New Defender News

TexasTJ

Climbing Nerd
Think we will be see a three model line up again so. Disco, Full Size and Defender 110... Covid is really massing up what was going to be a really cool you for new 4x4s with the New Defender and the New Bronco both being 2021 releases.
 

REDROVER

Explorer
If I am not number one at least I’m number 2 critic of the new defender,
But let’s give it a chance,

Times have changed and auto industry has to adapt
Yes Land Rover At some point dominated the segment but it’s not anymore and we cannot do anything about it.
By the way this is not a LAND ROVER problem this is a European mentality problem that is changing.

Can you compare new Mercedes to Older built like a tank Mercedes?
same goes with the BMW or a jaguar or even a Ferrari.

Farmers wouldn’t buy LAND ROVER anyways, even if it was still like the old defender , Toyota pushed LAND ROVER away long time ago

Let’s give the new defender a chance .
 

REDROVER

Explorer
Generally speaking humans don’t like change, doesn’t matter if it’s in food or product or anything.

I am ready to go back to horse,
Unlimited economy
Excellent visibility
Never pay for fuel
And reliable
It Can go places no vehicle can.
 

EricTyrrell

Expo God
Times change, and along with it - the scale of farming. Have you been to a modern farm? It's all but high production, massive volume. Even a 5 ton truck is a bit "hobby-ish" these days, no real farmer uses an SUV to haul stuff.

Back when the original Series was made, you could have your "home of 40 / 80 acres" and feed a family. A Defender, or 1/2 ton pickup here in NA, was plenty to carry feed, seeds, fertilizer for your little operation, plowed by a lowly Ford 8N tractor.

These days, things arrive on 40 ton flatbed, and you plough with $million GPS guided implements... Why would LR chase after the 0.001% farmer that insists on using a Defender?

The uses have not disappeared, but evolved. Farmers and rural populations still buy trucks for various tasks in incredible numbers. 3,113,943 pickup trucks were sold in the US alone in 2019, to people from all walks of life. A 1% slice of this market would account for nearly all Defenders in all configurations sold globally in many previous years. Of course that doesn't need to be their only market with a modular platform. This exercise is all in vain though. They're committed to the Gucci overlander image crowd and there's no going back.
 

naks

Well-known member
Can't Afford The New Defender? There's a More Affordable Version Coming in 2022: https://drivetribe.com/p/cant-affor...XSdhTJW8C7NgZlTHGQ?iid=Q89r5p7tRoO-2HGFt9ERGg

The recently revived Land Rover Defender boasts a varied lineup with numerous different body styles, the 110, 90 and 130 however the iconic name comes at a high price. The base version of the SUV is around US$50,000. The goods news is however that Land Rover has decided to create a far more affordable addition to the lineup that will be called the Land Rover 80.

The Land Rover Defender has received mixed reactions. Some criticized the looks and compared it to the Honda Element. Others said that the revival would not be as rugged as the old one and wouldn't be as suitable for tasks such as farming. And others bashed the price. The Defender was made to be capable of offroading and also taking the kids to school and other everyday tasks. The idea was not simply to revive the old design.

The 80 should hopefully be able to solve some of these problems. It will be Land Rover's entry into the compact SUV market. That market includes cars like the Mercedes-Benz GLA, the BMW X1 and the Audi Q3.

The name “80”, like the other versions, references the wheelbases of the original Defender. The 80 is planned to be a five-door 4x4 and will most likely be the competitor to the Jeep Wrangler and Ford's newly revived Bronco. The design will be based on the new and old Defender. The 80 will most likely be built alongside the car made by Tata (the owners of Jaguar Land Rover) for the Indian market: the Tata Harrier. Land Rover may use their Ingenium and 3-cylinder engines. The 80 will almost definitely come with a hybrid version and may have an all-electric variation as well.

The 80 is meant to have a more rugged interior than the current Defender, the interior of which, compared to the old Defender, looks like Trump's penthouse. This along with the smaller price tag means the 80 will be more suitable for off road driving. The current Defender is good at off-roading but who is going to take their $50,000+ SUV off the beaten path?

Jaguar Land Rover needs a car that is simple and rugged that will sell in large numbers right now to give them a much-needed financial boost despite a large amount of recent cost-cutting.

The 80 should cost around US$30,000 if indeed the 80 makes it to the North American market which has not yet been confirmed. Hopefully, the Land Rover 80 will be able to satisfy both the classic Defender fans and those who just want a fun SUV that they can go to the shops in..
 

DorB

Adventurer
5 door 80”?
That’s a Suzuki Jimmy size.

The 90 couldn’t fit 4 doors, and due to short wheelbase, is one of the least comfortable off road platforms.
 

DieselRanger

Well-known member
I see they are now offering a 5yr unlimited mileage warranty in Australia - I wonder if they will do that anywhere else?

Jaguar offers a fantastic warranty in the US...my local sales manager says Land Rover sales (specifically the Evoque and RRS) have been financing that. That warranty was offered in the US because Jaguar needed to show they stood by their product in order to increase sales. If the Defender sells in the volumes they intend, I see no reason why Land Rover can't pick up a 5 year/60,000 mile warranty with scheduled maintenance included like Jaguar.
 

naks

Well-known member
Jaguar offers a fantastic warranty in the US...my local sales manager says Land Rover sales (specifically the Evoque and RRS) have been financing that. That warranty was offered in the US because Jaguar needed to show they stood by their product in order to increase sales. If the Defender sells in the volumes they intend, I see no reason why Land Rover can't pick up a 5 year/60,000 mile warranty with scheduled maintenance included like Jaguar.

