Hi David. Thanks for a really honest and objective view of what is definitely a massive issue not being dealt with by LR. As 2021 RR owner who fortunately has not experienced any problems in 2yrs of Happy ownership, the way LR are treating you is a major concern. The calm and positive way you are dealing with the issue is a credit to you and an example of how to deal with a customer service dept that is not attempting to address the issues you have with the vehicle so we’ll done for your manner and honesty with them. I would have expected most people inc myself by now to have thrown in the towel and invoked your customer rights and asked them for a full refund or an exchange of vehicle. “Don’t give up and I know you will not”. You have a great product albeit with a niggling issue LR AU are being far from unhelpful with here👍

Another really good video David. Thanks for the info on the ‘Landie”, it was really helpful and your honesty is appreciated by us punters trying to decide on a new tow vehicle.

Thanks David for another brilliant video. Also good to see the number of views slowly going up - not sure what is taking them so long!! We have a zone caravan on order and are looking, in slower time, at a tow rig upgrade - so I found your candid assessment extremely valuable - particularly your concluding summary. Good luck with the rest of your journey and I look forward to your next video. Cheers……

Thank you so much for a warts and all vid. So comprehensive. I think a lot of the "new" vehicles are in the same boat. Keen to see your Zone review.

most comprehensive raw vid. great work love it

Thanks for taking the time to share the experience of the Def when Put To Work

Good review! I also have a D300. Loving it. No issues so far.

Thks for doing the review. Really informative and helpful. Would love to see an in-depth van review sometime!

Brilliant episode. We've recently took ownership of a Defender 110 D300 to replace our Discovery 4, which replaced our 2013 Defender 90. Your views on wheels and the front bar are especially appreciated. So nice to get some real road-tested insights and experiences based on our Australian conditions from someone who also expects their car to seamlessly transition from a safe, comfortable on-roader to a very capable off-roader.

Very insightful, honest & detail review. Congratz for the great video! Hopefully your Defender would turn out to be a great ownership

Thanks for the honest review. I was in a similar position of deciding what to get to tow our caravan, we also have a Zone, but the long lead times, price and the experiences I have had with previous landrovers meant I got a Nissan Y62 and have been happy with it. I really like Landrovers and struggled with the decision but didn't want to go through the hassle of dealing with JLR.

Hi David, just started watching your channel. Great episode this, and looking forward to following along the big lap!

I was in a market for an offroad and towing capable vehicle almost 2 years ago, my choices were 300, Defender and lastly the Y62. When the Defender was released, there were many reported issues with engine, drivetrain and electronics, which seems like in your case still haven't been addressed by JLR despite this car being released for so many years already. The 300 disappointingly only came with diesel which is a no-go for me from past experience with DPF and oil consumption issues. I ended up going with Y62 because of the reliable non-forced induction V8 petrol, large payload, much bigger usable boot space and the significantly reduced cost. I'm happy I go down that path because the Y62 is a hugely capable vehicle which is severely underrated by many media outlet due to its age but it's lack of electronic driving assistant tech means they kept cost down and at the same time keeping reliability up. The dollars I saved $60k-ish (paid $97k driveaway for a Ti-L) buys me petrol for entire life of the vehicle + spares to spend towards mods. My fuel consumption is under 13L/100km fully loaded to the max on highway believe it or not, towing gets me low 20s, so in the end considering the size and payload of the Y62 if all things being equal, it uses the same amount of fuel as its alternative diesel powered competitors. In saying that, the Patrol Y62 don't really have a competitor, it's in it's own class and category, that is until Toyota decides to bring the petrol V6TT 300 to Australia.

Very refreshing and honest content.

Hi David.. I’m new to your channel and an instant fan. Really compelling viewing. No doubt the Defender is a simply beautiful vehicle but complex. I hope you can solve these issues and get the break you deserve. I somehow think that you thrive on challenges and that when you look back it will be more than worth it. Also and just as importantly..what you are doing for charity is great. All the best to you and your wife.

