Jeep Wrangler Rubicon versus Land Rover Defender | 4xOverland

Not being an owner but a lover of the Defender and a "knower" of nothing to do with "off-roading" I enjoyed this immensely.
I loved the fact that the reviewer, an expert in his own right is not a know-it-all and does ask for help where he feels he might not do justice to the review. In terms of balance I felt it was quite fair e.g. leaving out the Jeep's more advance suspension features to better approximate and even out the comparison to that of the older Defender. Lastly, I find it fascinating that at changeover to the owner drivers that one can pick up that they prefer brute force over patient thought out, line-picking negotiation over terrain.
Good work!

PS: I don't think this review was to convince anyone that one religion is better that the other. No one is being converted here, relax guys ;)

As of 2023 I have realised that I will never become able to afford a defender and it's sad.

Andrew you left out a very important point with the Landrover, when you slammed the door in your discussion of the door you did what all Landrover owners do and check that it was closed. That is something that all owners do automatically. I must admit that for 40 years I was a Landrover fan and then i went to the dark side and I bought a Jeep. I am sorry but I don't think I will ever go back. The Jeep is so more comfortable and when driving on highway speeds I can actually hear my radio which I was never able to do in my Landrover. I still miss my Landrover some times but have been thourelly spoilt with the Jeep. 😂

There is something romantic about the old defender in Africa.

You know very well which is better , the jeep , why , because of its ability to be modified into various configurations. Besides the defenders were designed originally from the Willie's jeep . And it's why the defender no longer exists.

Y’all should do a modern remake

I think it would have been helpful to use the disconnecting sway bar on the front axle on the Jeep. Or at least mentioning it. Provides way more axle travel. Which makes going up terrain that much better in the rubi

Love the channel. But I’ve got to say you should have engaged both diff locks on the rubicon on the hill climb. Its not about keeping it fair. It’s about seeing which one is better (Offroad). With lockers the rubicon is clearly better. So let the Jeep go up with all its features and let the rover go up with all its features. And see which one is better. Keep the vids coming.

Great video! Very informative!

Well both jeeps are good, however id say u cant compare the two period in terms of ergonomics and placement of features. They were built in different eras... however in terms of 4x4 features n quirks yes. The rubicon n the rover are similar in terms of the offroad capabilities...

Fantastic!! Thanks Andrew this was a great comparison

2024 Rubicon 5200lb no longer 3500lb towing. Even larger axles, diffs and 100:1 crawl ratio, over 400 miles per fuel tank, full lockers, abs TC, Factory sway bars disconnects. Still wider than new and old Defenfer. Now it's COMPLETELY better. Why can't Land Rover SPEND LESS MONEY and make a BETTER PRODUCT? Who the hell knows hahahahaha It's what I call British overthinking/ subtle smugness. Off road only company making lesser off road luxury vehicles that are less reliable and capable. It's like they're designed by non off road people. What they are capable of people run with and act as if it's better than Jeep simply because it does have capabilites at all. The Jeep guys watch and think "oh ok we can do that too.... easier and with LESS TECHNOLOGY " Land Rover is a joke. I only like my Disco2 because it was cheap and as I mod it to be better I'm accidentally doing things to make it more like a Jeep. I just can't cross the line and own a Jeep yet because everyone and their brother has one here.

I like the newer video where he drives a black Rubicon in the sand dunes and finally admits it is the best off road vehicle in production

This is by far, the best comparison video I have seen so far … nice job sir … 👍
Greetings from Germany everybody 👋

Awesome content as always.Thanks for sharing and taking us along

" didn't know what to expect" really? Come on just read the stats of the Jeep look underneath it and look at the defender you know exactly what to expect. Factory lockers, wider, lower center of gravity, Factory sway bar disconnect. The Jeep would obviously be better you don't need to try it out you can just know what it comes with. Sad thing is the newer Land Rovers are even further from this even though they can do cool stuff with all that independent suspension air stuff but all it does is make for more Comfort not more abilities. It's easy that the Jeep is better because jeep has stayed true and didn't sway off into the Super luxurious high-tech always trying to come up with something better if it's not broken don't fix it so it disconnects straight axles front-rear lockers how could you beat that? Not sure if you guys even disconnected to sway bars with the interior button. I would love to own a Rubicon on a new Defender body basically because that's what Land Rover should have done. I like Land Rover but unfortunately a new Rubicon and a new Defender off-road Rubicon is still better the defender just looks cool and just lots wheel lifting. Really digging deep to make the defender better at something LOL it sure is nostalgic! Or you could carry extra cans of fuel in the Jeep but only have two adults and not need extra springs. Getting the defender stuck is more likely than taking the Jeep somewhere and not having enough fuel or payload

Thanks for the great and quality video. Cheers and be safe!

You forgot the LSD in the Jeep. Limited slip is there without lockers.

Forget about this ... having tested defender and wranglers in real life... nothing matches the defender in difficult situations.
I put you alone in the immense Sahara desert with a choice : defender or wrangler. Fact is that If you choose the latter, you're screwed.