It shouldn't be too much of a burden for them: as it is (and has been for +-10 years), all JLR vehicles carry a 5-year/100,000km Service Plan + 3-year/60,000km Warranty in ZA, and most of the time the service plan will even cover mechanical replacements until the 5-year/100,00km term.
 
I grew up in small town farmland in Southeast Wisconsin and worked everyday on my uncle's dairy farm picking rocks, bailing hay, milking cows, birthing calves, etc.......hardest workers on the planet in my opinion no matter where they do it on the planet. My uncle's farm was by no means a commercial grade farm; it was a family business and small-town farm that broke even at best as most farms during get era. Wasn't for me of course but I have the greatest respect for this type of work no matter where. I did this every summer and on the weekends during the mid to late 80's and early 90's before I decided to leave and go to a lumber yard until graduation.

We had single cab, long-bed 4x4 pickups and although on occasion we tossed bails in the back to take to the calf house. The vast majority was with a small tractor and trailer or skid-loader, or trailer behind the pick-up, etc.; not once did we ever throw a dead animal in the back of the truck; we used skid loaders or the tractor buckets or tossed them in the trailer do do that. If a trailer wasn't available, we drug it with a rope. I can't imagine that the English were much different and if we want to play devil's advocate, further behind our way of life when it came to farming. To say the Defender was built to have the dead-animal thought process in mind is quit comical to a degree and just another example of sensationalism and example of how a modern vehicle doesn't meet 1% of the uses that "some" people have done back when the Defender was first built and that makes the new Defender "Not a Defender".........love reading this crap. Was the old Defender used by many farmers to toss bails of hay, tool kits, all kinds of stuff and yes, on the slight occasion, toss a dead goat or whatever in there....sure, people do this and many parts of the world but I'd gather that goat found itself on the hood far more times than someone tossing it in the back (outside of the D130). I see a ton of pics of UK and other European farmers towing trailers/wagons behind their Defenders on their farms just like we did; all of which from the same era.

Is the new Defender a farm wagon; NOPE, not even close! But it's just as close to a farm vehicle as a Land Cruiser SUV, Jeep, Explorer, etc. Can a new Defender in a full utility "fleet/commercial" no frills version be just as capable and successful in the Gov, NGO, LE, etc as the let's say the new G-Wagon, or LC.........YEP, 100% if JLR gets the price right on those bulk sales.

Farmers are purpose built, functional, and efficient operators just like the vehicles and tools they use in the most toughest of times; they buy trucks and purpose built equipment of the era to get their jobs done efficiently and effectively and run them to the ground until the next time.
 

DorB

Adventurer
Is the new Defender a farm wagon; NOPE, not even close! But it's just as close to a farm vehicle as a Land Cruiser SUV, Jeep, Explorer, etc. .
The equivalent revival of the original Defender is a modern G or a 76.
Not the LC you’re familiar in NA.

They are the proof that if LR wanted, it could be done.
LR chose a different path, and created what looks like a great off-road performer SUV.
 

mpinco

Expedition Leader
We are getting closer to a major change in Tata ownership of JLR and the future of JLR. The shutdown was extended and 20,000 employees were furloughed today, 50% of the workforce.
 
I have quite a bit; I'll even say a lot of experience with the G-Wagon with the Aus Defense Force. We used the old Defender 6x6 to tow them out off the ranges on the Big Island Hawaii daily. The New G-Wagon spent the vast majority of their days on our deployment in limp mode at 20mph max until the mechanics were able to troubleshoot the issues back at the main maintenance bay; the mechanics absolutely hated them. The New G-Wagon (2016) for sure and my no means is trouble free or reliable when it's off the pavement world it was designed for; the premier global mall crawler.....just my opinion through first hand experience and that of some extremely experience ADF soldiers.......I hope Mercedes has fixed those issues because it was literally a $150k paperweight for the 3 months we used them.

Agreed on the 76 wholeheartedly and maybe, just maybe JLR will take a run at fleet/commercial variant that will not be publicly sold but could make its way into the markets post service life. I love the LC76 and spent a lot of time in the mid-2000 year vehicles (not sure they changed much) in Africa and absolutely love them. The rear axle track width is a really poor design as it handles poorly at speed on dirty roads; which is much of East/West Africa but otherwise bulletproof reliability. Otherwise; I'd like to say the US got robbed again on another epic vehicle we will never get to purchase. If the modern 76 or 78 was avail in the US; no doubt I would be driving one! NO DOUBT!
 

EricTyrrell

Expo God
The New G-Wagon (2016) for sure and my no means is trouble free or reliable when it's off the pavement world it was designed for; the premier global mall crawler.....just my opinion through first hand experience and that of some extremely experience ADF soldiers.......I hope Mercedes has fixed those issues because it was literally a $150k paperweight for the 3 months we used them.

lol, the irony.
 

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