If you had a choice to use primarily as an off roader which one would you choose. It would seem the choice has me in a bit of a quagmire. Giggity.
RRC or D1
- Thread starter Devildog01
- Start date
Although neither truck is perfect in my opinion, I would choose RRC with LT230 as my preferred Rover between the two. On the trails I drive in the Cascades I frequently encounter trees that have fallen partway across the trail. Having a truck with a shorter roofline makes it easier to sneak under these, but I've also driven with guys who use their SD racks as tree sliders.
Having owned and driven both a RRC and D1 offroad, here's my take on pros and cons relative to each other. Not an exhaustive list by any means, just things that stick out in my mind.
D1 pros:
RRC pros:
RRC cons:
Having owned and driven both a RRC and D1 offroad, here's my take on pros and cons relative to each other. Not an exhaustive list by any means, just things that stick out in my mind.
D1 pros:
- more interior storage space in the cargo area
- LT230
- heated seats in cold weather
- GEMS
- steering wheel radius
- GEMS
- top of windshield is too low to give tall drivers good visibility
RRC pros:
- steering wheel is perfect
- better visibility from driving position
- comfier seats
- sitting on the rear tailgate/getting stuff in & out of the cargo area is easier
- analog dash clock
- stock brakes feel like they have more power than stock D1 brakes
RRC cons:
- smaller storage volume in cargo area
- fragile Lucas Prince of Darkness electrical system
- climate controls designed by the same people who built Stonehenge. The switches must have some meaning but nobody can figure out what.
I think I would go with a 99 disco 1. There was a time period when everything on a Jag or Land Rover would rust into one solid chunk of metal.I think all the Classics fall into that era . Also I wont own a Land Rover with CUX . GEMS is the way to go . I know the Classics are cool and they drive great when all is working right,but I hate them.
For a trail truck I'd go D1 simply for spare parts availability. Bust a turn signal? No problem, grab a new one off Amazon for $20. D1's are still plentiful in the junkyards, too.
If I could guarantee the trails I'd run are easy and wide open and I wouldn't sustain any damage then I'd go RRC because they look badass.
If I could guarantee the trails I'd run are easy and wide open and I wouldn't sustain any damage then I'd go RRC because they look badass.
Nick,
My wife nearly fried one of my Classics because of inadvertently poking into the seat heater button trying to open a window. So heated seats on something pushing 20 years is a mixed blessing.
Brakes on late Classics rock - when they work, and become a bitch when they don't. Over the years, I replaced a bunch of pumps, accumulators, pressure switches, etc. - and just one master cylinder on a D1.
Top of the windshield is the same between two trucks - worse on a Classic because seat bottoms are taller.
Steering wheel... having 95 Classics and 96 Discos, I'd say they are the same part number.
EFI - is it just my observation that broken catalytic converters are more frequent on Classics than on GEMS D1s? 14CUX seems more tolerant of sub-par engine operation than GEMS, which can be interpreted as "robustness" ... I guess...
I'd take a GEMS D1 over a Classic as a trail truck. Late trucks are slightly better built than early ones.
In the city driving, though, a SWB is a beautiful thing. And LWB beats both on the long freeway stretches, without or with a trailer.
Mike - I like the 80, but the prices of good and lightly used trucks are approaching _the other_ make and model
My wife nearly fried one of my Classics because of inadvertently poking into the seat heater button trying to open a window. So heated seats on something pushing 20 years is a mixed blessing.
Brakes on late Classics rock - when they work, and become a bitch when they don't. Over the years, I replaced a bunch of pumps, accumulators, pressure switches, etc. - and just one master cylinder on a D1.
Top of the windshield is the same between two trucks - worse on a Classic because seat bottoms are taller.
Steering wheel... having 95 Classics and 96 Discos, I'd say they are the same part number.
EFI - is it just my observation that broken catalytic converters are more frequent on Classics than on GEMS D1s? 14CUX seems more tolerant of sub-par engine operation than GEMS, which can be interpreted as "robustness" ... I guess...
I'd take a GEMS D1 over a Classic as a trail truck. Late trucks are slightly better built than early ones.
In the city driving, though, a SWB is a beautiful thing. And LWB beats both on the long freeway stretches, without or with a trailer.
Mike - I like the 80, but the prices of good and lightly used trucks are approaching _the other_ make and model
I'm not there yet but I understand . Good examples are getting harder and harder to find in old Rovers . What about the new FJ's? I see some of those that I like.
I would go with a DI for a trail truck. Solid RRC are getting pricey and if you're going to beat it up on the trail there is no point in paying 2-3x as much for the same functionality.
Rear locker, 2wd, 4wd,4wd locked and 4 low. Heated seats, leather, and reliable.
Plus it won the Dakar like 11 years in a row, and 1/4 the cost of an 80, and bigger cv's too.
Plus it won the Dakar like 11 years in a row, and 1/4 the cost of an 80, and bigger cv's too.
Attachments
Last edited:
This. So much. I looked around for a 2nd gen SR and could not find one anywhere east of the mississippi that wasn't a 250k rotbox. Unfortunately these trucks are probably heading to the junkyard faster than D1s are.
Less stuff to go wrong. And no emissions BS to worry about.
Last edited: