Troopy vs. Land rover defender 110 tdi?

[theglobb]

A sequoia is the smart choice lol. Cheap, cheap parts, run forever, tons of room and decent power. @theglobb P4L and his friends stopped by on their cross country trip and they had a sequoia and I believe the general consensus was it’s a cheap beast that performed quite well.

I mean, they are boring and you definitely don’t have the cool factor of an old rig at all. But cheap, reliable, comfy, 75” sleeping room in the back, easy 80mph in comfort and a/c. As long as you aren’t wheeling the snot out of it.

I’ve got a 2006 tundra 4 door, (basically same thing as sequoia without 3rd row or covered rear. Fantastic truck. I thought about building it up before I got my cruiser again.


In the end it’s about getting out and enjoying the outdoors ( well some people just love the build) but a sequoia would be a really cheap good way to do it.

Yea... as much as I didn't want to take a car across the country that wasn't my troopy the sequoia was probably the best alternative to have ended up with. Especially with such short notice after my engine blew 2 days before the trip. It did great! Got around the same MPG as the troopy with a 3B would have got. Oh and we could go 75mph instead of being limited to 65! Were the photos as cool? No. There is undeniably just something way different about driving a vintage car on a road trip vs a more modern car, the trip just has more character just like the car. Regardless it was a great trip, still had a great time, AND WE HAD A/C!!!

 

[robmobile73]

Yea... as much as I didn't want to take a car across the country that wasn't my troopy the sequoia was probably the best alternative to have ended up with. Especially with such short notice after my engine blew 2 days before the trip. It did great! Got around the same MPG as the troopy with a 3B would have got. Oh and we could go 75mph instead of being limited to 65! Were the photos as cool? No. There is undeniably just something way different about driving a vintage car on a road trip vs a more modern car, the trip just has more character just like the car. Regardless it was a great trip, still had a great time, AND WE HAD A/C!!!

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Great pictures man! It's kind of nostalgic with the hair and the beards you guys look just like guys from the beach in 1977..........I've had my fun with the BJ73. I enjoy the people I meet and the conversations I have because of it. I actually met a friend of yours at Carolina beach who owns a 100 series. Struck up a conversation about the BJ73 while he was filling up my propane tank. He told me you guys had taken a sequoia on your trip........The sequoia would be a good functional 4wd for touring and camping with the family (and the prices are right) more so than the BJ73.
The MPG is a point of debate when it comes to diesels. A more aerodynamic smaller tired vehicle with a slightly smaller direct injected diesel will get great MPG. Driving 2wd diesel trucks in asia I routinely would get over 30mpg. I honestly expected to get mid to high 20's with the BJ73 but in reality it is around 20 with a low of 16 and a high of 23. When you figure in the 25-30% cost premium of diesel my v8 tundra is actually cheaper on fuel. I"m guessing a 4wd sequoia would get 2-3mpg less than my tundra?
I think what I'm going to do is to convert my 03' tundra(my late fathers. Sentimental value) to 4wd. Evidently a FJ cruiser Tcase with manual shifters will bolt up to the tundra 4wd tranny so you don't have to deal with the switchs/lights/wiring etc. for theTcase and the front diff actuator is fairly simple. then 4wd spindles, half shafts, diff, and a spacer for the front driveshaft. Prepare the bj73 for sale and when it's gone I'll decide what I'm going to do. Maybe a defender? Maybe something else?

 

[FJBen]

Great pictures man! It's kind of nostalgic with the hair and the beards you guys look just like guys from the beach in 1977..........I've had my fun with the BJ73. I enjoy the people I meet and the conversations I have because of it. I actually met a friend of yours at Carolina beach who owns a 100 series. Struck up a conversation about the BJ73 while he was filling up my propane tank. He told me you guys had taken a sequoia on your trip........The sequoia would be a good functional 4wd for touring and camping with the family (and the prices are right) more so than the BJ73.
The MPG is a point of debate when it comes to diesels. A more aerodynamic smaller tired vehicle with a slightly smaller direct injected diesel will get great MPG. Driving 2wd diesel trucks in asia I routinely would get over 30mpg. I honestly expected to get mid to high 20's with the BJ73 but in reality it is around 20 with a low of 16 and a high of 23. When you figure in the 25-30% cost premium of diesel my v8 tundra is actually cheaper on fuel. I"m guessing a 4wd sequoia would get 2-3mpg less than my tundra?
I think what I'm going to do is to convert my 03' tundra(my late fathers. Sentimental value) to 4wd. Evidently a FJ cruiser Tcase with manual shifters will bolt up to the tundra 4wd tranny so you don't have to deal with the switchs/lights/wiring etc. for theTcase and the front diff actuator is fairly simple. then 4wd spindles, half shafts, diff, and a spacer for the front driveshaft. Prepare the bj73 for sale and when it's gone I'll decide what I'm going to do. Maybe a defender? Maybe something else?

Yeah my BJ74 has averaged 20mpg over 85 full refills, 15 partial over 54,000kms…mostly highway miles. Best highway so far was almost 24mpg. I’m betting with a light foot, my upgraded turbo and some good highway I could pull 25/26. That’s Probabaly the best it will get I’m im ok with that. There is pretty much nothing like it around me or even available to buy. One of the most enjoyable vehicles I’ve ever owned.

