Child of the Revolution

Forty years ago this month, Land Rover brought the assembled motoring press together for the launch of an all-new vehicle. It looked similar to a Series IIII but drove more like a Range Rover… so, in the last of a series of articles adapted from 4x4 magazine’s first year in existence, what did our fearless roving reporter Brian Hartley make of Solihull’s revolutionary new vehicle?

A cold, bright February afternoon in the Warwickshire countryside around Stratford-upon-Avon. All was well with the world as I swung my Range Rover into the long drive that wound its way through spacious grounds to the Welcombe Hotel. We had been invited to the press launch of the Land Rover One Ten, a beanfeast I had been looking forward to for weeks and one which would surely vindicate my earlier ideas as to the shape of things to come from Solihull.

The hotel is a huge, imposing place, fitting my expansive mood of carefree affluence to a tee. I had just decided that this has to be THE way to enjoy yourself when I saw it. Just peeking its plastic nose round the corner of a shadowed archway was a Land Rover shaped object. The flared wheelarch wasn’t familiar, though and neither was that plastic grin across its amiable snout.

Feeling like a schoolboy playing truant, I nonchalantly strolled under the arch. The grille badge boldly proclaimed, as it came into focus, LAND ROVER 110. To use an eloquent if somewhat earthy expression, I was totally gobstruck.

Mechanical components of the V8 model exposed

It looked like an ordinary 12-seater Safari! I could see the one-piece screen, fancy flares and new grille, but surely that could never be construed as a new model?

In something of a daze, I retired to the hotel to claim my room, feeling sicker than a whole flock of parrots. Life can change awful sudden, can’t it? How could I have been so wrong?

Finally locating my room deep in the mansion’s bowels, I dropped my bag and slumped into a chair to read the glossy bulk of the press pack. Thirty minutes later, I was still engrossed as I came to terms with Land Rover’s NEW Land Rover.

Therein lies the One Ten’s biggest weakness. It looks like any other Land Rover when in reality, the outcome of this cross-breeding exercise is a completely different animal.

I am convinced that most people were, like me, expecting something totally new, so it follows that most will be surprised, if not dismayed, to see the same familiar outline as before. If Land Rover dealers do not bridge the credibility gap by offering test drives to anybody who looks remotely interested in a One Ten, they will be doing themselves and the vehicle a criminal disservice.

The One Ten can only really be appreciated from the driving seat. It is there that all regular and seasoned Land Rover and, for that matter, Range Rover drivers had better prepare for a severe case of culture shock!

Suitably Strong

Though based on the Range Rover chassis, the One Ten has a unique frame, suitably strengthened and modified to take the extra engine options in the range, to cope with the three-ton gross weight and to provide the potential to tow a maximum four tons. With a possible all up ’train weight’ of seven tons, you are entering the truckers’ league!

The suspension is coil springs with hydraulic shockers all round, the front axle being located by radius arms and a panhard rod and the rear by trailing arms and a central A-frame. The Boge Hydromat self levelling unit is fitted as standard to the County 12-seater and is optional on all other models.

The front axle is Range Rover, suitably re-bracketed, while the rear is a wider version of the old faithful Salisbury 8 HA, which has gained an excellent reputation for itself in the Series 3 LWB as a virtually indestructible unit. The Salisbury differential is geared to give a 3.54:1 ratio, identical to the Range Rover and Series 3 V8.

To stop the whole thing in its tracks there are the 11” servo-assisted drums of the Series 3 LWB at the rear and fractionally larger than standard Range Rover discs on the front (11.81” as opposed to the Range Rover’s 11.75”). As you might expect, the handbrake is the traditional Rover transmission drum set up, but 10” in diameter.

For the first time ever in a Land Rover, factory fitted power steering is optional. Both the manual and power steering boxes are from the Range Rover, with an all new but very spindly looking shaft from the chassis-mounted box to the bottom of the steering column. The Range Rover steering equipment has brought the ’field and a half’ turning circle of the old 109” Series 3 LWB down from 49 feet to a fairly reasonable 42 feet.