Hi David, sorry to hear about your problems, we have also been through the JLRA wringer. Their cars are exactly as you describe , awesome to drive or tow with, but their reliability, back up support from JLRA and the costs involved with repairing them are next level bad. To cut a long story short we had a SDV6 Range Rover that had a total engine failure at 90,000K 3 months out of warranty. JLRA did support us at the time with a good contribution (not 100%) to a new engine (replacement cost $50,000) but we lost use of the car for 2 months. From that point we had intermittent stuttering problems that they couldnt resolve, the local dealer charged us $2000 a time over 6 months to replace parts that didn't resolve the problem, and then proposed replacing a turbo charger @ a cost of $7500. At that point we baulked and eventually found a 3rd party range Rover specialist to look at it. He resolved the issue in 2 weeks by reinstalling all the engine software (which he believed the local JLRA dealer had screwed up). Anyone reading this that needs out of warranty help, we can't recommend RovaRange in Moorabbin Vic highly enough. Jason saved us thousands, and months of fustration. Summary awesome cars, but a ticking time bomb for major problems. The 5 year warranty will now at least give you an opportunity to flip them before warranty runs out. Ours was in the 3yr warranty days

Great video. Super tip on the bullbar height issues

Great video. Your summary is very good. Landrover, Jaguar is well, not what I'd expect.

Hi David , A really honest review I have a D250 110 commercial and a D250 110 X Dynamic 5 seat , both are 18 months old and apart from some body trim fixings failing they have both been faultless.

Thanks David for good review. Wow! In 2021 we were looking for a new tow vehicle and the D300 was on short list, then the dealer says but the car you order today wont have this and that due to chip shortage (centre digital dash for one thing that was dropped and it was brilliant). The 12 month delays were also starting to bite and no guarantee that the car we drove would be the car you get. We hesitated then a 4 month old less than 9000km SR5 Hilux popped up (it was a lease handback due to many businesses failing). We purchased the Hilux and now after towing our AOR Matrix van the length and breadth of OZ over 30000km of so many horrible outback Len Beadell rds, etc. we have had not one issue of complaint or warranty. We also had so many bullbars to choose from, specced it back from 18inch wheels to the much better 17's with a huge range of tyres, GVM upgrades with amazing suspension choices, gadgets galore out there and backup literally everywhere and all service parts at Repco/Supercheap, etc. Services at Toyota Dealer with a video of the service taking place, plenty of towing power with an amazing torque curve on this latest 2.8 engine, 14.6L per 100km towing anywhere. Now I know that this Hilux dropping in our lap was the right decision and sooo glad we have not fallen back into the Landrover death trap of a brilliantly designed vehicle 'executed' and buggered with the usual shitty LR manufacture and even shitty'er' service. And all this from a guy (me) whom has owned 9 LR's but stopped at the horrible Series 3 with gearbox bits falling on the ground and timing chains disintegrating, had UK relatives working their lives at the Solihull plant (designing amazing gun ships on 6 wheel versions for the Saudis) and headed up a State Landrover Club for some years in a previous lifetime. Such a pity.....they could be so good.

Thanks waiting for your lap round up...

Now I'm giving second thought to buying one. Thanks for the info.

This a great video, as an owner of a Discovery 4 for 5 yrs we are the same we love the car and just want it to work, it's a 10 yr car for us to get out and about in this great country of ours. Unfortunately, we have also had issues with JLR completely agree with you about their treatment of customers and the quickness to just make it hard so you go away. The fact that they are stepping away from the vehicle brand as you noted if I was on the board would be asking questions. Not a great look. Will a Defender be in our future don't know, I like them, and also the tech does not worry me but like you, not a brand loyalist. Thanks for all the insights into how you have dealt with the weight issues. Anyway great to have discovered your channel with be catching up on the back catalogue and looking forward to future ones.

As a previous long term Land Rover owner, I would agree that Land Rover is by far the best large SUV to drive in OZ. I also agree that any modern vehicle can and possibly will break down. But Land rover have less than 30 dealerships Australia wide compared to more than 250 for Toyota. And after having my Discovery on a tray back for over 650km just to get to a dealer to get a minor issue, but one that made it undriveable, resolved, in my experience is more of an issue than whether or not they could break down.