My 4x4 tundra averaged around 14ish. Best ever was 17. It’s a great truck (minus recent headgasket issues) but it’s boring as all get out.

What less boring is getting out whatever vehicle you are in. If you are done with the bj73, should be able to get some cash to build the next rig.

 

[robmobile73]

Yeah my BJ74 has averaged 20mpg over 85 full refills, 15 partial over 54,000kms…mostly highway miles. Best highway so far was almost 24mpg. I’m betting with a light foot, my upgraded turbo and some good highway I could pull 25/26. That’s Probabaly the best it will get I’m im ok with that. There is pretty much nothing like it around me or even available to buy. One of the most enjoyable vehicles I’ve ever owned.

My 4x4 tundra averaged around 14ish. Best ever was 17. It’s a great truck (minus recent headgasket issues) but it’s boring as all get out.

What less boring is getting out whatever vehicle you are in. If you are done with the bj73, should be able to get some cash to build the next rig.

I'm thinking I won't lose money when I sell it. Saw a sequoia today for I think $8500 that only had 139K and had a totally new chassis and control arms as part of a rust recall that toyota did on some early 2000's vehicles that had a problem with frame rust due to defective frame coatings.

my BJ 73 was a little "prettier" when I bought it as it had less than a year on a decent paint job over straight bodywork(bondo). It is mechanically far better now and has the addition of lockers front and rear, OME springs, added climate control, 10K miles on a in frame rebuild, turbo, bumpers rock sliders and winch. I'm going to re repair the rust that has bubbled in the last 2 years and respray again in Olive......I think this time I'm going to pay someone to "Make it smooth" after I rust treat weld patches and initial fill. I try hard to make things work, keep things going, and I do off road my truck...I don't put so much effort in the last 5-7% to make it look perfect. That last little bit takes sooo much time and effort if you can even get it there...I'll do a little more to sell it than I normally do for myself.

 

[Whoosh]

Sooo, this topic has a huge potential (and temptation) for trolling but I'll try to keep my answer to factual facts

Form-factor:
The Troopy is longer than the Def110, it means slightly more length available inside, so longer bed or being able to have a little walking space available even when bed is made. And a little more storage space but I don't believe it's a worthy difference.
Longer also means longer wheelbase so worst turning radius, more difficult to park in cities, etc.

The Troopy has a high roof (125cm of internal height), the Def110 has a higher roof (~110cm I think) than almost all SUVs but not as much as the Troopy. This means that in both you can create a seating space in the back where you can be confortable to spend time and that (almost) no other SUVs will offer you. This for me is the real unique selling point of those 2 vehicles to build traveling/living vehicles. That being said the extra cm of the Troopy make a huge difference here, considering you want to let 85-90cm of head room to sit comfortably upright it means that your bench is at 25cm on a Def while you can push to 40cm on a Troopy (depends of how tall you are obviously) which means more storing space (and more usable for big items) under the bench and a better knee angle when seated.
That being said, if you plan a roof conversion the original roof height doesn't matter. Also if you plan a setup with no seated living space or to live on your roof (RTT...) the high roof isn't a big advantage anymore and means more difficult access to the roof and higher gravity center.
Troopy even without a roofrack is also just slightly taller than most parkings, height limit bars, etc. In Europe for a few cm it goes in the second category on toll roads, etc.

Troopy and Def110 are available in 3 doors van with flat rear. But only the Def110 is available is available in 5 doors.
5 doors is obviously a big advantage if you want to use the vehicle for some regular day to day usage but even for a traveling setup it's an advantage. 5-doors means a lot easier access to the storage (= better use of space) and also a non flat floor. Non flat floor can appears as a disadvantage to load cargo but if you are to build a setup I don't think it is, and the rear footwell allows some extra storage space, also allows to fit taller items (like a fridge) that would be higher that the bench setup otherwise.
A 5-doors Def110 could compare to a 76 but is clearly longer and with a higher roof, so actually allows setup that you can't really make in the 76..


Mechanically:
From the 90's and diesel variants, Toyota 70series heavy duty will have a big NA diesel while LR Defenders have a smaller turbo diesel (similar to light duty 70series), both producing a similar total power.

HD 70 series have a part time 4wd and leaf springs all around (before 99) while Def have an AWD transmission and coil springs.
So more rugged versus more modern / comfortable.

I would highly recommend this series of videos on the technical differences between world spec Defender and 70series:

One detail to know: I own a Troopy HZJ78 2007 and it has leafs back and coils front.
Some additional details: it has two 90 liter diesel tanks (factory, but not all Troopies have 'm) and diff locks front and back (idem). Also freewheeling hubs.
I do not own a Defender, but an Iveco Massif which is pretty comparable with a Def as far as space goes. One of the most important differences is the space occupied by the rear wheel wells. They are far less demanding in the Troopy.
Both the HZJ (with the 1HZ engine) and the Defender are notoriously underpowered - which actually is an advantage if you demand longevity over speed.
I think that the Toyota parts are more expensive than Landrover's, so that is someting to look into.
Both cars have a massive international community (as I am proving here - I am a genuine Dutchy ) and tons of how-to Youtubes.
And both are massively overpriced.
I would argue: for a reason.