Defender - owner impressions?

[Sleddr]

Hello, I'm a long time Series owner and I'm looking at a Defender 110. I'm haven't had a chance to drive one yet, however I was able to sit in one on my last trip to Vancouver.

I'm a bigger guy and the one thing I noticed was there there wasn't much shoulder room in the drivers seat. I'm hoping some Defender owners might be able to shed some light on their impressions of the room and overall feel of a Defender.

Thanks.

[Bill E.]

Space in a Defender driver's seat is a bit better than a series truck but not by a lot. Seat style and cushion thickness play a big part in fine tuning the level of acceptable comfort. The bulkhead behind the seat on a three-door 110 or 90 is the biggest limiting factor on leg-room and belly-room but unless you are on the really "big" side in the gut department a Defender is reasonable to drive. A five-door or a Nas 90 is not as limited to seat modifications because they don't have the bulkhead behind the driver's seat. A pick-up cab on a three-door can be further cramped if the seats have a head rest that makes contact with the cab back. If mixing and matching seats doesn't provide enough space there are a number of more extreme mods to make things more livable. There are bulkhead removal kits available and you can do this mod yourself if you are handy that way. Many will frown on chopping out the bulkhead on strength or aesthetic grounds but it can be done well and is done by the factory on the NAS trucks anyway. If you have power steering you can also replace the steering wheel with a smaller diameter one. :lol:

[red90]

Td5 and newer don't have a bulkhead either.

But shoulder room should be the same Defender and Series. The bodies are more or less the same. Right hand drive is better as there is more room on the right side footwell.

[swamijake]

I'd also say that the Defender ride and steering feel is much nicer. It's also nice to have power disc brakes.