I purchased Defender 90 V8 carpathian with goodyear allterrain tyres- Just awesome car- suits ma needs perfectly. Best car ever bought! (History: Mercedes G including) Greetings from 🇩🇪
I don't agree... You have to go over kill to get this things Rubi capable.. Seems pointless, but that is just my opinion... I own my second Range Rover, and had a Defender.. I'd never do this lol
@@matShanghai I’d assume no one makes portals for a Mall Crawler Defender thus making it dramatically more expensive than it already is. Not to mention the custom suspension work required. This thing is actually cheaply lifted by truck standards.
Variety is the spice of life. As an automotive enthusiast, I can appreciate this vehicle with its elegance and high tech engineering, as well as the tried and true simple tech, old school vehicles.
I saw this truck in the Rubicon.. I got a chance to talk to one of the members of the group who had an older model... this thing is a beast.. really cool group of guys.
How to be able to do the Rubicon in a defender? Buy n 80+k land rover defender, use it for around a yr while back and forth taking it to the dealer for all the bad parts and kinks it has and try to fix them, once it kinds doesn't break for a month or so spend another 30/40k on parts to make it a bit less of an suv and then go só the Rubicon trail. Or get a 2000 bucks 1944 jeep full of rust and still make it through the Rubicon. (less A/C)
Great video Tommy. Thanks for giving Steve & his Defender this exposure. Steve is certainly the GOAT with regards to modifying the new Defender, and giving many people the confidence to do likewise with there own Defender. A huge number of people are choosing specific versions of new Defender, and then customising it, to suit their specific requirements. In addition to all that LR offer, there is now a lot of stuff available aftermarket for new Defender.👍
Talk to Ralph Sarek. He's making Custom suspension, bumpers and roofracks for the new Defender. This guys is bolting stuff on. Sarek is making stuff from scratch. In fact the subframe lift he used came from Sarek.
I've owned two land rovers, love them both. One was very much less than reliable, the other was decent. Have since became a Jeep wrangler fan and own two of them. May buy an old school defender and do a build some day, but new ones are off my list sorry to say. Awesome build, love it, but little beyond my means. LOL
This is awesome - I hope someone high up at Land Rover takes note and considers doing something like this as a special edition ! I am UK based, please can someone confirm is it legal in the USA not to show a front number plate ? As shown in this video the winch set up would be illegal for public roads in UK. As many of you probably know, as standard the OEM winch from LR comes with a stupid hidden cover plate which looks terrible. I suspect this is probably linked to European pedestrian safety legislation around "hard" impact points for pedestrians.
I don't know what your looking at on the defender for the winch, but having the winch behind the front number plate is a good idea it's hidden away so you haven't got this part sticking out the front of your vehicle. Least you won't hit something when off road.
ooof. 5" lift just to fit 37's? Better hope JLR made sure the half shafts were rated for that rolling weight. Especially when your traction control starts grabbing rotors.
@@TheOutdoorBeerReview Not so much "reliably" but more "dependability".... breaking a halfshaft in your driveway is a lot different than breaking it on the trail, miles away from recovery. on my rig all I do is pop 7 bolts off and I can swap out a halfshaft pretty easy but I'm guessing on a new Defender it ain't so easy. All the money in the world isn't going to help when you and your buds are getting rained on in the middle of nowhere under your rig :)
I had a 1987 Grand Wagoneer that took a four inch lift and slight trimming of all four fenders to fit 32's. Pretty embarrassing really. When I first got it I put 29 inch BFGs on it and the rear fenders covered about an inch of the top of the tires. One day as I was walking up behind it in a parking lot I noticed the rear bumper was dead even with the rear bumper of the 1985 Ford LTD parked next to it. The next day I was making arrangements for the lift. Similar situation I guess, both designed for luxury with no real intention for customers to take them off road even though the drive train is quite capable. Then again I don't believe Jeep advertised the Grand Wagoneer as the greatest off road vehicle either.
Just like the Bronco, we need to beef up the tie rods l, front axle shafts, and steering rack for these builds. In process now. 40k seat time to date and zero breakage
Excellent build, congratulations! Curious what they did for the front rotors to fit the 18” wheels? Did they use the smaller diameter ones from the P300?
I believe (so I could be misinformed) the only hang up for running 18" wheels are the rear calipers. Lucky 8 sells a caliper swap kit which enables the use of 18's.