Great video and glad were able to help you with a few mods for your Journey. The 4WD / 2WD issue we have heard of before, considering that, supprised you havent had it fixed. Let us know how you go. It does seem to be a real pain point that when something cant be fixed easily the usual good service goes out the window. And especially if you have accesories. It would be fantastic to see Landrover go Above and Beyond like they did for you, but without the fight.👌🏽👍🏽

Hi David have recently took delivery of a D300 2023, have really put it to the test absolutely brilliant, have owned most SUV’s and must say the defender the best to date in all departments

Fantastic Content. I have 3000ks on a new 7 seat D300 X Dynamic and i also love the car. No issues. I wont be towing but was interesting to see how others overcome the loading and space constraints. Similar set up. I went with a Frontrunner Rack, Engel Fridge and an Ostrich 270 awning. Power is with a REDARC GoBlock (100AH). I will be following your adventures closely. Hope your 2 wheel drive issue gets resolved soon. Safe travels R.

I had an idea of what may be causing the flick back to 2wd. I have a disco 4 and found after I had the brakes done the abs would activate when turning. After a visual inspection I noticed the abs sensors cable runs very close to the calliper and thought they may have stretched the lead while replacing the brakes. I ordered 2 new leads for $100 total fitted them myself and it fixed it. It corrected the issue. Its a fairly cheap fix in the scheme of things and other than pulling a wheel off and undoing a retaining nut it was a very straight forward install 15 mins per side.

Thanks for the review. Finally we have detailed review from an owner who is actually out there doing what this vehicle is built for. I am a proud owner of a 2023 90. I have not had the chance to take it seriously off-road as yet apart from a jaunt to Connondale Nat. Park and thus it has not really been stressed. I am looking at adding OEM roof rack, steps and the roo bar (not the nudge bar) before heading out later this year. I had the same opinion of the roo bar, though it is what is available. I am wanting to keep as close to stock and OEM spec. as possible to avoid any conflicts with what is quite a sophisticated vehicle. One recent review from the US had gone through a suspension lift, even though he had the air suspension. Low and behold he breaks down on what appeared to be a well formed track with suspension failure. He had to be ‘recovered’. Poor old LandRover gets it in the neck on reliability even though it was a mod. that failed. I sympathise with your experience with the dealer, by the way. Hope you get resolution and get on and enjoy your gap year. Your sentiment to this vehicle is shared - thus far, amazing even if only in mall crawler mode temporarily.

As a land rover guy myself my last cars were the Discovery 2, Discovery 3 & RR sport. I did look at the Defender but as this will probably be the last expensive 4WD I can afford as I'm hitting 60 next year I bought the LC 300 Sahara. My concern was reliability but also resale value. The trade in offer for my RR sport was a joke so I ended up keeping it for a second car. The car has ben into ARB for the usual host of aftermarket modifications that are easily done on the cruiser including GVM upgrade. Having watched several of your video's now I am sure my choice was a wise one.

Great info. A shot of the inside with seats removed? Wind noise? Have you considered replacing Lead acid car battery with Lithium?

Thank you for candid and fair appraisal of your JLR experience. Tend to agree with all your sentiments… did you consider D5 when choosing Defender? What swung you to your final choice?

Hi David - enjoying your reviews. Just with your 2WD issue - have you thought about seeing if you can fit a scan gauge in the odbc port? Scan gauge can clear faults on the go - ie you don’t need to do the stop/start tech help desk reset routine- not a fix but might give you some more convenience and confidence in situations where you don’t want a failure. Just a thought.

So I just subscribed, you were at 999 subscribers should be 1000 now 🙂

I have a d300 hse 110. Great car tow a 3.5t boat. It has never missed a beat. Every condition service which is about 13k I get oil n filter done anyhow. Never had an issue in 2 years. So that’s all I can add.

Hi David, as another relatively new D300 SE owner in Brisbane we are enjoying your videos. We are up to 20k km and have had it lose some Terrain Response functionality just once when on Fraser, when I think a sensor probably got dirty, but it quickly recovered. Other than that it has been great, and tows our Patriot camper like a dream. How have you found the Drifta 270 awning, and was it easy to attach to your roof bars?

