Axle Articulation on a 463?

There's always been a load of bullshit being told when it comes to comparisons between the Range Rover and the G-Wagen in any of their incarnations, specially in htis country where Land-Rover products have always had an unquestioned following unknown in other parts of the world.

I believe that the first Range Rover had slightly longer wheel travel than either the 460 or the 463 series G-Wagen. The reason for longer wheel travel at the front of a RR than in the G was not than Solihull engineers were smarter than those in Stuttgart or Graz but that the G-Wagen designers chose to give the G a firm ride on the roads by fitting a front anti-roll bar which reduced wheel travel, whereas the RR has a very bouncy ride on the road as a result of lacking one of these. At the rear, the wheel travel in both cars is very similar. But this is about the only advantage that I would give the RR over the G-Wagen.

One thing that tells me that the G-Wagen must have become greatly superior to the RR is that fact that since 1994 no UK off-road magazine has dared to put these trucks on a test report face-to-face. Back in the old years, the UK media took great pleasure in comparing both cars, when only the RR had a torquey V8 engine to compare with the saloon spec 280 and 300 GE's engines. The problem is also that MB UK chose the worst possible moment to decide o discountinue importing officially the G into the country: when a torquey turbodiesel engine like that of the 350GDT was launched. For the first time in its history, there was a G-Wagen capable of beating the RR engine in terms of torque and off-road utilisation....

Now, I'd love to see a face-to-face off-road test between the latest RR and the G400 CDI LWB....

I don't know what you mean with the comment "that the MB unimog has 30 degress of axle articulation". The Unimog and the G are completely different vehicles and simply cannot be compared. The off-road abilities of the Unimog, which is short for "Universal Motorgerat", or Universal motor vehicle can, in my opinion, only be matched by those of the Steyr Pinzgauer. And this is because both vehicles sport, almost exclusively, things so brilliant for off-road driving as portal axles (with additional hum reduction), all-diff locks, etc.

Whats the point of articulation when you have diff locks, so the wheel comes of the ground sooner than the LR/RR. So what, you should have seen the faces of Tony Baskill, David needham and Howard green when I went down a hill to retreive a marker on one of our off-road challenge events. The front nearside came off the ground at least 5 ft, no problem!!!!.

Now if LR fitted bigger halfshafts, better diffs axles and diff locks as standard, we would all be driving landrovers.

Woh, strong words Jesus!
"I personally think that all LRs and RRs are a pile of s**** or else they would last longer than a few years."
(BTW how do you do the quote bit?)
However just a little flawed, isn't there something like 80% of all LR's produced over the last 50 years still on the road?
I would also like to see a straight comparison not between the new RR but with say a Defender with traction control. Now theres a discussion point traction control versis diff locks.
Don't hold out much hope of it being done in any meaningful way though. Most tester are clueless and just pander to thier own ego's.
Plus although I like these discussions/comparisons at the end of the day it's what you as an individual wants that counts.
Lets say a comparison was set up and you thought you had come up with a winner I would bet at that point some lunitic in his £200 Suzuki/Lada would go past everyone!!
Russ

Don't know how the traction control on a Defender works but the Freelanders is pretty primative.
Works by actuating the brakes on the spinning wheel. OK until all 4 have little or no traction................I guess something has to give way at that point if the driver is dumb enough to carryon with their foot planted to the floor. Cluch, drive shaft?

"Hasn't quite got the durability"...........I like the understatement.
Russ

Ah the old G-Wagen versus LR banter, always finds it way in somehow. I have had 2 landys, 2 rangies a Suzuki and a Daihatsu, a Ssannyoung Musso and four G-Wagens. I love them and appreciate the build quality. But thats not to say I would have something else.

The reason I steered from Landys was the driving postion, and the fact that LR owners always seemed to think there is'nt anything else worth having. I went to one landrover meeting, and that was my last. With regards to 80% of them still on the road, I remember listening to a bloke ranting on about how original his seris one was, what he failed to tell every one was it had a new chassis, and every body panel was new, hardly original.

Horses for courses.

Driven a Disco and a Freelander with TC (only the Freelander in any off road stuff). The TC, especially the hill decent worked OK. BUT in certain circumstances it is necessary to spin the wheels. For your normal joe public I would say TC works better than diff locks. I'm basing this on meeting plenty of people who can not even figure out what the centre diff lock is for! If you try to explain thier 4x4 is only actually 1 wheel drive until the centre diff is locked they just don't get it.
Me.............give me diff locks and connect the throttle to my brain rather than a micro processor.
Russ