All the One Ten models have steering dampers fitted as standard and are equipped with pressed steel rims carrying 7.50x16 radial tyres. It was interesting to note that all the road test vehicles were shod

Above left: The well respected V8 power unit, in this case producing a mere 114bhp at 4000rpm

Above right: Lost in space. A 2.25-litre petrol engine with new twin-choke Weber carb and revised air cleaner position. Note the relocated heater intake on the left wing, galvanised wheel valances with cover plates for shock absorber turrets and spindly steering linkage on right. The large radiator to engine gap has meant extremely long hoses and an air tunnel on the 2.25 versions

Bottom right: ‘County’ equipped interior. Note revised dash layout, new steering wheel, plastic moulding covered air vents, narrower top dash rail and 5-speed gear shift with Avon Rangemasters, while the off-road test machines were shod with the chunkier patterned Michelin XS rubber.

Export Experts

To digress from the technicalities for a while, I had the chance to talk to Alex Mackie, Director of Engineering at the company, about

Land Rover in general and the One Ten in particular. I could not help but express my disappointment at the bodywork of the One Ten. The view from the opposite side of the fence, however, is somewhat different.

Land Rover’s direct exports are currently running at some £220 million per year. Over 70% of worldwide sales are LWB models, which is probably in direct contrast to what you would expect from the number of SWB Land Rovers seen on British roads, and it is for this reason that the One Ten is a LWB vehicle.

Although no-one would say so, it became apparent that demand for the One Ten is expected to be such that the Series 3 LWB, in all its versions, will be phased out eventually.

More than 50% of Land Rover sales are to fleet customers, including of course the military, and this again is another strong reason for using the tried and trusted aluminium Land Rover bodywork with its many different cab and body options. All the familiar silhouettes are there from the chassis/bulkhead for bodybuilders through to softtops, pick-ups, hard-tops, 12-seaters and of course, the HCPU.

Another plus point for fleet users is the interchangeability of most body panels, though this is much reduced with the advent of the bigger screen and other minor modifications, and the retention, at least for a while, of the old range of engines.

Perhaps the overriding reason for keeping the traditional bodywork is that Land Rover are tilting firmly at the utility market with the One Ten, albeit with a very upmarket model from now on. The range as they see it spans the two extremes, from the workhorse ruggedness of the Series 3 through the equally rugged but far more refined One Ten to the luxury of the four-door Range Rover.

What about the SWB? Again, a ’no comment’ stonewalled any real discussion on the subject, but obviously the idea must have been thought of. Leaf spring suspension is simple and robust, a popular point with operators in third world areas, but then to me coils are even simpler, lighter and equally robust –and a broken coil doesn’t mean the loss of axle location as it can with a leaf spring. Probably a far bigger problem with the SWB would be getting the ride right; coils and short

Above left: The beefy High Capacity Pick-Up launched in 1982 as a 109” is even more practical in the One Ten guise

Above right: Top of the range. The County One Ten Station Wagon complete with plastic grille. Note also the flared wheelarches, angled sliding front windows and useful plastic ‘flip-back’ door mirrors wheelbases can be a particularly unhappy combination.

Old Motors, New Cogs

The three engines offered in the One Ten are old favourites. The 2.25-litre diesel is unchanged in its five bearing crank form, except for the inclusion, at last, of an electrically operated engine stop control, activated by key. The 2.25-litre petrol engine has undergone a power increase with the use of a revised camshaft, twin choke 32/34 DMTL Weber carburettor and revised inlet and exhaust manifolds.

The increase? Would you believejust 4bhp? No, I didn’t either and no-one could tell me the reason for it. Considering the amount of work involved, the increase is as laughable as it is insignificant. It does, however, continue to allow the use of 2-star petrol in this 74bhp unit.