Hi David, I just found your site & watched the video. Great video Thorough & honest I’ve had a very bad experience with JLR Australia Customer Service ! They are shockingly bad with NOT supporting their product. This issue sadly adds to the bad reputation LR have. No wonder LR Australia are not getting repeat buyers of their product ! I absolutely loved my Disco Sport, but a regular issue with Timing Chain was hugely annoying. Was a 2017 D180 132 kw / 430 nm Anyway… Battery drainage is a Defender problem, for the reasons u described. JLR need to add a “ camping mode “ to the car. In this mode, Pivi Pro and other items should stay fully off, so that a lot of unnecessary battery power does not get consumed, when u open doors / rear tailgate etc… As a preventative maintenance measure, I’d definitely change the oil & filter every 10,000 kms or max 15,000 kms U have 18” wheels on a D300. So, I presume some adjustments were done so that they would fit over the brakes ?? I will have a look at your other videos in coming weeks Cheers. 👍

Great vid and overview. We have had a wide range of euro/British and Jap cars and now about ready to retire and travel would not consider a Land Rover simply due to part availability and the likelihood of anyone knowing how to fix west of Toowoomba 🤤🇦🇺🇦🇺 Same old joke applies, when you buy an English car, buy 2 so you have a spare when the other is in for repair Look forward to more of your vids as love the travel.

Add our thanks and was hoping that you might have touched on the feature TOWING & TRAILERS "function" and if TSA really works? If TSA does work then I would THEN choose a caravan with DISC brakes but if TSA doesn't work then I would choose SWAY CONTROL with DRUM brakes ...as apparently disc brakes and sway controls are not available, some conflict!!! Anyhow, await someone to respond in case you are still on the LOOP, safe driving and I wont add our disasters losing ALL our camera's within the first 1,000 km and then subsequently the CRUISE CONTROL dropping out ....very dangerous but to Land Rover credit, they fixed both.

Great video, honest and straight forward. We have the P400 and only a small software issue. However the JLR "experience" is horrendous. They do exactly what you described. Their response for a software issue from the factory was to speak with the dealer. How can they help? We are hoping a OTA will fix it soon. We getting our JB sting in a few months, weight has been weighting on my mind lately (pun intended). We made decision to move recovery gear into the van and my camping gear (battery, solar, fridge) are all left at home when the family goes. Quick question did you say in your video 300kg ball weight?

Great video, I'm looking for thext ones to see how this will be going. Were you able to fit the 18 wheels without changing the brakes?

Thank you for sharing your insights. I already know of a D300 who has had "catastrophic engine failure" and the vehicle has had to be replaced in its entirety after much hassle. LR's really do live up to the reputation it seems. I want one but theres just too many tales of disappointment.

A great candid experience, I have a Jeep and at least you have JLA talking to you Jeep do not give a rats. 5 years of heat ache so far for us.

Land rovers in any form from day dot have always been unreliable as the day is long , do your homework when selecting a tow vehicle to avoid what you are going through.

I would halve the oil change intervals that Land Rover recommend as an absolute minimum. The service intervals are far too long for the small sump capacity of the D300's engine. If it had a sump with 12 litres of oil, I'd say that the service interval is OK, but as it is only 8.8 litres, I'd feel more comfortable changing the oil more often. As often as every 7,500 kms, mainly to avoid timing chain wear and tear. Oil is cheap compared to an engine overhaul and Land Rover's timing chains are known to stretch beyond the tensioner's range, and this has been likely due to oil no longer providing adequate lubrication.

"Extortionist pricing." Here's a little tip for the economically challenged: BUSINESSES CAN'T JUST CHARGE WHATEVER THE FUCK THEY WANT!!!!!! They can ONLY charge what the market will sustain! If the price of cars is too high for you, that means someone, somewhere, is willing to pay more money than you are, driving up the god damned price! No "extortion" is going on.

Nice car but from the start when these come out TFL had 3 different vehicles. My old 2004 Xtrail use to drop from locked awd to 2wd when the centre coupling over heated in sand. No it is not a proper 4wd but it happened.

I've been through all of this. And I came to the conclusion that the effort wasn't worth the drive. Drive brilliantly, no doubt. And the air-suspension, fantastic. But tilt tray after tilt tray. No more. And never again. Every now and then I look. The KZfaq reminds me by suggesting your channel. Am really liking this content mate. All the best with the LR and on the trip. I'll be following. I highly disagree with the comments of the reliability comparison of the Defender and a 300. Not even close. Yet. Time will tell, but statistically, not even close.