@@bobwall6673 you can do the rear caliper swap on the P400. The V8’s have too large of front calipers to clear the 18” wheels. You could probably grind them down and make them fit but would be an issue in heavy mud situations with so little clearance
non-event it could be but it won't be for long. at 4:19 in the video you can see steering stabilizer cracked really bad...and I don't like to hear that they were banging on control arms, I would really hate that... anyhow - this car looks like a beast!
Getting it done. Dude knows what he's doing. Get out of the office and go promote ! If I didn't have a Cherokee Trailhawk I would absolutely get a defender 110.
Holy shit, body-sub frame lift, plastic trimming, front cooler relocation and the list of invasive mods goes on and on... just to put larger tires on the thing... yeah true "off-roader"...
How is a lift, slight trimming, and bigger tires “changing nearly every part”?😂 Ever see a jeep made for off roading? You’re a clown if you actually believe that.
@@SavoyPrimeable I agree that it isn't "changing every part" but they are critical parts and op does have a point, as a wrangler from factory or bronco from factory is capable enough where there is not a chance with this one stock
Gotta give credit where it’s due. At least isn’t a rolling Christmas tree of pod lights and ladders and jerry cans like you see Toyota owners with. The money went into the capability instead of trying to look outdoorsy
You are so right. They are a rolling joke of look at me. All sun faded and no dirt to be seen. I still find Moab sand 3 months later and over a dozen car washes.
@@cotrails8356 how's the Land Rover Servicing center at your purchasing dealer? I only ask because I'm sure you have been there a couple times since taking delivery.
Regarding the locker, Jeep's QuadraDrive (the WJ version) uses VariLock, which is a viscous coupling. I think Volvo has/had a viscous coupling system, too, but probably in the center diff, not axle diffs.
Viscous coupling uses agitated fluid to vary torque transfer as it heats and cools. This uses clutches and varies the pressure to them electronically like the WK/WK2 ELSD. The WJ Quadra Drive used gerotor pumps to energize a clutch making them lock up when wheel spin occurred.
i dint know that the v8 defender har a rear VC type differential. Does anyone know if the rear diff of the reguar diffender is VC or is it a gear based diff. I mean the are both lockers in the end if they lock the wheels moving with the same speed and transfer torque as should what does it matter right. But on the other hand, i dont like those diffs as much. They can overheat, break, they are more expensive to fix, mantain and not as tough.
A Ford Bronco base Sasquatch with the 2.7 v6 for under 50k will be just as capable off road and under factory warranty. That’s where my money would go for an off-road suv.
We’ve wheeled with the Bronco too. I have one on order (still). Very similar Offroad. Defender tow 8200 lbs at 100 mph and can seat up to 8… just depends on if you want premium and those capabilities as well…
If this came from the factory 37 ready and solid axels, Id be impressed. I say that as an old school NAS d110 fan. Spending tens of thousands in aftermarket just to be near a factory Bronco or a Jeep makes zero sense to me.
When I first saw these vehicles on the road I couldn't believe how low the rear control arms sit, such a terrible design for an offroad vehicle, but he's done well to make it capable
These IFS rigs with air suspension are inherently so stiff with so little articulation, if you want a great off-roader, I really don’t understand why you wouldn’t just start with a vehicle that’s got solid axles? Sure, you can spend a ton of $ to modify them and make them less-terrible off-road, but why wouldn’t you just start with something that’s inherently more flexible and stable. As this guy said, even when the suspension wasn’t fully maxed out, it was still very sketchy because it was so “tippy” at certain points. Just don’t understand why so many people spend so much $ trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Not that they don’t have the right to try - anyone can do anything they want with their own $, I just really do not understand why they do it. Maybe if I had that much $ I would waste it like that too!
The current Defender was never intended to be a serious crawler or yes, it would be on solid axles. But....how may solid axle vehicles are even on the (US) market new at all? Jeep and .... er .... uh .... not much else. Why is that? People like you or me would prefer simple and durable and easy to modify but the average 'off roader' is more likely to drive on the road 90% of the time and occasionally do a dirt road or light trail and think they are "extreme". So for them on road comfort of IFS or fully independent is better. Add to that government requirements for economy, crash standards, etc and over-all that's why the solid axle vehicles are going away. Sad but true. As for the ride quality or tipsiness of air off-road, I don't know what your experience has been but I find so long as you don't run a rod lift (high air pressure) it's pretty good; certainly good for the majority of buyers/owners. It's when you start doing rod lifts that the ride gets very stiff and you loose down travel. Although it has some negatives such as cost and complexity, Steve's using a subframe drop that retains all the stock suspension compliance and travel and not using rods. And the tippy? Well, he was far more stable than my D1 on 37s with 5" RTE coils and a 1" body lift! He just had the ability to drop the truck by a couple inches when it did feel sketchy to make it a bit more stable.