Of far more importance to the performance of the One Ten is the new optional 5-speed gearbox fitted behind either of the 2.25 litre engines. This gearbox, as used in the Jaguar and Rover SDI range, has been offered before by various outside agencies, but it is the first time that Land Rover have seen fit to grace their products with

One Ten interior with vinyl de-luxe seats. Clearly shown is the new one-piece door trim with map pocket and repositioned door handle. An excellent passenger grab handle is moulded into the dash anything other than a 4-speeder. This, the LT77 gearbox, is mated to an LT230R transfer box, as fitted to the automatic Range Rover and also containing, of course, the lockable differential of a full-time four-wheel drive system.

Transfer gears are selected by a single stick control that also operates the diff lock control by pushing it sideways. A neat and practical set up. For the V8 engined applications, the honour falls to the standard Range Rover gearbox set up of the latest, high ratio, integral transfer case design.

The old Series 3 gearbox is now relegated, in One Ten terms at any rate, to an optional extra for customers who don’t want the full-time four- wheel drive offered as standard. Freewheeling hubs are included as standard with this option package. Four-cylinder engines use a 9.5” diaphragm clutch and the V8 a 10.5”.

Down to the Jungle

Any vehicle can look impressive on a specification sheet, but only driving and working the beast will give you a true idea of what it is all about and whether it lives up to the maker’s promises. The driving was to take place in two stages: a lengthy ramble through leafy lanes and metalled motorways to Solihull and then a jaunt or two round the factory’s famous Jungle Track.

All the road test models were equipped with the extremely com- fortable County seats, along with pressed felt head and cab linings, sound deadening plastic mats and newly designed one piece plastic door mouldings. As the latter now have the release handles mounted further forward, it soon became obvious who the regular Land Rover drivers were…

Can this really be a Land Rover, you ask yourself? The door shuts with a clunk; comfortable seats for the nether regions; an updated, easily viewed dash layout; wipers, horn, washers, indicators and lights all stalk controlled and column mounted, with heater controls to either side.

The revised dash layout gives more cab space due to a narrower top rail but by far and away the biggest improvement was the extra light and visibility provided by the new screen. It gave the whole cab a spacious, airy feeling and meant not having to peer under the top edge of the screen.

I started out with a V8 engined High Capacity Pick Up. The ride and handling are superb! Gone is the sickly ’Range Rover’ body roll, the suspension being stiffened just enough to iron out the huge ’leans’ but still giving a jolt-free ride. At first I thought it may be due to the HCPU’s heavy duty rear springing, but all the other models displayed the same excellent manners.

The absence of body roll meant that spirited cornering could be undertaken in some comfort and confidence, the Avon Rangemaster tyres being well behaved and very quiet on the road. The Range Rover type steering wheel and power steering, one of the few powerassisted systems I’ve ever really liked, were quiet, easy and responsive. The handbrake, never one of Solihull’s strong points, felt as if it could hold a tank.

The Range Rover four-speed gearbox, on the other hand, even in its latest form, must surely rank high among the very worst gearboxes ever built. All the familiar features that Range Rover owners have learned to live with were there: the clunks, whines, argumentative syncros and general backlash. The

The untidy rear end of the One Ten. The offset mud flaps look out of place but the raised spare wheel mounting for Safaris is long overdue. Note new galvanised cappings and revised rear crossmember complete with holes for the pillar jack. Only the HCPU uses under-axle jacking – personally, I’d retain it on all models ever-present noise was muted by the One Ten’s soundproofing, but it was still apparent.

The high/ low range lever is mounted on the gearbox tunnel and the centre diff-lock button sprouts from the seatbox. The double sliding windows give better part ventilation by opening just the front section and the rear part opens wider than the Series 3 ever did, giving more room to poke your head through (a necessary improvement for some of us!). The plastic window lock affair was a different idea altogether, taking three grown men to operate it at one point.

