Anyone who has been in the army knows that when new recruits meet veterans, they must be honored as squad leader. Today, we will compare a pair of former squad leaders and recruits in the automotive industry, Land Rover Defender 1983 110County and 2016 110Adventure.
If it is aimed at other models of “meeting again in 30 years”, it may be more compared in terms of styling and smart equipment, but the Land Rover Defender is different. The shape of this “brick” has been from the beginning to the present. , aluminum alloy wheels, spring shock absorption, electronic products and EFI are almost the same as the earliest version.
When we compare the two cars side by side, a lot has remained the same over the decades. The rear doors on the new Adventure have the same design as the County. With exposed rivets, slightly wavy metal panels, a sliding rear window, windshield, and A-pillar angles all very similar, the Adventure may look bigger and chunkier, but it’s not. The exterior dimensions are almost the same, the Adventure has a bonnet bulge, and the sunroof design goes all the way back to the 70s, not quite the same as it was in the 90s. There are still many very similar places between the two, such as visibility, spacious cabin and upright driving position are almost identical. It’s just that County’s dashboard and control buttons are more simple, but Adventure is not as modern as imagined. Quite miraculously, Marcel has retrofitted the same CD player that is standard in Adventure because he thinks it would be more convenient to use bluetooth.
Even if it is a super sports car, there will always be times when you get tired of looking at it, but the Land Rover Defender is different. It can always bring you more places worth studying. You see, the 1983 County was the first model to get four coil springs, and the 2016 Adventure hasn’t changed, or never will, because it’s the final farewell.
There are still clichés, such as a tight cabin, not enough seat adjustment, shocking road dynamics, a huge turning circle, an early 90s CD player and an outrageously detailed interior… Although these little quirks are the existence of “making me happy and worrying”, few models can stick to their “ancestral training” like the Land Rover Defender.
While it’s likely that you won’t be able to buy such a model anymore, let me tell you that the Defender Adventure starts at $47,500 plus on-road costs, and the model we tested also had a windshield, starting at up to Amounting to AUD 48,090, according to this, it is actually not expensive.
I think talking about the off-road performance of the Land Rover Defender is an “insult” to this model. If you have him but keep him in a greenhouse, it is a waste. He is not a flower, nor is it a flower. It doesn’t exist to deal with the suburbs and a few speed bumps on the way to work. He wants to go to the most remote areas, drink water from the worst terrain, and then return safely. When he is with “poor mountains and bad waters”, Only then do you understand what it means to bring out the best in each other.
This is Marcel Kaegi with his 1983 Land Rover Defender 110 County, with 271,000km on the clock. Most of the time, this mate is on the road touring and exploring every corner of Australia. Marcel got it from its original owner in 1985. I bought this old man, and I will accompany you for 30 years.
Marcel sees County as a faithful servant. “He’s not perfect, but we can’t live without him,” he said. “We talk about the weaknesses of various Defenders, which only makes us love him more. All we really need over the years is Routine maintenance and little fixes, you have to drive them a lot and we do; at the same time you have to maintain that maintenance, and we do. It never fails us during any of our long-distance tours.” . As a tool maker, you only have to look at how clean and tidy Marcel’s County is to see how much he takes care of this guy, maybe that’s true love, not easy, even if he does have to open the windows to drive.
Marcel also had a problem with the ignition system and put it into action, but unfortunately the vehicle was finally towed back to the repair shop. After reinstalling all the old things, there has been no strike until now, which is why the Nokia 1110 was launched from The reason for not crashing: mechanical conduction and simple structure. And many things can be done by yourself, just reinstall it if it is broken, but if it is an Apple XS, not to mention towns, there are not many repairs in first-tier cities.
shape
The first Land Rover badge has been replicated by the Adventure and sits inside the gloss black grille. Unique graphics adorn the front quarter panels, a solid underbody panel is added to the Adventure, and specially designed alloy wheels. Don’t think that the special edition has become a soft guy, he has a hard style like a guard, and he is really handy when dealing with some bushes.