The Ford F-150 that is selling in Australia now can be had with a GVM of 3909 kg and can be upgraded to 4136 kg with just wheels and tires. A standard rear axle capacity of 2182 kg or an upgraded 2409 kg, and it will fit aftermarket wheels like Method in 17".

As a once loyal LR/RR customer I’m afraid to say that they will never change. Terrible company to deal with when something goes wrong, even within the warranty period as you have found out. I’ve had eight of their vehicles in all and if they behaved and backed up their vehicles it could well have been 24 vehicles. It got to the point where I had zero loyalty left, because they have zero loyalty to me or any other customer. I once had a new Range Rover and it had an issue with rear brakes locking up. The dealer tried various cures but failed and had me meet the company’s area service manager who, to the dealer and my horror plainly said that they had spent too much on warranty on the six month old car and they would not spend more on getting it to brake safely. Yes really! Thankfully the owner of the dealership was as horrified and disappointed as I was and he did have it in again and wangled the repair by claiming warranty of another similar vehicle. While I was very pleased with the dealer, the bitter taste left by the company has never left me and all loyalty was lost forever. In the meantime I’ve had three Nissans, two Land Cruisers, a Mitsubishi, Mercedes ML, BMW X5 and Audi Q7 plus many others in my six car fleet. It’s always the LR vehicles that have given trouble and issues with the brand managers. The only other issue was with two dishonest Audi dealers which seemed to have been trained in the same customer scamming techniques.

Amazing review and insight. As Japanese, I’ve been loving my land cruiser but now waiting for 300d to come soon. Slightly minor questions but may I please ask few questions as we are new to Australia and doesn’t not have much information, can you suggest: - good battery charger. (We don’t use E commerce so preferably the one I can buy locally) - neoprene seat cover. - advise for when the car is not in use for long time. I return to Japan for 1-2 months and leave the car in garage. With Land Cruiser, I’ve left at the dealer but JLR would not allow. Hope to hear from you..

im so glad i bought a y62 patrol, zero issues towing 3500kgs

Where did you get your clothes line that slots into the awing?

Sounds like you have a good land rover dealership. Did they find what is the root cause for 4wd issue? Thanks for the honest clip.

I have been considering this car as a replacement for my SDV8. Your dealings with JLA matches mine at the beginning of my ownership. What model I am assuming SE with options.

Hi David, How did you get the 18” wheels to fit on the D300 given the brake calipers are too large? Thanks Jase

You don't need a winch for Cape York (unless you deliberately seek extreme routes) so you could have saved a bunch of weight by not fitting one.

A very considered, objective, unbiased and well presented owners report of the NEW Defender capability and issues you have personally experienced. JLR customer support department sounds exceptionally poor which is a real pity given the effort and time that JLR as a company have put into making the Defender which as you very well articulate such a potentially great vehicle into such a potential disaster. These guys at JLR “or are they just some random assortment of PlayStation/X-box kids” really ought to get their finger out of whatever orifice they have them in and sort customer support issues like this pronto otherwise this vehicle is “Dead In The Water” despite all their efforts. JLR they sound like a right bunch of cowboys 🤠 . This puts me off buying any of the JLR jvehicles despite loving the Defender I think a Grenadier may be a better, more reliable and more robust option even though this is their first effort at building a good 4x4.

hey mate where thinking of buying a D MAX Isuzu and then upgrading the suspension .your landrover is a good truck but a bit pricey 😊

Hi David, I've really enjoyed your channel and it's content. I'm a D300 owner and will be ordering a Zone RV soon. I have a query about the tow ball tongue you ended up using. I can gather from the Zone website that the standard Defender Tongue I currently have installed, while it suited my previous van, will be too low to tow the Zone at the correct height. Could you tell me what tongue you utilised? Chhers.

Hi David. I have just ordered a new Defender D300 and now have serious thoughts about cancelling after hearing about your problems with JLR service....it is just appalling! I admire your perseverance to get the vehicle fixed, and am very interested to hear how you go getting the 4WD to 2WD problem resolved.....I travel to many remote places around Australia and, like you, do not want to have "hickups" with the 4WD system.!!! Please tell me who to write to at JLR to pass on my misgivings at purchasing a new Defender if they treat their customers like they have you.