Brakes are again in the top league. Some of the more fairy footed among as might find the pedal pressures a little high but there was always plenty of reserve. This is important as the One Ten has a high loading capacity and, at its maximum weight of 3.1 tons gross and a maximum velocity of 85 mph for the V8, good anchors are essential.

The One Ten cruised quite happily at 80mph, the new door seals and aluminium door tops reducing wind noise to acceptable levels. The main source of noise on the HCPU is the flapping of the rear canvas, which incidentally now comes right down the back of the cab and has a transparent panel for rear vision.

Man Made Obstacles

Once in the Solihull back yard, we parked our road vehicles and were allowed to choose our off-road mounts. This time, we settled for a 2.25 petrol Station Wagon.

The famous Solihull Jungle Track is a cleverly designed off-road course. Clever in that it appears far more daunting than it actually is, thereby giving tarmac-lubbers a great sensation of adventure without actually doing anything too daring. Nevertheless, one enterprising journalist had managed to roll a One Ten the day before.

To prove my point, the Station Wagon was taken round the whole of the course in high range at a nice sedate pace. The suspension kept the ride smooth, upright and drama free and its full-time four-wheel drive enabled a greasy hill start to be undertaken, still using high range, with no fuss.

It did appear from the ease with which the 2.25 unit motivated the One Ten in this manoeuvre that the engine mods have made an improvement on its low-speed torque. Many impressive man-made obstacles were tackled, including an uphill concrete step section which would have needed far more gusto in a leaf sprung Land Rover.

Above left: A workmanlike High Capacity Pick Up (HCPU) tackling one of the man-made hazards of the Solihull track. In this case, a 50% grade complete with armco barriers to deflect the more enthusiastic journalist!

Above right: If the concrete ramp in the adjacent photo didn’t need the diff lock, this certainly did – and we made it, too!

True to form, the gremlins struck when the gear lever of the nice new 5-speed jammed in neutral while attempting a side slope. We were whisked away by Land Rover personnel to have another go in a V8 Safari while the offending One Ten was seen to.

The suitably chastened vehicle was back within 20 minutes, proving that nothing too drastic was amiss, but I did wonder about the selector mechanism particularly as it seemed too easy to flop straight into 5th when aiming for 3rd.

The V8 was subjected to a much more rapid circuit of the Jungle Track and again displayed its inbuilt tenacity. Despite a belly flop into deep water, not a drop entered the interior – although the engine developed a cough for a moment or two. This was despite the new galvanised steel inner wings, which are shaped to fit over the wheels completely, leaving no gaps over the top of the chassis. Besides reducing the amount of mud and gunge entering the engine bay, these wings have the advantage of reducing road noise.

Luxury Landy or Utility Rangey?

The One Ten’s on and off-road driving manners came as something of a revelation to one who was weaned on the old type of Land Rovers. Indeed, it has aged the original vehicle at a stroke.

Taken as a whole, the experience was more impressive than either the Range Rover or the Mercedes G-Wagen. The latter in particular is going to have a hard time against the One Ten in every aspect except the cabin.

In this one area, the improvements offered by the One Ten over the standard Land Rover cannot fully compensate for the lack of leg and elbow room. This is particularly true in the case of the rear passengers in the Safari versions, who still require short legs and necks for a comfortable journey.

It would require significantly harsher conditions than those we encountered to really test the mettle of the One Ten. But I for one would happily put money on its coil sprung rump to match any of the competition, from whatever continent, in an all out off-road test – including its own stablemates.

Just how other people will view the One Ten remains to be seen. Land Rover’s top brass are in no doubt that it is firmly in the utility sector. However, the vehicle’s design team of Mike Broadhead, Bob Lees and Brian Anderson have produced such a good hybrid with their cross-breeding of the Land Rover and Range Rover that they may just have made a vehicle with a built in identity crisis.

Personally, I see it as an ideal combination of two unique vehicles. Could it be, I wonder, that we are witnessing the birth of a new legend?