have limits up and down the distance is the same aired up or down :)

[@ShawnBox]

So happy Ford used LR IP and gave us the Bronco Sport Badlands. ;)

[@turbojunki]

I think they are really good looking with a very small lift slightly bigger tire, I’m more of a Jeep guy but I like anything cool.

[@turbojunki]

“There’s a lot of sand which isn’t grand” so poetic

[@northcode_1229]

Great video!!

[@QuantumTactical]

I love my defender 110. Goes anywhere my sons Jeep goes but in better style and comfort

[@jamesryanwigley]

You should consider using a drone! They make solo driving and filming significantly better.

[@fermincarrasco800]

Great video Roman.

[@MikeFigge]

Looks like a great time! Question for you: how low do you air down the pressure on your D90 for terrain like Moab? Cheers!

[@Kahless00]

Factory stage 1 kit for the cobalt ss turbo would get you really close to 300hp back in 2012 for 22k new.

[@PatrickRich]

Must have just missed you Roman, I was on that trail Friday the 29th.

[@rlaracue]

Great video. I am trying to decide between an 2025 110S (400) with the air suspensions or a Rivian R1S Dual Motor Max. Heading to CO this week and will test drive both. This video has me leaning towards the 110.

[@leoazucena-lagos3777]

Yes Roman, it is nice👍😌👀

[@pauliewalnuts240]

Without a button for on/off, Isnt a "locking differential" that locks on its own when needed, basically just an lsd?

[@AdHominem888]

Roman, hope you can leave the car with its wheels turned hard right or left when you are by yourself! Nice vid as always!

[@mattjordan9521]

Roman, could the defender do Cane Creek at Moab?

[@scandinavia6271]

To clarify: You can’t get a factory snorkel for the L663 - as the wading depth is better than most off road vehicles out of the box (95 cm). What you can get is raised air intake to protect the engine from dusty air when overlanding. It doesn’t increase the wading depth of the defender though.

[@TFLoffroad]

Thanks for the heads-up

[@LaunchpadGP]

It’s a fashion accessory. Taking in air a few feet higher isn’t going to make much difference even in dusty conditions. Just my 2 cents.

[@scandinavia6271]

@@LaunchpadGP Well, they are widely used in the 4x4 overlanding community on Land Cruisers, Grenadiers, Defenders, etc..

[@LaunchpadGP]

@@scandinavia6271 widely used doesn’t necessarily mean practical. For the “real” overlanders who disappear for weeks at a time in the Australian Outback I can see the utility, especially if it has a prefilter. Most others just want to look cool, and many of them find out the hard way that they add a LOT of wind noise. Ask yourself this: how many OEM air filters can I buy for the price of a raised intake?

[@scandinavia6271]

@@LaunchpadGP I don’t need it where I live - not much dust around here ;-) As you say, it may be different I Australia and Africa.

[@seanhenderson8520]

Hey I was wondering if Nathen is still with yall

[@davidlusk4350]

😮😮 totally crazy question. What happens if you breakdown?? I mean out by yourself it's in the boonies. Great video team

[@Steve_MFr]

1:12 - are those 18"? Not fake steelies. They look like the 18" real steel wheels, not the 20" alloy 'steel' wheels. The alloy wheels have more of a flat around the lug nuts.

[@travisbriley8238]

To be fair, a Ford LTD does surprisingly well in Moab.

[@rayjay8322]

I think that was the easiest one Tree Hill I've ever seen.

[@JeepAlohaAdventures]

Moab is our happy place and while we always drive our modified JL Rubicon (2 door) down there I will admit that everything we did to make it more off-road capable also made it a little less nice on-road. We still drive it 18 hours+ to get there, usually towing our teardrop trailer, but the soft top and half doors make for a slightly noisy trip 😂. Maybe one day, my wife will trade her 4xE Rubicon for a D90 so we’ll have an option to take a quieter ride down and stick to easier trails than we might otherwise do. I do share Roman’s approach of trying not to break or damage anything (a long drive home) so can appreciate the idea of being more methodical in choosing lines, etc. Would also like to support the idea of keeping it in the TFL fleet and doing some light mods to it.

[@kc0lif]

nice land rover as is.

[@bmclaughlan]

Now I want a Defender 90. Dammit.

[@TimeMariner]

It doesn't seem that full hip replacement has slowed Roman down!