Hi David, Great video, I've been waiting 16 months for Defender D300 SE, finally arrived at the port awaiting customs release, can't wait to get it. Just a quick question on the 18 inch wheels, did you have to adjust the size of the brake calipers? As I've seen that is the case and must be done through tuff ant, and do you recommend that. As I do want to do some off roading.

subscribed

Hi David - quick question please - getting a New Defender 110 delivered very soon - looking at putting and ENGEL 40 litre Fridge/ frezer in the back - preferable on the left -hand side - with the compatible slider - would it fit?????? Please

I wonder if there is a Bounce issue when Towing and loaded heavy which may intermittently take weight off the front wheels causing constant traction reduction on/off on/off on/off the front wheels which the Computer picks up and cant deal with hence sets 2 wheel drive mode

Did the dealer not take jump on the Wheel Tyre upgrade to pass the buck ?

Im sorry if I missed it, would love to know what weight your Defender comes in at without the van on it and no passengers. Looking at ordering one and I realise that the weights on the brochure are not the real world weights in Australia. I see you have quite a few accessories so keen to know what yours comes in at. Great videos and thanks for the information.

Fitting the 18" ,that didnt bother the Brake's Size?

Have you had a decent code reader on the car to extract any codes to do with the 2wd/4wd issue? Is it detecting a variation in the rolling diameter of the wheels?

If they fried a significant part that they cannot source, I’d force them to hand me a courtesy vehicle similar to what I’m driving until they get mine fixed. I would never accept the vehicle unless a written paper documentation is issued stating that they cannot source the part until a stated date, and I’ll indemnify them on any potential or actual issues arising from frying that part.

Troopy with 1.6 tonne payload might even work.

I have has zero issues, she pulls the 7000 lb Airstream like nothing up and done 5000ft grades. I put my brake controller in the same spot!

I have been researching both the Defender and D5 as a new tow vehicle for our 3.5t van but have ruled them both out unfortunately. I really wanted to give them a tick as they are very capable 4wds with good tech. My 2 reasons are reliability and low rear axle limit. I am struggling to see how I could remain legal towing our van. Made worse when I hear of owners saying the kerb weights provided by JLR are wrong and the stock car weighs more. Makes payload calcs even worse with that rear axle limit.

So sorry to hear about your unfortunate responses from JLR, not supporting you and not doing the right thing by their customers. I have never owned a Land Rover but really preferred the Defender over others we have looked at like LC300 (although in some ways not). I have been agonizing about buying a Defender. The constant stream of infamously bad reliability issues and even worse, throw you under the bus culture when it eventually fails, is a double jeopardy. Still, the product seems to sell itself and so it creates this classic 'approach - avoidance conflict'. The closer the attraction pulls you in, you get equally and oppositely repelled. Most of us have heard the stories from the saga of the TFL boys and the issues reported by Cruisemaster with his Defender, (and many more). As hopefully you will, they got their problems mostly sorted...eventually, but one wonders what happens to those that dont have highly visible KZfaq channels and/or can't afford or don't have the energy or time or knowledge or money to deal with it.....the ones that just expect to be treated fairly, or at the very least have their consumer law rights vaguely entertained. I was secretly hoping that by now, May 2023, all the teething problems for Defender would have been ironed out and that JLR would be keen to 'turn over a new leaf' on what has been a scandalous history of which your story has been exemplar. As you point out it is emblematic of a deeper cultural problem. One rationalizes that surely looking after customers is good for business but I guess the facts are as long as they keep on selling 'em as fast as they can make 'em, they are laughing all the way to the bank. In other words the culture won't change until they see sales and profits falling. Cynical but sadly realistic it would seem. Like you I want to like Defenders but admit that your story has produced a bit of a heart sink moment.....and serious pause for thought. I acknowledge that you are not 'tribal' and thank you for your very believable account of affairs. As a side note, it is interesting that I have been actively researching the AWD system for the Defender. It is very hard to get reliable info (conflicting opinions depending who you ask) but it appears the Diesel defender is/ may be treated a little differently with respect to AWD and possibly more prioritizing RWD??. If true, I was thus thinking of getting a petrol version (but now seriously in doubt about JLR altogether). It seems both petrol and diesel get similar drivetrains with a multi clutch mechanism in the transfer case that can vector torque to front or rear wheels "as needed", up to 50% to front (50%:50%) and 100% to rear (0% front:100% rear) controlled by a "TCCM" control module, but biasing full RWD whenever it can to marginally boost efficiency (and reduce emissions?). The diesel version may get an additional / or different front axle drive disconnect module that the petrol does not. How this relates to your particular problem I do not know but it is interesting to speculate. The front axle disconnect module has a driveline disconnect control module which allows parts of the front driveline to not just disconnect but stop rotating - I think only in the diesel versions. It may be a good thing or bad thing? bad thing if it goes wrong I guess My interest was in relation to towing and wanting an all wheel drive system that was truly permanent AWD (not dropping into 100% RWD....and certainly not staying there).I cant say for sure that the petrol version is superior in this regard but if less biased to RWD in some way it might compensate for otherwise torque and other diesel advantages for towing. So it was ironic to hear of your unexpected dropping into and getting stuck in RWD episodes. Apologies for the lengthy post and keep up the good work. David

