Country Classic Cars - Vehicle Details

Whilst the Defender name first became associated with the Land Rover family in 1990 it was another eight years before the first TD5 engines arrived; this power train once mated to the ‘double cab’ pick-up would see a new addition to the legendary Land Rover range into the new millennium. This 2002 example is being offered by Country Classic Cars in Midhurst on behalf of a regular client, it has covered 125,562 and has three former owners. It also offers bespoke features courtesy of Land Rovers Special Vehicles Operations. As explained in Evo magazine … ‘’You may have seen the SVO (Special Vehicle Operations) badge affixed to variants that top certain Land Rovers, but what does that little round insignia actually represent? Well, the SVO brand does exactly what it says on the tin; it engineers and develop JLR’s more specialised vehicles, versions that sit outside of the mainstream ranges, whether they be luxury or performance focused.’’ In the case of this Defender that includes air system with compressor for heavy trailer hauling complimented by uprated chassis and suspension to cope with the extra weight; Special Vehicles plaques are located at the base of both front wings.

Country Classic Cars look to offer an honest and precise appraisal of every vehicle we offer for sale, this avoids buyer disappointment, often the result of a lack of detail within sales adverts. Feel free to contact us for additional information or supply your email address for a walk-round video; we will forward the file via ‘We Transfer’ a free to use and safe service. Country Classic Cars operate by appointment only and within current Government guidelines. Inspection most welcome but please bear the current situation in mind, especially with regards to test drives.

Finished in gloss black the exterior presents very well with chequer plate adorning tops of front wings, sill protection and side steps. The extended wheel arches are painted to body colour and fit well with no evidence of damage. Close inspection of the body work offers a tiny dent on the o/s front door and a small chip to the rear door, there is also a ‘supermarket’ dent to the n/s rear door. Paint chips around the top of the loading area of the pick-up bed were noted plus small scratches to the roof gutting in the same area; all would be improved with a touch-up pen.  Finally, the n/s front wing has been caught on the forward edge, but it hasn’t cracked the paint. Both rear door shuts feature rust spots that include tiny holes where the window frame joins the door panel, a common fault with Defender’s due to water ingress; an easy fix that any new owner should consider asap. The pick-up bed has been used and shows typical wear although we consider this area has not suffered abuse or damage whilst 16-inch deep dish alloys show the odd blemish and are clothed in Goodrich All-Terrain rubber (front) and General Grabber AT2 (rear) with a good spare currently fixed to the cab.

Interior trim is basic and hard wearing, finished in light grey throughout. The carpets have benefitted from factory rubber over mats which offered protection resulting in little wear or marks. The seat covers are also undamaged but the drivers back foam has failed on the inside and will require replacing. Front electric windows, switch gear and remote central locking operated correctly when tested and in car entertainment comes courtesy of a CD/radio/MP3 unit. Door panels are in good order as is the roof lining and overall, it would not take much effort to return this Land Rover interior to near showroom standard.

On the road the TD5 proves a noticeable improvement of the previous TDi Land Rover engine and with the addition of a recent new turbo this Defender does offer impressive performance. It’s still a large off-road vehicle so feels happier at lower motorway speeds which also benefits the occupants with a quieter ride; the only issue of note was an occasional rattle from the rear window area. Surprisingly agile around town, plenty of low range torque to enjoy with a slick five speed gearbox plus a lighter than expected clutch that bites at half travel. The steering in this Defender is assisted and free from play, it goes where you point it, a vast improvement over the older versions whilst the brakes proved positive, stopping a lot of metal with minimal fuss. The off-road capabilities of the Defender are well documented and once happy the high-low ranges selected correctly, we stuck to the tarmac.

MOT history from 2005 confirms the mileage travelled for this ‘double-cab’ originally supplied by Trinity Motors of Hinkley; a current MOT was passed 25th August 2020 with no advisories. The dealer pack contains the original book pack with service stamps, although the history is not full a stack of papers includes invoices for work carried out that was not entered into the service book. More recently the brakes were overhauled in November 2017 and included servo, discs and pads then a year later the ECU was replaced and up to date with a service carried out under 1k miles ago plus the new turbo and a fresh starter motor have been fitted within the past month. The current MOT was passed 25th August 2020 with no advisories.