[@pellcio]

I'm impressed with the capabilities of the Defender. However, I couldn't dissagree with you more about the looks. Now, the old Defender was good looking, squared off and tough. The new ones might as well be in the same lame looks department as a RAV or any of the other "Soft Roaders". Thankfully, it gave birth to the Grenadier.

[@briantoner5247]

Why did you go by yourself?.???.?

[@johnd5805]

You shoulda called me. I would have went hold the camera.

[@3rdpig]

Why is it considered shocking that a Land Rover is a geat off road vehicle? They've always been great off road vehicles. What would be shocking is for you to keep it for 3 years after the factory warranty ended and then show us the list of repairs and what it cost.

[@scandinavia6271]

This may actually shock you as well; Had 2 LR’s including the L663 - sold my RR after 8 years/200k km never missed a beat - best car I have had compared to BMW/Mercedes/Audi. One full year in with the new defender - no problems at all.

[@tinkertable1977]

I’m tired of hearing such comments from people who have never owned a LR. If you have your own bad experience then fair enough. But most people just parrot the line they’ve heard so many times themselves.

[@fritty9927]

Peps always say how beautiful it is in Moab. “In the eye of the beholder “ I guess. Looks like Mars to me😅. And yes I’ve been there.

[@drags666]

Good video Roman, glad you didn't bring case

[@billj5645]

Seriously- on some of those trails you don't want to go by yourself if you haven't been there before because you might really run off of a cliff when you can't see past your hood. You probably don't want the snorkel, that's the ultimate pretender badge.

[@LaunchpadGP]

The cameras help a LOT on trails like this. Also worth mentioning these have built-in SOS functionality that will automatically notify emergency services after a crash. In fact I was just in Moab a few weeks ago and saw this in action when a 4Runner in front of us rolled over (he was fine). A short while later we passed some EMS dirtbikes and a search and rescue crew on their way in, turns out his car had called them and he didn’t even know.

[@DBLOCK987]

I would like to see this land rover versus the baby Bronco sport.

[@aaronbritt2025]

@10:30... Yeah, that's a no. A track car, like a GT350 with some wide slicks look way more badass than anything built for off roading.

[@Biggja22]

The funny word is not clenchy, it's puckered IMO. Just my opinion on what I laugh at. 😂 But maybe I'm weird

[@997carreradriver]

Nothing fake about those steelies. They're the real deal on the 18's...

[@freedomvan2970]

You called it a truck. You usually calm SUVs cars.

[@husshardan3511]

“10 inches of ground clearance, just not enough” And yet TFL thinks the new LandCruiser is cool with 8 inches.

[@hms84]

Amazing car , good terrain bad coverage 🙂‍↔️

[@Biggja22]

Yeah look like I could do that in my jdm import 94 Toyota hiace with open diffs.

[@ezecic]

Million dollars question is how much more capable this Defender is then lets say Volvo XC90?

[@chrisconstantino9827]

Unless you're planning to buy it from the company, why not lift it? I think this thing would fit others a run for their money

[@dominickbarberena8616]

"They conquered africa", well how very British of land rover

[@JimmyDevere]

No matter how good the traction control on the Defender is, I just can't get over how poor the wheel travel is, and that is a deal breaker for me. All that tippy, lifting a front or rear wheel wheel up in the air not only hurts traction, but worse, puts the entire vehicle in an off-camber upset, which is too much for me since I usually wheel with family. The Jeep Wrangler JL can be disconnected (manually or automatic) and there is no comparison. Lastly, I would still have a lot of worry about potential future repair costs, and with the Jeep 3.6 I know what to expect in terms of weak points, how to mitigate them, and potential repair costs, not to mention I shopped on the forums for Mopar extended warranty, and I was able to extend out the powertrain and key components for 7 years/100k mi for about $1300.

[@blakemarchand6650]

Light weight a boring rig but still cool

[@donhappel9566]

I'm sure a lot of the 'commentary' is just made-for-tv-drama, but you're really selling the D90 short here by acting like Fins is some big challenge for it. Is it a serious wheeling rig? No, not off the lot. But a trail like this? No effort at all. There's a reason the local rental companies point completely novice drivers toward it.

[@moneyparhar]

Interior looks like ford transit van that u haul Garbage.

[@resulterror2381]

i remember around 200k subscribers or below, when you and your son first buying defender look same as in this video, you say the defender is shame car with off road package to take off road because the front tire got broken causes the rock then now you say you are surprised