No matter which angle you look at them from, the sharp edges, square corners and tough off-road capabilities are evident in both models. The Adventure comes standard with a similarly spacious roof that Marcel added to his County. The sunroof doubles as insulation on super hot days in the desert, and according to Marcel, it actually does reduce heat in the cabin too.
Marcel’s bumper looks like it can go through brick walls, which is a very useful part if you’re going into very remote areas. Not only does it give you mounting points for your driving lights and antenna, it also provides extra protection from stray animals wandering the road.
internal
What surprised me the most was the extra space provided by the County’s driving position, it’s roomier than any current Adventure, with more front and rear seat adjustment and the dashboard doesn’t take up as much as the new model . It will also be very comfortable for taller drivers, at least not so cramped.
Marcel’s County even has air conditioning, which is definitely a surprise. But after a day of driving, it seems that the compressor has a little problem. After we replaced a Japanese-made part, the problem was solved satisfactorily.
The second-row seats are similarly roomier and simpler in the County, especially when the front seats are moved to the front. Although our test model came with floor mats, the Adventure will get premium leather trim and an overall more luxurious feel not found in other Adventures, though uncomfortable sharp corners remain in the new Adventure.
If you were to remove all of Marcel’s camping and travel gear out of the County, the load space is pretty much the same for both. His vehicle is great for road trips, as you’d expect from someone with long hours to round out their space, some countries use the Defender 110 which can accommodate 12 people, while the Defender’s impressive carrying capacity is always a plus.
Powertrain
Marcel’s County was powered by a 3.5-litre V8 petrol engine, including the same engine in the Range Rover of the same period. It is the classic V8 configuration of the 80s, and it will beat the Adventure when it comes to speed. Marcel also changed the gearing in the 4-speed manual gearbox, which meant he gained speed, but lost the low-key enthusiasm (seems like no bad thing), of course, since he chose to change him, fuel consumption was not the first consideration .
The Adventure is powered by a 2.2-litre turbodiesel producing 90kW at 3500rpm and 360Nm at 2000rpm, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Granted, the Adventure isn’t bulkier than the County in terms of clutch feel or transmission, but the extra two gears improve performance significantly.
Both Defenders are equipped with a low-range transmission that provides true off-road capability in the toughest conditions. The County is the first Defender to feature independent coil springs across the board. It is a marked improvement over the leaf springs on the previous model. Advances in design and manufacturing have meant countless subtle improvements beneath the surface, from the coil itself to the shock absorber, from bushings to mounting points and more.
Stick your head under any of the Defenders and you’ll feel a burst of power. The chassis rails are solid and thick, and the entire chassis looks tough as nails, supporting the Defender’s off-road capabilities.
Interestingly, at low speeds around town, the aging petrol V8 engine is much more than you would expect, a bit older, but it seems to be no different from the engine of recent years, it seems that the large displacement is natural The aspirated V-type engine is still irreplaceable.
drive
The most obvious difference between the two Defenders is the texture of the ride on rough or smooth roads. Even though the County is older, it still feels very solid; the Adventure adapts to bumpier roads in a more sophisticated way, smoothing out small bumps in the road for more comfort. Whether it is the driver or the passenger, you will feel the information that every bump is resolved, and Adventure also handles it better in terms of quietness.
The V8 petrol engine is really good, and once you get out of the standstill, you can shift between second and fourth gear without having to rush into anything. You can also dial in lower gears, which really squeeze the V8’s torque effortlessly.
The turbocharged diesel engine is obviously more “complex” than the V8 gasoline engine. Although it is refined, it is still a little bit powerless, just like the roar after the accelerator is increased.
We can still drive the 1983 Land Rover Defender and find many reasons to like him. After the curtain call, we may really not find such an old car that we love so much. I am no longer in the world, but my love is still circulating in the world. Legends, and echoes forever.