You have the wrong transfer case to be towing in 4wd, pretty sure it’s a clutch in there that is made to slip in 4 high

I have owned Land Rovers old and new for over 30 years. Now I have no Land Rovers. I have an Isuzu Dmax and NPR truck. Reliability, parts availability, cap price servicing, long warranty and ease of modifying are more valuable to me than worrying when I’ll next be on a tow truck again and again and again. The Land Rover brand has devalued to Junk and rebranding models, soon to be built in China, is just an exercise in squeezing profits out of the perception of prestige at low cost and low material quality

JLR keep disappointing the most understandable, reasonable, patient and arguably nicest group of customers globally. Absolutely appaling customer service experience! Aside from any interenet hear-say, insurance companies in UK refused or raise a significant premium for insurance land rover products based on statistics/facts(expensive parts, easy to be stolen, unreasonably long waiting time on parts etc). Indeed its a great car when it works.

Sorry, been bitten twice by Land Rover. Never again. Wonderful cars to drive but need a permanent oil pan under the engine. It seemed like they didn't keep any parts in the country for the Defender or Discovery. Amazing how a transfer case can magically need to be replaced 1 month out of warranty when I had been saying something was wrong with it for the two previous services.

reliability is everything...rather a simple vehicle for me anyway...

They should listen because I’m about to drop 160k on a defender which after this video has now put serious doubt in my mind. You might have a small following but I’ve never seen any of your videos before and I found this when looking for a defender tow review on the first few videos. We are also doing the lap of Australia so your experience doesn’t fare well at all

The Good part about a Land Rover is they look Good driving down the road. The Bad part is they are built by JLR ?? The English are amazing Engineers. They just don't fair so well when it comes to Electrics ?? Not much has changed in the history of English based car manufacturers. Still having problems with this never ending problem ?? Even though manufacturing has been outsourced to other countries now. The tag of JAG Electrics is never far behind ???

Sadly what happened next concluded otherwise. ⚠️ Warning check engine!

JLR Attitude leaves much to be desired

I also have a 2021 D300 110 used for towing out 3 ton caravan. While towing our car develops quite a bad a driveline vibration at cruising speed 100 kmph. Been back to Land Rover 3 times = 15 weeks at their workshops. Did test drive with one of their Techs that agreed there was a vibration and in front of me said to the service assistant manger that it has a vibration and it's not right, after 15 months of dealing with customer care (Ha) and the dealer only to receive a letter from JLR Australia saying the car is operating to design intent and therefore the case is closed. What arrogance. I am also a 30 plus year independant technician and to be treated like this is not acceptable. They haven't heard the last from me. Shame on you Land Rover.

Hi Do you need some great lighting for your car to help you better driving, off-road? We're the pro auto lighting manufacturer for nearly 20 year and we're looking to do some sponsorship with you😊

The Fast Lane boys in the states had a horrific time buying their Defender(s). Nothing new or surprising here, I'm afraid.

i agree - JL are the problem in most cases

This is the problem with Land Rover. They bastardise your experience and hope you go away. I know all about LR. I’ve owned 4 and have a discovery and a 1954 series 1. They root their customers constantly.

Long story short. Too much tech and not suited for remote Aussie touring. Get a cruiser

Just a tip, you don't have to go through the details of what you are going to do in the video, it's just a waste of time for everyone.