How important is fuel economy to you?

[Tazzieman]

I'm averaging 18 MPG (sorry ROW not sure conversion liters/100klm) mostly city some highway and am pleasantly surprised, who knew? But then like many, mileage did not factor into my decision.

13.06L/100km

 

[and1939]

My Hummer h2 and H1 used to get 10mpg and my 2023 jeep wrangler get 15mpg as does my 2023 Bronco. You don't buy a vehicle like this for fuel economy. The Grenadier is more refined than all of then and just if not more capable as well just as efficient as anything in its class

 

[lightning]

15mpg? The Wrangler was my second choice, glad l didn't pull the trigger at that mileage.

The diesel Wrangler gets better mileage but it's been discontinued in the U.K.

l ended up with a new Defender Hard Top as l needed a "Commercial" vehicle, otherwise it would have been a Grenadier diesel.

The Defender can achieve 40mpg on the highway and around 25mpg in city driving.
Towing our caravan l can get 25mpg but it weighs only 1,100kg.

The Defender is a 3.0 diesel with 250bhp. l know the diesel isn't available in the USA. lt has the same transmission as the Grenadier. ZF 8 speed.

One of my customers has changed his old Defender for a Grenadier and it looks fabulous, there's a few around here now, l've seen three this week.

 

[Cheshire cat]

15mpg? The Wrangler was my second choice, glad l didn't pull the trigger at that mileage.

The diesel Wrangler gets better mileage but it's been discontinued in the U.K.

l ended up with a new Defender Hard Top as l needed a "Commercial" vehicle, otherwise it would have been a Grenadier diesel.

The Defender can achieve 40mpg on the highway and around 25mpg in city driving.
Towing our caravan l can get 25mpg but it weighs only 1,100kg.

The Defender is a 3.0 diesel with 250bhp. l know the diesel isn't available in the USA. lt has the same transmission as the Grenadier. ZF 8 speed.

One of my customers has changed his old Defender for a Grenadier and it looks fabulous, there's a few around here now, l've seen three this week.

Hi Lightning
What would you say was your 'real world' mpg in the Defender?

 

[JohnHeagney]

If that is what the onboard computer is reporting, it is likely quite optimistic.
Real mpg is lower than the computer shows.

At 12,611 miles and 51 tank fills, the computer is out by an average of 4.6% - reading optimistically (better) than reality!

 

[zvakanaka]

At 12,611 miles and 51 tank fills, the computer is out by an average of 4.6% - reading optimistically (better) than reality!

Ahh that's very possible John. I've also noticed that the range to empty changes erratically and quickly with it all of a sudden indicating "FILL UP NOW" when shortly beforehand it had indicated I had 100+ miles left? Is it possible the OBC is monitoring and logging driving style, traction, temperatures along with average speed etc. and calculating a new average over time which would presumably be different for each driver and would then eventually change the miles to empty indicator based on that long term data average? Anybody?

 

[lightning]

Hi Lightning
What would you say was your 'real world' mpg in the Defender?

25mpg
That's U.K. gallons of course.
90% of my driving is local journeys between customers. Fortunately the engine is generally still warm after each visit so it's probably not as bad as it could be.

lf l drive really carefully and in "ECO" mode l can get 28mpg, l've tried to get 30 but l just can't. On a day with a couple of longer trips l can manage it though.

 

[Tom109]

Calculated MPG.

 

[Lord Ripon USA]

Exactly the same as mine!

John, I was in Helmsley for a few weeks end of last summer. Was that your Grenadier I saw in the market square? I got to drinking with some lads from Riveaulx and I forgot to make contact with the vehicles owner.

 

[Coullabus]

Hi Lightning
What would you say was your 'real world' mpg in the Defender?

25mpg
That's U.K. gallons of course.
90% of my driving is local journeys between customers. Fortunately the engine is generally still warm after each visit so it's probably not as bad as it could be.

lf l drive really carefully and in "ECO" mode l can get 28mpg, l've tried to get 30 but l just can't. On a day with a couple of longer trips l can manage it though.

Petrol Grenadier: 19.5/20 mpg. (UK ‘imperial’ gallons!) on local journeys. 20 miles max.

 

[JohnHeagney]

Ahh that's very possible John. I've also noticed that the range to empty changes erratically and quickly with it all of a sudden indicating "FILL UP NOW" when shortly beforehand it had indicated I had 100+ miles left? Is it possible the OBC is monitoring and logging driving style, traction, temperatures along with average speed etc. and calculating a new average over time which would presumably be different for each driver and would then eventually change the miles to empty indicator based on that long term data average? Anybody?

