i Have a couple of quick questions...

changing from a 2 yr old defender, to either a V8 D3 HSE, RRS 4.4 or a RR vogue 4.4.

looking at around 2006 for all three, budget up to around 17k.

i do quite a lot of logs and tree care for a few people with woodland, nothing seriously off road.

would RRS and vogue be as good as the D3 on the rough bits, and is is possible to fit a discreet winch to the RRS and Vogue, i want to keep the original bumper.

thanks in advance...

If all 3 were fitted with the same tyres the FF would likely be that tiny bit better IMHO as its a little lighter on its feet.

Whats fitted to the defender at the moment rubber wise?

For all of them you will want a rigid load liner ontop of one of those custom boot blankets that covers the sides as well if you are filling it up to headrest level. Above that either consider a trailer or the half height cargo guards o keep you safe whilst on the move.

If it were me I'd save the interiors and get an old Sankey trailer or box trailer and use that instead as you could just lob the stuff in and not worry then and save some time and not worry about any damage what so ever

Rubber over mats will be a must for sure though to be honest most do seem to come with them any reason for the petrols at all? Are you converting? They should all be the jag engine at that point but don't discount an L322 SC either as there are some cheap ones about and they can be LPG converted as well  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

I've been looking for a discreet winch kit for my FFRR but not had any success to date. I think that's due to the lack of room behind the front bumper.
I only need the mounting kit as I've already got a winch I took off my D2 but all I've managed to find are these two or the Genuine LR kit:
Devon 4X4
Famous Four

The RR Sport seems to have the same mounting kits as the D3 and they're much cheaper (but without the winch). 

Last edited by Budgie on 22nd Apr 2013 6:14pm. Edited 1 time in total

Depends on what sort of off-road ability you mean - a pre-facelift L322 (i.e. BMW-engined) could theoretically be at a disadvantage as it can't fully lock the centre diff.

Thanks for replies, sorry didn't make myself clear, I use a 3t twin Axle trailer.

As I don't do many miles with it I wasn't worried about converting to LPG, don't they all suffer from valve sat regression on gas?

Mpg of a SC worries me a little....

Not with flash lube setup right

If you want a winch tray I have one in my garage gathering dust I could part with that just needs 2 bolts but has the original hand book and cut out stuff for the bumper as well.

You won't find a discreet one for the ff, there's barely even been 100 sold for the ff.

Be aware the sc and tdv8 apparently require a little mod to the winch tray to fit.

If your going that far the underbody protection could be worth it  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

I always thought the Sport didn't quite have the articulation of the other two due to the tighter, 'sportier' ride. However, I have recently seen a few do some pretty amazing off roading. The Sport is quite heavy, so that might be an issue on very soft ground (but I guess the FFRR and D3 won't blow away in the wind either ).

Really, I think off road that the deciding factor will be the driver's skill. Other considerations, if you need to take 6 mates along, get a D3. Here at least, RRS and FFRR used prices are about the same, so why not go the the FFRR.

Video showing HOW good the Sport is offroad



People comment on that video being fake, the camera is on an angle but there are PLENTY of other independent videos showing different cars going up that exact slope to confirm its true

Amazing really.