@@jeffforbes70 I did include the Wrangler - so that's pretty much also the Gladiator only with about 18' of rear overhang. I didn't include any full size trucks since they are obviously a different game. I never really think of the G as a real off roader despite it's past abilities (I mean come on - side exit exhaust? That will get crushed the first time you go off road and find anything bigger than a pebble) but didn't they go independent on that anyway other than the uber-rare/expensive portal version?
Land Rover ownership can be AND usually is a nightmare. The dealerships and the company overall is/are horrible. Parts can go be on backorder over a year!!!
Anything with 4wd can do rubicon with 37s 5 inch lift kit and lockers. I would like to see it do and complete the rubicon with 31s no lift and lockers straight from the factory which is why this will never be as good as an old defender. However with all those mods it now actually looks like a proper defender and not like a fiat panda
Clearly the Wrangle Rubicon is a different animal all together. As a Rover guy I readily admit it's the single most capable off-roader you can buy off the lot. However you're really reaching here - First, no need to spend $100K on a Defender; that's for the V8 top-of-the line; the smaller engine option trucks can wheel as well or better for half the cost. Second, this has far more comfort, road manners, luxury, towing, cargo, tech, etc than the Wrangler. Do I hold that against the Jeep? No - that's now what it's aiming for. By the same token the stock Defender wasn't built to go head to head with the Wrangler as a crawler. But it can do a lot more than Joe Average would think. And as for price comparisons, what does a new 392 Wrangler sell for anyway? $80K?
@@donhappel9566 I certainly appreciate Rovers but these new Defenders are selling so far over sticker you can’t find a new one for much under $100k. The new V8 models are significantly more and are selling for $150k or more. Maybe once they’re more available and selling for MSRP or less I could see your point. I just don’t see why they modified this one the way they did just to complete the rubicon trail. I agree it’s not the Defender’s purpose.
@@dfwxjer Like a lot of cars/trucks it is possible if you try hard enough to find something at MSRP; I bought a new pickup this year and was able to get it $1500 under MSRP but it took a lot of looking (plus I wanted an unusual combination...an actual usable bed!). A couple of local friends have been able to find 110s at MSRP; though both bought the 4-cyl version. Myself, I may consider the Defender2 as a replacement for my aging LR3 in a couple years but no, I'm not willing to spend full retail (or more) for one right now. And yes, I'd keep it to the moderate trails and let my D1 handle the crawling.
Not really. We own 5 Jeeps and that isn’t the case stock. We modify them as well as they aren’t that great out of the box. We’ve wheeled the New Bronco and have one on order as well… same story
In many countries, e.g., in Europe and Australia, this outfit would be not road legal. 5-inch lift and oversized 35" wheels, just to name a two critical features. You would not be able to register the car. For the V8 engine version, the only legal wheel rim size is 20", which seriously restricts tire options.
@@andrewcox5873 Uh. No. You can get a rubicon for around $40k. Not sure where that wild cope came from. Nobody said anything about luxuries. We’re saying the *rubicon* (not the rubicons interior) is capable from the factory.
@@donhappel9566 a $30k wrangler sport would wheel circles around this $200k defender. Two 18mm wrenches to take off sway bar links and a limited slip from the factory. There is a difference between an off-road vehicle and a vehicle that was beaten into the shape of an off-road vehicle.
@@SanctumOfDreams not sure why UA-cam keeps deleting my comments, but this vehicle isn’t representative of the cost to make a Land Rover keep up with a Rubicon, since a material portion of the cost of this vehicle was for optional luxury accessories unrelated to the off road comparison. It would still cost more than a Rubicon to mod a Defender, but it will be tens of thousands less than what this guy spent on leather seats etc
Its bassicly bigger Golf II Country... body lifted with bigger tires but still lacking wheel articulation. One sensor or cable connection fail and its useless and stranded. Toy. BTW Wiscous coupling locker will overheat and worn out super quick with bigger diameter wheels...
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Less talking and more driving. Bring this to the trail and see how it does
Agreed lol
Not 1 photo or snippet of this vehicle doing the Rubicon.
I mean I saw it do the trail so… it definitely did it also I think they might have posted footage on the lr Denver channel
Exactly.
