 | Home > General & Technical (L663) > Anyones new Defender arrived on coils? |
 
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| jim4244 Member Since: 13 Apr 2014 Location: Bedfordshire Posts: 624   
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I had a 110 XS on air suspension. If the dealer had contacted me telling me that the spec of the car had been changed to springs I would have rejected it….
Jim |
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4th Apr 2023 7:51am |
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| Nuclear Nick Member Since: 21 Aug 2021 Location: Southwest Posts: 249 
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Me too!
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4th Apr 2023 8:16am |
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| Tdi4 Member Since: 24 Oct 2014 Location: Houten Posts: 513  
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When in doubt, don’t accept it. Else you are going to think about as long as you have the car. I know I would do that
 a defender from 1984 pretending to be a puma with a touch of Range Rover |
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4th Apr 2023 9:16am |
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| Tim in Scotland Member Since: 23 May 2007 Location: The Land that time forgot Posts: 3750 
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There is also the opposite issue with coils, even at access height on air springs it’s a climb to get in (I’m 5ft 7”) - with the coils you are higher still to give it decent fixed height ground clearance. Pangea Green D250 90 HSE with Air Suspension, Off-road Pack, Towing Pack, Black Contrast roof , rear recovery eyes, Front bash plate, Classic flaps all round, extended wheel arch kit and a few bits from PowerfulUK Expel Clear Gloss PPF to come
2020 D240 1st Edition in Pangea Green with Acorn interior. Now gone - old faithful, no mechanical issues whatsoever ever but the leaks and rattles all over the place won’t be missed! |
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4th Apr 2023 9:43am |
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| DSC-off Member Since: 16 Oct 2014 Location: North East Posts: 1350 
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Wow, I didn't realise how bad things are for buying a new Defender.
With a model name of "HSE X-Dynamic", you'd expect it to have the the best suspension set up to make it err, well, DYNAMIC !!! Surely the future value of this vehicle will be negatively affected by the fact it doesn’t have air suspension. The story of vehicle specs and all the missing parts reminds me of the Pheonix days at MG-Rover, after BMW sold it. To slash costs and keep the company going first they deleted everything they could and hoped the customer didn't notice. Then they made everything cheaper, with simpler designs and lower spec materials from lower quality suppliers. The vehicles looked the same, but they weren't, and in the end it didn't save the company. |
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4th Apr 2023 10:21am |
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| kenzle8a Member Since: 12 Feb 2020 Location: None Posts: 1074
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Its the lack of an A pillar grab handle in modern 4X4's due to the airbags that causes access issues, in the old trucks we used in Aus and Eastern Europe they all had grab handles on the A Pillars because most of them sat pretty high on coils with decent tyres. In the Land Cruisers and Shoguns we used they all had decent grab handles and no side steps as steps and running boards just got ripped off the side. Even with side steps and access height my wife who's 5'1 doesn't find it the easiest to get into something like an L322. Yet with no side steps and HD springs on with a grab handle fitted she had no issues in the Defender. |
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4th Apr 2023 10:50am |
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| lightning Member Since: 23 Apr 2009 Location: High Peak, Derbyshire Posts: 2226
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Just fit side steps, they look good and also help to stop car park dents from other people's car doors.
l am 5ft 5in and am fine getting in and out of the vehicle but l will be fitting side steps when l can decide which ones to buy! Don't discount a coil sprung Defender until you've driven one. How many people who are saying you need air suspension, have actually owned one with coil springs? Take a test drive and see what you think, but don't just drive around the block, see if you can get the vehicle for an afternoon. Also get a drive in an air spring version. Drive it on an unmade road or bridleway if possible. Try getting in and out of it etc Then make your decision. |
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4th Apr 2023 10:56am |
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| J77 Member Since: 04 Nov 2019 Location: Fife Posts: 3245 
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On coils the 90s look like little Tonka trucks. 24MY 90 D250 HSE, Tasman Blue
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4th Apr 2023 3:01pm |
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| pjm-84 Member Since: 12 Apr 2021 Location: Hampshire Posts: 640
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I dismissed the Defender as its didn't have a 6 pot lump back in 2020 and the P400 was stupidly priced. Roll on 1 month and LR drops the D240, roll on 6months and a P400XS is introduced at 17k less than the X. Hence I ordered one.
If I was buying a S or hardtop, I wouldn't be so concerned, unless I needed it for work or individual use. Similarly I wouldn't take the BMW X545e if it didn't have air. The air on the BMW transforms the ride even to the point it make my other vehicles look bad. Had two previous versions and the ride was the worst thing about the car. Way too hard. I'm 6ft 5in  or 196.5cm in metric |
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4th Apr 2023 3:14pm |
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| lightning Member Since: 23 Apr 2009 Location: High Peak, Derbyshire Posts: 2226
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No issues with the ride on my 90 Commercial.
Maybe the BMW was set up that way because people expect it to be a "Sports SUV" |
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4th Apr 2023 5:58pm |
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| Moo Member Since: 01 Oct 2021 Location: Bath Posts: 1020 
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The other thing to consider is car park access height. I regularly drop mine to get into car parks. Eiger Grey MY23 D250 SE with bits. Known as Noddy.
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4th Apr 2023 6:21pm |
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| lightning Member Since: 23 Apr 2009 Location: High Peak, Derbyshire Posts: 2226
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That's a useful feature.
You could take the new Defender on coil springs and order another, making sure it comes with air. Then, when it arrives, sell your coil spring one (most likely for a small profit) and buy the new one. |
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4th Apr 2023 9:09pm |
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| Moo Member Since: 01 Oct 2021 Location: Bath Posts: 1020
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I wouldn't rely on Defender residuals now. LR offered me £59k on my 6 month old D250 SE (8500miles
) with a few bits that I paid £75k for against a showroom D5 D250 S with a few bits on for £64k! Eiger Grey MY23 D250 SE with bits. Known as Noddy. |
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4th Apr 2023 10:50pm |
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| pjm-84 Member Since: 12 Apr 2021 Location: Hampshire Posts: 640
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I think all SUVs are now sports. Gone are the days of a detuned diesel providing a whopping 111hp and a top speed approaching 91mph with a 0-60 of 18.5sec. So brakes and suspension go hand in hand with more power. The BMW on air will knock spots of the previous one on coils and ride comfort is not comparable. It is that good. (The air suspension is adaptive with dynamic dampers) |
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4th Apr 2023 11:16pm |
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