Andrew, that was a extremely fair test especially as you admit your biased to LR. (I laughed when you said the vehicle is lonely) Being American im biased towards the Jeep. But I’ve driven jeeps and know they are not for driving the road long distances or short distances. But if I want to do the most difficult obstacles off road the jeep is the solution. How many rock climbing LRs do you see? Anyway, if I want to travel long distances off road 700-800 miles, then the longer wheelbase LR is the choice. I love them both, but the Jeep is a specialized vehicle, image a Pitt bull, in dog fighting. Compared to a Labrador, an everyday everybody vehicle.

Defender is the Best

The extreme difference in price is a huge factor. The Jeep cost much less than a defender

the Wrangler has modified arches and bumper, most likely suspension too

I wouldn't turn down either of those vehicles. I'll stick with my 2022 Jeep Gladiator Overland Rocky Ridge build personally. As long as there is really good off-road capability...what's not to like? The brand is what it is, the experience is what it's all about. Just my two cents. Great video. My respect to the gents across the pond.

Keep the beard! The look is more "off-roady"!

Jeep Wrangler still the Champion!

Jeep Gladiator Rubicon with a bed cap. It’s a stretched Wrangler with tons of storage space. Upgrade the suspension for greater payload and you’re done for the same price you’d pay to upgrade the suspension on a Wrangler Rubicon. With the Defender you have to add lockers and a disconnecting sway bar to get the same performance.

“SUV noun
\ ˌes-(ˌ)yü-ˈvē \
plural SUVs
Definition of SUV
: a rugged automotive vehicle similar to a station wagon but built on a light-truck chassis : SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE”

I think your definition is too narrow.

Long range fuel tanks are available for the Jeep

I really enjoyed this video! I live in the Fraser Valley between mountain ranges on the west coast of Canada. In my area we don't see much if any in the way of Land Rovers on the mountains and in the river valleys. I run a 2008 Jeep Wrangler unlimited Sahara as my daily driver and bush basher.
Seeing this video has me questioning my choice of a newer Jeep Wrangler unlimited as a replacement for my aging Jeep for overlanding and bush basher. I must try a land rover defender.

Defender without traction control can avoid spinning diagonals and maintain traction by using left-foot-braking. Possibly a lower gear than usual may be needed to make sure that you can keep it in the maximum torque band even with some braking applied. When traction is lost because of spinning diagonals, gently apply the footbrake with the left foot while applying more throttle to compensate. Most drivers find applying the footbrake with the left foot quite problematic and the application can end up quite rough and abrupt which is not helpful. For this reason it is a good idea to practise braking with the left foot before this method is required. If applied correctly, the vehicle leaps up over terrain that otherwise would bring it to a complete halt. Practise, practise, practise!

I miss the Old Defender :( The new one is just a random SUV with alot of bulky plastic over it!

Landrover, the most unreliable, rust bucket, poor metallurgy, gutless shithouse engine and gearbox junk trucks ever made! Yet I love them to death!

The keep is the better off road ready vehicle, the Land Rover is a better overland vehicle is what I take from this

You are very bias towards the Defender. You include options the Defender has and choose not to include the Jeep options the Defender doesn’t. The Fact the Rubicon has locking differentials is the reason it is so much better than the Defender off road. You are embarrassing yourself.

Can you do new video? Defender vs Jeep vs Land Crusier?

I don’t understand what all these jeep guys are crying about. He literally said the Jeep was better off-road, lockers or not. Considerably better. That means A LOT BETTER guys in case you don’t understand lol. All he’s saying is that the land rover is a better overland vehicle, which is true just looking at the specs. And I’m a jeep guy lol. It isn’t even what the jeep is trying to be. Land Rover is better at overlanding and jeep is better at off-roading, that’s what they were made for. Done.

Land rover owners=nice fellows
Jeep owners=self entitled assholes

👍💕💕💕💕 landrover 👍

As a landie owner i can say the jeep is objectively better as a utility vehicle but you want charm, character and something to build into your own the defender is it

I have a 2013 JK Sport S 2 Door with 31 inch BFG KO2 and man does this machine get through a lot of snow in northern Ontario Canada

Land Rover is better than a jeep

I quit watching when he started whining about the subwoofer. Some serious fuddy duddy bullshit. haha

I agree with what you about payload, but that's the only area the Jeep loses. The Jeep Rubicon is really a off road design and for what it was designed to do, it's the clear winner and if you used all it's abilities there is no comparison. It can't be that bad on the road surely for a defender to be a better drive.

What a thorough review! Thanks!

I love them both. I owned 5 wranglers and this 2021 Jl rubi has 648kg payload. For 2 people overlanding is enough. 3.6 etorque with zf8 works amazing. I have 2x20L outside fuel tanks. Factory fuel tank is 81L . Again, for overlanding land rover, land cruiser is way better choice. I am not big fan of Independent suspension for off road, but we did pronounced off roading overlanding in Western Canada with our previous Grand cherokee 3.6 petrol quadra trac 2, payload 911kg and fuel tank is 93 L capacity.

British versus American

2nd low is more correct in the landy

You have to take off the stab on landy.
.

A Diesel Mercedes GWagen would be interesting here.