Land Rover Defender Td5 1998 - 2007
SITE MAP	The Land Rover Defender Td5 was a direct replacement for the successful Defender 300Tdi.  Whilst some say that the Td5 was a poor substitute because of its over complexity for such a car, it still retained the classic Defender style and look with few apparent external differences. The Land Rover Td5 was necessary because of ever toughening pollution legislation criteria as laid down by the EU Commission, which all car manufacturers who sell cars within Europe have to adhere to, Land Rover also had to comply to as far as emissions were concerned. This meant that in 1998 the 300 Tdi engine as previously fitted in the Defender and other Land Rover models, needed a worthy replacement.  Land Rover opted for the cleaner BMW approved 5 cylinder Td5 engine which was designed and built by Land Rover themselves at Solihul. This was just for European specification vehicles though.  The Defender 300Tdi continued to be sold in an export version  for Africa and other non compliant countries.  Land Rover still produced a military version of the Defender, amongst which was the Wolf. Interestingly  the British Army did not adopt the TD5 for battle vehicles for the reason that it could not be provided with a 24volt electrical system.  They did however use them in their non front line vehicles.  The Police, Coast Guard, Mountain Rescue, various Ambulance Service Trusts and St John’s have all used TD5 engined Defenders and Discovery vehicles without problem.   Land Rover Defender Video Page Whilst a super smooth and torquey engine, the Td5 was somewhat compromised by its comparative complexity when compared with the 300Tdi, particularily with electronics. Whereas the 300Tdi had been a more or less a mechanical operated engine, only the last of these being fitted with limited electronics so that it could comply with current pollution regulations, the Td5 was the complete opposite.  With so much electronics it was never suited to the rugged go anywhere Defender. There were so many reports of the Defender Td5 breaking down, unfortunately far from home.  This was often for some relatively small problem, normally associated with the vehicle’s electrics.  A laptop computer is required with the relevant software so diagnosis can be made to rectify faults.  Not much use if you were in the middle of the Sahara or some other really remote place.  Whilst the engine faired well in a regular never taken off the road car, once installed in a Defender, it became too unreliable. As a Land Rover dealer, if someone wanted a Defender it was always the 300Tdi first choice, simply because of their user friendliness, followed by a 200Tdi.  As far as my customers were concerned the Defender Td5 was a no go. The already tried and trusted R380 gearbox as installed in the earlier Defender 300Tdi was the natural choice by Land Rover for the Defender Td5.  To enable it to fit to the Td5 engine, the bellhousing was lengthened together with the input shaft.