Okay tough guy haha
Man never thought I’d see a last Gen Defender looking so robust. Very well done job. 👏🏽 👏🏽
I purchased Defender 90 V8 carpathian with goodyear allterrain tyres- Just awesome car- suits ma needs perfectly. Best car ever bought! (History: Mercedes G including) Greetings from 🇩🇪
Yes this cost a lot of money, yes you can drive something cheaper on the rubicon, but it’s cool too see something different and unique.
I don't agree... You have to go over kill to get this things Rubi capable.. Seems pointless, but that is just my opinion... I own my second Range Rover, and had a Defender.. I'd never do this lol
Funny when you think of an $80k Wrangler 392 XR as the cheap option hahaha
why don't they just add portals?
@@matShanghai I’d assume no one makes portals for a Mall Crawler Defender thus making it dramatically more expensive than it already is. Not to mention the custom suspension work required. This thing is actually cheaply lifted by truck standards.
@@KTMcaptain I can't even
Variety is the spice of life. As an automotive enthusiast, I can appreciate this vehicle with its elegance and high tech engineering, as well as the tried and true simple tech, old school vehicles.
I saw this truck in the Rubicon.. I got a chance to talk to one of the members of the group who had an older model... this thing is a beast.. really cool group of guys.
It was a great trip with a great group!
How to be able to do the Rubicon in a defender? Buy n 80+k land rover defender, use it for around a yr while back and forth taking it to the dealer for all the bad parts and kinks it has and try to fix them, once it kinds doesn't break for a month or so spend another 30/40k on parts to make it a bit less of an suv and then go só the Rubicon trail. Or get a 2000 bucks 1944 jeep full of rust and still make it through the Rubicon. (less A/C)
I feel like you're describing the new Bronco.
That works too and we do that also. Our old CJ’s don’t go 100 and they don’t pull out 8k pound boat though…
Always need more Land Rover content. Much much more!
Looks an absolute beast, Kudos for going for the build..🔥🔥
Love the part where he said, we made it through the whole thing, without breaking anything. He was so proud.
So rare for a Land Rover
So no footage of this going through the Rubicon trail? Let me tell you when I got my Honda CRX through the Rubicon trail
The Denver land Rover guy usually posts it on his channel. Last time they talked defender they did the same thing.
Check Instagram there is footage there
Take your crap honda over to his instagram and look for yourself
In edit and coming soon. Have to find time. Been wheeling every weekend since
Good to hear the trip was a success Steve!
Great video Tommy.
Thanks for giving Steve & his Defender this exposure.
Steve is certainly the GOAT with regards to modifying the new Defender, and giving many people the confidence to do likewise with there own Defender.
A huge number of people are choosing specific versions of new Defender, and then customising it, to suit their specific requirements.
In addition to all that LR offer, there is now a lot of stuff available aftermarket for new Defender.👍
Talk to Ralph Sarek. He's making Custom suspension, bumpers and roofracks for the new Defender. This guys is bolting stuff on. Sarek is making stuff from scratch. In fact the subframe lift he used came from Sarek.
@@krover01 I've wheeled with both and although both are doing subframe drops, this truck does not use one of Ralf's.
@@krover01 Sounds like the one Steve has is made from Scratch as well. It really doesn't matter in the end they're all Toyz of Guys, be thankful.
I've owned two land rovers, love them both. One was very much less than reliable, the other was decent. Have since became a Jeep wrangler fan and own two of them. May buy an old school defender and do a build some day, but new ones are off my list sorry to say. Awesome build, love it, but little beyond my means. LOL
Kickass Defender, I hope it's as reliable as it is cool looking.
40K plus seat time in New Defenders. Haven’t broken anything to date…
This is awesome - I hope someone high up at Land Rover takes note and considers doing something like this as a special edition !
I am UK based, please can someone confirm is it legal in the USA not to show a front number plate ? As shown in this video the winch set up would be illegal for public roads in UK.
As many of you probably know, as standard the OEM winch from LR comes with a stupid hidden cover plate which looks terrible. I suspect this is probably linked to European pedestrian safety legislation around "hard" impact points for pedestrians.
Depends on the state. Most require at least a back plate.
I don't know what your looking at on the defender for the winch, but having the winch behind the front number plate is a good idea it's hidden away so you haven't got this part sticking out the front of your vehicle. Least you won't hit something when off road.
You can get a Hawes plate mount that attaches to the winch opening
Only takes a extra $100,000 to make it trail worthy???
Right ?🤭
20k max, less than a Jeep which needs litterally everything replaced and would be twice the cost, but its not a competition ;)
Not every trail is the rubicon dumbo
@@newdefendermods Stock Jeep Rubicons run the rubicon trail. I’ve done it. No damage, no issues, drive home afterwards. This thing is a wannabe.
