Tundra or Defender?

I like the old Defenders. The new ones look really plasticky, like a Kia Soul mated with a Bronco Sport. There is no possible universe where I depend on a Land Rover to get my family from the East coast to the Western US to do off-grid things. It’s kind of sad to be honest—the overlanding heritage is there, but the durability of the vehicles that wear the LR badge is not.

Have you considered a 2016 or 2017 200 series? The mid-gen refresh happened in 2016. It got an 8 speed transmission and a bunch of other updates if you’re into that sort of thing. They’re under $50k now on the used market. If I didn’t need a truck, I’d get another 200 series.

 

You want a bed? Tundra. Dont need a bed and want to really get into 4wd.... Land Cruiser.

(they stopped making them in 21 but were well known for their ability to go just about anywhere)

 

Edit: I'll actually contribute something instead of just watching.

OP, what are you looking for out of this vehicle? I get that you want it for farm driving/fly fishing, but beyond that what are you looking for?

Is a modern/feature-rich interior at the top of your list? If so, I think I'd still go with the Tundra as I have no doubt in my mind it will be more reliable in the long run over a Defender. I definitely think the new Tundra is slightly less reliable than the previous gen, but it seems Defenders are not a question of "if" but "when" a problem will occur.

With the question of reliability, is that at the top of your list? You were quick to point out the new Tundra's reliability issues, but it seems you're not considering a 2.5gen or 200 series LC. Why? Not only would they leave you with some money in your pocket (for all the fun mods), but they have a pretty proven platform.

At the end of the day, get what makes you happy. It's your money, not ours, so the choice is entirely yours!

 

That color would wear me out quick.

 

chinese are bringing the lc 300 back ..... /s


https://www.autoblog.com/2023/03/07/toyota-land-cruiser-300-gets-mini-chinese-doppleganger/

 

I’m also looking at a cement 2017 TRD Pro w some mods.

 

Me too but it was the only 110 on the lot. It’s the 75th year edition.

 

110

 

There's your winner - can't go wrong with the BEST color (don't listen to all the haters on this forum, they're just jealous they couldn't find a cement tundra).

 

It won't last as long, but if you have the money to spend, go for it. But... I am also not sure whether the newer turbo charged tundras are that much better?

 

Couldn't agree more with this...could probably close this thread knowing that haha

Joking, but either way want to see a lot more pictures of whatever the final decision is!

 

As the old saying goes " If you want to go into the Jungle take a Land Rover and to get out of the jungle take a Land Cruiser". IMO the Land Rover Range Rover is the BEST looking SUV in the market place. But I would never own one due to reliability issues, had a Land Cruiser FJ80 (should have kept that one!) and now have a 100 Series Lexus LX470-both Toyota reliability and built like tanks. However, if you want a pretty SUV get the Rover, but I would lean towards the LX600 or see if you can get a new Land Cruiser.

 

remember toyota builds land cruiser with an minimum expected life expectancy of 25 yrs of hard work, so a lot of parts of a land cruiser are build thicker to last that long.

 

One thing they can’t argue on the defender forum is that it’s the most unreliable vehicle brand on the market…… year after year. Most Land Rovers are bought and sold before the warranty expires or leased.

 

Defender: notoriously bad reliability from the brand and the model. Used = no warranty (and why is it on the lot with 20k miles?).
Tundra: notoriously good reliability from the brand. Some reports of bad reliability from the model are indeed concerning, but...New = warranty.

Want a mix of the two? Sequoia. New = warranty
Want a non-turbo mix of the two? Land Cruiser. Bulletproof reliability

 

There’s 21s avail anywhere from 11-50k miles avail. Some come w warranty still and extended avail. I like the inline 6 turbo version on the 110.

 

MotorTrend (cough) SUV of the year though. Most issues are w the electronics. Software updates fixed etc. Same w Toyota. The Defenders appear to be pretty reliable so far. The rest of the line incl RR and Discovery still have issues.

 

Im on my way out there in two weeks. That’s the one I want tho.

 

How can you not love this though? Toyota could learn a few things from this beast. Interior is tight.

 

hmmmm. From the side of the road? From the bank to get a loan to repair it out of warranty? From the dealership service department waiting area? From the shotgun seat of a tow truck? Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re cool. But I wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole. I care about myself too much.

 

You just described every experience I’ve read about ten times on this forum describing issues with the new Tundra.

 

I personally wouldn’t buy one of those either. This is your experiment, not mine.

 

OK, I have done a video comparing FJ and Defender, to my surprise, Defender is a much better off-roader than it looks, especially in stock form.
I can't speak for the reliability of them but they are solid for the weekend we were out in the mountains.

 

Make sure you lease the Defender so when the lease is up you can get rid of the piece of junk.

 

As long as we're comparing vehicles that don't really compare except in hyper specific, very individual & personal situations....

If you're going to pay $80k for a used Land Rover, why don't you just get 40 of these instead? SUV with plenty of room and 4WD. You'll have 1 for every day of the month and a few spares just in case it's needed.

/s

 

Just my opinion but a lightly used Land Cruiser might be right up your street with the Tundra V8 reliability and the the SUV feel of the Land Rover

 

Thanks. Looked at a few but didn’t really fall in love w anything. I’m especially keen on the new Tundra Pros cameras, electronics and off-road ready suspension as well as light bar and such. Not to mention the HV torque improvements. But the lack of front tow hooks is stupid and frankly the only color I like is the black. The Defender has all of the off road bells and whistles and capabilities as well as a killer interior. Air bags. Wade water up to 3 meters. Cameras. Roof rack. In-line 6 turbo. The dealer offering me a 3 year warranty unlimited miles. I figure I can put a lot of miles on it in three years and trade it in. See how the Tundra looks then.