MOVE OVER DEFENDER

WHEN you think of a base vechicle to use for regular off-roading, our in-built compasses point to one vehicle: the Defender. Produced for decades, easy to work on at home, and with famous images of cars in the jungle ever present in our minds, it makes a strong – and obvious – case. But, it isn’t without a few caveats.

Never before has the Defender been more popular. Because of that, you will pay more than ever for a Defender, of any age or condition. When you do secure one, it is likely to need structural repair at the minimum, but more likely, a restoration and re-chassis before you can justify beginning the off-road modifications. The outcome is you’ve made a significant outlay in addition to paying a premium for a Defender. But there’s another way to go about it, which, actually, may be a better choice in almost every respect.

I’m talking of course about the Discovery 2. Think about the full picture and the humble Disco 2 has