Super cool build!!!
Not crazy about the looks of the new Defender, but this one is badass!
This is what the SVX should be! Can’t wait to see it in the new Bond film
ooof. 5" lift just to fit 37's? Better hope JLR made sure the half shafts were rated for that rolling weight. Especially when your traction control starts grabbing rotors.
@@TheOutdoorBeerReview Not so much "reliably" but more "dependability".... breaking a halfshaft in your driveway is a lot different than breaking it on the trail, miles away from recovery. on my rig all I do is pop 7 bolts off and I can swap out a halfshaft pretty easy but I'm guessing on a new Defender it ain't so easy. All the money in the world isn't going to help when you and your buds are getting rained on in the middle of nowhere under your rig :)
@@nothingtoseaheardammit Its completed Rubicon with a V8 and 37s so that says sonething 👌🏽🦾
@@TheOutdoorBeerReview reliability range rover are synonymous, oh wait i think its antonymous
I had a 1987 Grand Wagoneer that took a four inch lift and slight trimming of all four fenders to fit 32's. Pretty embarrassing really. When I first got it I put 29 inch BFGs on it and the rear fenders covered about an inch of the top of the tires. One day as I was walking up behind it in a parking lot I noticed the rear bumper was dead even with the rear bumper of the 1985 Ford LTD parked next to it. The next day I was making arrangements for the lift. Similar situation I guess, both designed for luxury with no real intention for customers to take them off road even though the drive train is quite capable. Then again I don't believe Jeep advertised the Grand Wagoneer as the greatest off road vehicle either.
Just like the Bronco, we need to beef up the tie rods l, front axle shafts, and steering rack for these builds. In process now. 40k seat time to date and zero breakage
That purple Grand Cherokee looks ready for the Rubicon!!
Excellent build, congratulations!
Curious what they did for the front rotors to fit the 18” wheels? Did they use the smaller diameter ones from the P300?
Most ppl do the caliper swap or grind the caliper by 5mm
@@larrysmith6797 not exactly, they are running larger brake calipers because of the disc. The P300 engine that runs 18 have smaller brakes
We’re running 20” wheels on KONG so no caliper swap
I believe (so I could be misinformed) the only hang up for running 18" wheels are the rear calipers. Lucky 8 sells a caliper swap kit which enables the use of 18's.
@@bobwall6673 you can do the rear caliper swap on the P400. The V8’s have too large of front calipers to clear the 18” wheels. You could probably grind them down and make them fit but would be an issue in heavy mud situations with so little clearance
non-event it could be but it won't be for long.
at 4:19 in the video you can see steering stabilizer cracked really bad...and I don't like to hear that they were banging on control arms, I would really hate that...
anyhow - this car looks like a beast!
Is there a video where it actually goes on the Rubicon?
Editing and coming soon
Getting it done. Dude knows what he's doing. Get out of the office and go promote ! If I didn't have a Cherokee Trailhawk I would absolutely get a defender 110.
Holy shit, body-sub frame lift, plastic trimming, front cooler relocation and the list of invasive mods goes on and on... just to put larger tires on the thing... yeah true "off-roader"...
It’s very capable and still pulls your boat 100 mph with 5 passengers
I just got out of the rubicon and we had a diesel disco with us and it did pretty good
"We left it locked the whole time" Interesting choice.
It still has slight slip until it needs to lock. It’s nano seconds
nice great build bash plates that have bashed rocks .. price keeps most of us away V8 are $165k on the resale market
Lifting independent suspension that much by dropping the mounting brackets is always kinda weird to me. Might as well do solid axles.
what is the total cost of that unit? LR plus all mods??
The answer: a house
@@KTMcaptain with a pool and garage!!!
Let's say if your asking, it's out of your price point.
@@peopleschamp7258 good point!
A lot
So he changed nearly every part of the car. And now it is capable enough. So far so good. Is it then more or less reliable?
How is a lift, slight trimming, and bigger tires “changing nearly every part”?😂 Ever see a jeep made for off roading? You’re a clown if you actually believe that.
@@SavoyPrimeable I agree that it isn't "changing every part" but they are critical parts and op does have a point, as a wrangler from factory or bronco from factory is capable enough where there is not a chance with this one stock
We do the same to our Jeeps… you have to build to your trails with all brands
40k of seat time and zero breakage to date
now with those tires with finally proper sidewall it is fine offroader.
Is there a video of this Defender doing the Rubicon Trail?