I haven’t noticed the same, have you petrol or diesel?

 

[Cheshire cat]

Hi Lightning
What would you say was your 'real world' mpg in the Defender?

25mpg
That's U.K. gallons of course.
90% of my driving is local journeys between customers. Fortunately the engine is generally still warm after each visit so it's probably not as bad as it could be.

lf l drive really carefully and in "ECO" mode l can get 28mpg, l've tried to get 30 but l just can't. On a day with a couple of longer trips l can manage it though.

Hi Lightening
That seems pretty similar to what I am managing in my Grenadier. Very slightly less for me (around 23 mpg for local driving), with my best mileage just below 28 Mpg. My old Defender Td5 manages very similar also.

 

[lightning]

Hi Lightening
That seems pretty similar to what I am managing in my Grenadier. Very slightly less for me (around 23 mpg for local driving), with my best mileage just below 28 Mpg. My old Defender Td5 manages very similar also.

Yes my Defender TD5 110 managed around 25mpg overall.
However the old one was no better on a long run, still around 25mpg where the new one can achieve 40mpg.

l guess that's forty years of progress for you!
l spend half the time wishing l hadn't sold my old Defender to buy the new one, but if the guy who has it now came round and wanted to swap, l wouldn't do it.
Which is pretty bizarre. I've had the offer of two lovely Defender TD5 110 XS Station Wagons, both better than my old one, in terms of much lower mileage and the XS specification, but certainly at the moment l am staying with my new Defender.

The new one is truly awesome, and mine is the base specification D250 Commercial version.

l actually prefer the look of the new Defender with no bling and the steel wheels.

 

[Pat]

Now at 17k km my diesel consumption is going down. When going to the mountains (no highways) my average consumption is around 10L/100km - measured after filling up. On highways consumption (staying below 120km/h) is now around 11L/100km initially it was at 12.5L/100km.
Of course the 6.9L/100km are achievable only downhill - my Mercedes though took just 3.5L/100km Diesel on the same route downhill.

 

[Cheshire cat]

Yes my Defender TD5 110 managed around 25mpg overall.
However the old one was no better on a long run, still around 25mpg where the new one can achieve 40mpg.

l guess that's forty years of progress for you!
l spend half the time wishing l hadn't sold my old Defender to buy the new one, but if the guy who has it now came round and wanted to swap, l wouldn't do it.
Which is pretty bizarre. I've had the offer of two lovely Defender TD5 110 XS Station Wagons, both better than my old one, in terms of much lower mileage and the XS specification, but certainly at the moment l am staying with my new Defender.

The new one is truly awesome, and mine is the base specification D250 Commercial version.

l actually prefer the look of the new Defender with no bling and the steel wheels.

View attachment 7844559

I'm with you on keeping to a pure design. Blinged up Defenders don't do it for me.
As for not swapping back to the old Defender. Since getting my Grenadier around ten months ago. I have not since driven my Defender and not really that enthusiastic in doing so. Hopefully, sell it this year and recoup some of the purchase price on the Grenadier.

 

[lightning]

l do love the Grenadier. lf there was a "Commercial" version l would have bought one.
As it is, my Defender Commercial has effectively cost me around £40,000 after the tax rebate from putting it through my business.

l may be changing it for the 110 version for the extra load space. But only if the figures add up.

 

[Cheshire cat]

l do love the Grenadier. lf there was a "Commercial" version l would have bought one.
As it is, my Defender Commercial has effectively cost me around £40,000 after the tax rebate from putting it through my business.

l may be changing it for the 110 version for the extra load space. But only if the figures add up.

Never heard of anyone not liking the new Defender. The Grenadier is more focused on its overlanding abilities I would say. The Defender, most likely the better road vehicle by far.

 

[lightning]

Out of interest
What model of old Defender do you own?

 

[Cheshire cat]

Out of interest
What model of old Defender do you own?

My Defender is a 2002 Td5 SWB County in black. Owned it for 20 years and it has been faultless in its 120,000 miles. I do now need to change the wiring loom (2nd time in 15 years), from rocker cover to ECU as oil migrates and contaminates the ECU. Will do that before selling, as well as full service and check. Don't want to sell anyone a bad vehicle.

 

[lightning]

ls it a 15p with the updated dash? HT or genuine SW?
l may be interested depending on the price and condition.

The injector harness is almost a service item. Although there's now a modified one available that solves the oil migration problem.