In edit and coming soon
@@cotrails8356 Can't wait
Can't wait to get my hands on one of these in about 10 years for about 10k. Gotta love depreciation.
Gotta give credit where it’s due. At least isn’t a rolling Christmas tree of pod lights and ladders and jerry cans like you see Toyota owners with. The money went into the capability instead of trying to look outdoorsy
You are so right. They are a rolling joke of look at me. All sun faded and no dirt to be seen. I still find Moab sand 3 months later and over a dozen car washes.
I think we needed more light bars🤣
Is there a video (link) of that Rubicon trip???
Editing and coming soon
That's an absolutely awesome looking Land Rover! One question though, does it run?
Sure does. All day long…
@@cotrails8356 how's the Land Rover Servicing center at your purchasing dealer? I only ask because I'm sure you have been there a couple times since taking delivery.
@@Billyjack-Two-Crows our service center one of the top 5 in the US. I have almost 40k seat time in new Defenders and zero breakage
Best looking defender I have seen
Regarding the locker, Jeep's QuadraDrive (the WJ version) uses VariLock, which is a viscous coupling. I think Volvo has/had a viscous coupling system, too, but probably in the center diff, not axle diffs.
Viscous coupling uses agitated fluid to vary torque transfer as it heats and cools. This uses clutches and varies the pressure to them electronically like the WK/WK2 ELSD. The WJ Quadra Drive used gerotor pumps to energize a clutch making them lock up when wheel spin occurred.
i dint know that the v8 defender har a rear VC type differential. Does anyone know if the rear diff of the reguar diffender is VC or is it a gear based diff. I mean the are both lockers in the end if they lock the wheels moving with the same speed and transfer torque as should what does it matter right. But on the other hand, i dont like those diffs as much. They can overheat, break, they are more expensive to fix, mantain and not as tough.
All new defenders are vc
@@peopleschamp7258 thats a pity.
Super capable and climbs like our Jeeps with selective lockers…
@@cotrails8356 im not saying is not cabable, but certainly not as capable or reliable
*inhales* KONG!! Can't wait to see this bad boy in action!
Sub frame lift . Anything to make it through the Rubicon . It is like a El Dorado Caddy on a old blazer chassis .
A Ford Bronco base Sasquatch with the 2.7 v6 for under 50k will be just as capable off road and under factory warranty. That’s where my money would go for an off-road suv.
Let me know when you get it in 4 years.
We’ve wheeled with the Bronco too. I have one on order (still). Very similar Offroad. Defender tow 8200 lbs at 100 mph and can seat up to 8… just depends on if you want premium and those capabilities as well…
Are those stock tie rods? I'd be curious to see how long the driveline and steering could hold up to those 37s! It's cool to see something different
They are stock. We need an aftermarket upgrade…
Great video, Tommy!
How could you make this build and not have the optional wheel arch "protection" extenders from Land Rover? What an oversight.
We’d have to cut them so much they’d be absolutely useless
NO engine mods, and no shortage of power; this isn't your Grandpa's Land Rover !!
Ah, where's the video of this defender on the rubicon?
In edit and coming soon
This thing is just amazing!
If this came from the factory 37 ready and solid axels, Id be impressed. I say that as an old school NAS d110 fan. Spending tens of thousands in aftermarket just to be near a factory Bronco or a Jeep makes zero sense to me.
When I first saw these vehicles on the road I couldn't believe how low the rear control arms sit, such a terrible design for an offroad vehicle, but he's done well to make it capable
These IFS rigs with air suspension are inherently so stiff with so little articulation, if you want a great off-roader, I really don’t understand why you wouldn’t just start with a vehicle that’s got solid axles?
Sure, you can spend a ton of $ to modify them and make them less-terrible off-road, but why wouldn’t you just start with something that’s inherently more flexible and stable. As this guy said, even when the suspension wasn’t fully maxed out, it was still very sketchy because it was so “tippy” at certain points. Just don’t understand why so many people spend so much $ trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Not that they don’t have the right to try - anyone can do anything they want with their own $, I just really do not understand why they do it. Maybe if I had that much $ I would waste it like that too!
All solid points you make…you did answer yourself at the end though
The current Defender was never intended to be a serious crawler or yes, it would be on solid axles. But....how may solid axle vehicles are even on the (US) market new at all? Jeep and .... er .... uh .... not much else. Why is that? People like you or me would prefer simple and durable and easy to modify but the average 'off roader' is more likely to drive on the road 90% of the time and occasionally do a dirt road or light trail and think they are "extreme". So for them on road comfort of IFS or fully independent is better. Add to that government requirements for economy, crash standards, etc and over-all that's why the solid axle vehicles are going away. Sad but true. As for the ride quality or tipsiness of air off-road, I don't know what your experience has been but I find so long as you don't run a rod lift (high air pressure) it's pretty good; certainly good for the majority of buyers/owners. It's when you start doing rod lifts that the ride gets very stiff and you loose down travel. Although it has some negatives such as cost and complexity, Steve's using a subframe drop that retains all the stock suspension compliance and travel and not using rods. And the tippy? Well, he was far more stable than my D1 on 37s with 5" RTE coils and a 1" body lift! He just had the ability to drop the truck by a couple inches when it did feel sketchy to make it a bit more stable.
@@jeffforbes70 True, but the W463 gen II (not mil-spec 464) switched to IFS in the front for all the reasons mentioned.
@@jeffforbes70 I did include the Wrangler - so that's pretty much also the Gladiator only with about 18' of rear overhang. I didn't include any full size trucks since they are obviously a different game. I never really think of the G as a real off roader despite it's past abilities (I mean come on - side exit exhaust? That will get crushed the first time you go off road and find anything bigger than a pebble) but didn't they go independent on that anyway other than the uber-rare/expensive portal version?
@@jeffforbes70 g wagon in 2019 changed to IFS
What’s the name of the organization that did this build? He says his name but not the company/organization
Land Rover Denver. I’m BP/GM there
Best way to speak about a LR is to let it still and don t move... cuz it could brake down for no reason
I absolutely LOVE it. How about some portal axels ? Just saying.
Is the exhaust stock?
Does it come with the heated rear glass so your hands don’t get cold when you’re pushing it in winter after it breaks down
40k seat time and zero breakage to date
@@cotrails8356 let me know when you get to 80k.
@@leefritchman9643 will do
Rubicon’s nothing, Nathan’s Crack rating is the new Everest the off roading industry😂🤣
Land Rover ownership can be AND usually is a nightmare. The dealerships and the company overall is/are horrible. Parts can go be on backorder over a year!!!
Parts can go on back order for all companies 🤦🏾♂️
Looking good. How may I get more information about your Dealership. Thank you
How does it drive On the road?
Video coming soon for the Rubicon
Anything with 4wd can do rubicon with 37s 5 inch lift kit and lockers. I would like to see it do and complete the rubicon with 31s no lift and lockers straight from the factory which is why this will never be as good as an old defender. However with all those mods it now actually looks like a proper defender and not like a fiat panda
True. Not necessarily hard Trail… it’s just relentlessly brutal on your vehicle
Man! That is the nicest never been off-road, off-road vehicle I’ve seen on TFL for 2022!
Spend $100k+ and only need thousands more in mods to complete a trail a stock wrangler can do
Clearly the Wrangle Rubicon is a different animal all together. As a Rover guy I readily admit it's the single most capable off-roader you can buy off the lot. However you're really reaching here - First, no need to spend $100K on a Defender; that's for the V8 top-of-the line; the smaller engine option trucks can wheel as well or better for half the cost. Second, this has far more comfort, road manners, luxury, towing, cargo, tech, etc than the Wrangler. Do I hold that against the Jeep? No - that's now what it's aiming for. By the same token the stock Defender wasn't built to go head to head with the Wrangler as a crawler. But it can do a lot more than Joe Average would think. And as for price comparisons, what does a new 392 Wrangler sell for anyway? $80K?
@@donhappel9566 I certainly appreciate Rovers but these new Defenders are selling so far over sticker you can’t find a new one for much under $100k. The new V8 models are significantly more and are selling for $150k or more.
Maybe once they’re more available and selling for MSRP or less I could see your point. I just don’t see why they modified this one the way they did just to complete the rubicon trail. I agree it’s not the Defender’s purpose.
@@dfwxjer Like a lot of cars/trucks it is possible if you try hard enough to find something at MSRP; I bought a new pickup this year and was able to get it $1500 under MSRP but it took a lot of looking (plus I wanted an unusual combination...an actual usable bed!). A couple of local friends have been able to find 110s at MSRP; though both bought the 4-cyl version. Myself, I may consider the Defender2 as a replacement for my aging LR3 in a couple years but no, I'm not willing to spend full retail (or more) for one right now. And yes, I'd keep it to the moderate trails and let my D1 handle the crawling.
People spend thousands on Jeep Mods and thousands on Rover mods. When it is all said and done, they still have a Jeep.
@@clintnix8780 the Jeep doesn’t need thousands in mods to cross the rubicon trail. I took mine bone stock.
Very nice rig.
So there is no video of him taking this on the Rubicon trail? It would have made a way better video
In edit and coming soon
I love you Tommy, but next time lets drive the thing
how reliable has it been!?
40k seat time. Zero breakage including lots of level 7-8 trails
So...they talk about the Defender in a parking lot? Guess it can't go on the Rubicon trail.
Already ran it on the Rubicon and video in edit - coming soon
@@cotrails8356 Sweet 👍
After all the changes, what is the ground clearance?
350 mm
Will it break?
40k seat time to date with zero breakage
Awesome build but my question is does it actually see any trails?
I guess he actually did the Rubicon trail on it, we just don't get to see it.
@@CommieHunter7 that's exactly what I'd like to see. Love the build
Tons of trails shot. Editing video of KONG on the Rubicon trail and coming soon
what a monster
All those modifications so it can keep up with a stock Jeep Rubicon and Bronco Badlands.
Not really. We own 5 Jeeps and that isn’t the case stock. We modify them as well as they aren’t that great out of the box. We’ve wheeled the New Bronco and have one on order as well… same story
should of just got a hemi wrangler 🤣🤣🤣😂😅
I have one on 40’s as well…
These are great looking vehicles but every single one I have seen on the trails really lacks flex.
Agreed. No flex… But they still March right up everything we point them at
Shout out nor cal!
Woot woot!!!!
In many countries, e.g., in Europe and Australia, this outfit would be not road legal. 5-inch lift and oversized 35" wheels, just to name a two critical features. You would not be able to register the car. For the V8 engine version, the only legal wheel rim size is 20", which seriously restricts tire options.
Where is the video of the trail ?
what is that wrap called?
What is the height to roof..not the rack please ?
Subframe spacers, not lift kit
Yes. Same same
@@cotrails8356 not same same. Might as well be called body lift.
@@TJY2K tomato tomato
What about gear ratios for those 37's?
Wow, cool. A couple of people could buy this.
Amazing what time and money can do.
Laughs in Wrangler 392
all the way to starbucks?
Do you realize that Steve wheels a 392 called Poncho? He owns several dealerships and check out his UA-cam channel.
I have a 392 on 40’s as well… one is a Howitzer and one is a scalpel.
Sure is a cool car.
This looks badass💪
All looks no bite
Thanks
The sickest Defender ever.
I guess someone had to do it. That's a ton of money and effort just so you can say I can compete with a stock Jeep Rubicon.
Not sure if you’ve been following car prices lately but a new jeep rubicon with similar luxury is also $100K+
Keep in mind this would be more comparable to the 392 Hemi Wrangler as both are flagship V8 versions. So you're starting at what - $80K for the Jeep?
@@andrewcox5873 Uh. No. You can get a rubicon for around $40k. Not sure where that wild cope came from. Nobody said anything about luxuries. We’re saying the *rubicon* (not the rubicons interior) is capable from the factory.
@@donhappel9566 a $30k wrangler sport would wheel circles around this $200k defender. Two 18mm wrenches to take off sway bar links and a limited slip from the factory. There is a difference between an off-road vehicle and a vehicle that was beaten into the shape of an off-road vehicle.
@@SanctumOfDreams not sure why UA-cam keeps deleting my comments, but this vehicle isn’t representative of the cost to make a Land Rover keep up with a Rubicon, since a material portion of the cost of this vehicle was for optional luxury accessories unrelated to the off road comparison. It would still cost more than a Rubicon to mod a Defender, but it will be tens of thousands less than what this guy spent on leather seats etc
Drove one and it sounded like it was going to blow up
V8110?! We get compliments at stop lights, gas stations, on the Ebicon Trail etc🤔
I need this!
I would nickname it the black rhino, hopefully it was more reliable then TFLs white elephant that had all the problems.
We’ve been wheeling it hard and it shows up, puts out, and has been a huge success
Would love to see wheel arch to cover the width of those tires so the body doesn’t look skinnier and ugly to watch
Still no footage of this thing actually doing the rubicon… 😂
Its bassicly bigger Golf II Country... body lifted with bigger tires but still lacking wheel articulation. One sensor or cable connection fail and its useless and stranded. Toy. BTW Wiscous coupling locker will overheat and worn out super quick with bigger diameter wheels...
Zero issues to date. 40k seat time
Is there a video?
Not a fan at all of body lifts. Cool rig nonetheless
Not a body lift, its a subframe lift which is below the body/chassis combo of the unibody
that thing come with a jar of Grey Poupon.. 😅