Wednesday 31st August 2011

New Defender Concept From Land Rover

Will they, won't they..? Maybe it's up to you...

---

The Land Rover DC 100 concept...

Land Rover Defender enthusiasts may want to look away now, for this

a) is
b) may be
c) isn't

how the future's going to look when the existing 'iconic' Defender is put out to grass and replaced in 2015.

Eh?

Well, to quote Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern, this new Land Rover DC100 (scheduled for introduction at the Frankfurt motor show later this month) "isn't a production-ready concept but the beginning of a four year journey to design a relevant Defender for the 21st century".

...aka the next Defender. Possibly!

Which roughly translated means, should everyone hate it, Gerry and the firm have a handy get-out clause. Funnily enough, here at PH Towers, we're split down the middle.

Half of our crew think the DC100 is too much a variation on the shopping-mall SUV theme. Its plasticky lines are toy-like, affected, and... well, can you imagine it with shotgun cartridges rolling around the footwells, a load of fence posts in the back, reeking of wet dogs, and that last pair of bagged rabbits giving you flea bites round the ankles when you drive it?

The other half think that it's 'cool' and 'stylish' and exactly the car they wanted the next Defender to be - and therein lies the dilemma facing Land Rover and Mr McGovern.

There's only one way to sort this out - cast your vote now on the infamous PH O'Meter. We know the Land Rover product development team will be watching...

Meanwhile, here's some random 'background' imagery courtesy (mainly) of the Land Rover names registry. Now that's what a proper Landie should... (Oh, stop it! Ed.)

[Mannginger]

Too modern nice. It'd take years for someone to want to use it in the same way as the current model Defender (Imagine a 10 year old Discovery or Range Rover and you can see that by then the lovely upholstery etc is well able to be screwed up.

Worry less about design and more about practical, tough materials. People will buy the Evoque, Discovery, Defender, Freelander etc etc if they want a pleasant or luxurious vehicle

[thinfourth2]

I bet it comes with a 2WD option that isn't just bought by the RAF for staff cars

Loks like they are pitching it against the MINI countryman

[fathomfive]

I can't see many farmers buying that to shove st-riddled sheep into.

[badlands1]

I am too scared to vote, I am still shocked over the fact that a new one is coming out.
I will jump in my 110 later on today and cruise the streets looking for chicks (and yes, I mean the feather type)

[Pushi]

Oh dear. I really want to like this as after all its a Landie. So if it's just a very early concept then okay.
But I thought the raison d'etre of a Defender was as an unpretentious go anywhere tool.
Form should follow function with a Defender and this just looks like a Suzuki Jimny on steroids.
I guess I would need to see it in standard form with standard sized 16" steel wheels.
Oh and Gerry where are the visible pop rivets?

[Marlin45]

It looks like a Roomster on steroids!

Someone in their design/concept team needs to understand what the Defender is. What it isn't is a euro box with big wheels and a transfer case

[RosscoPCole]

It was always going to be a very difficult brief to design a Defender replacement as it has been around for so long.
Personally I think it looks like a proper 4x4 Fiat Panda and it would have been better to see a concept that was designed for the jungle rather than Kings Road.
I like the idea of seeing it with a snorkle, tread plates, roof rack, steel wheels, etc.

[DS240]

This is going to turn into the same sort of moaning as when the mini was taken out of production.

How long does everyone expect the defender in current state to go on for? If LR say it needs replacing then this must be for good reason.

I'm sure they are very mindful of the defenders current roles and won't want to lose that business also.

I think the concept looks good with strong defender tones to it. As a starting point, for replacing an iconic vehicle it's not bad.

[oilit]

on the positive, i assume this is the swb version and that there may be a lwb offering...

also looking at the roof there seems to be a suggestion that a truck cab could be fitted thus giving you a pick up option ....

if so, then i say it looks ok as a first thought drawn on the back of a cigarette pack -

[richard300]

I think if it was as durable and practical (and there is nothing from the styling to say it wouldn't be, excluding the 'concept' sized wheels) and priced the same as the current model..... BUT you all went out and bought the old one, you would all be falling fowl of your 'function must follow form' because you would be buying the old one for the way it looked and for that you would no doubt be sacrificing all manner of features and equipment!!!

Just because the car is modern design, doesn't mean that it isn't capable of being caked in mud, having your shotgun cartridges rolling around the foot wells and your wet stinking Labrador in the back.....

I'm sorry but a LOT (not all) of Defender owners buy them because of some 'Retro cool' image!

Edited by richard300 on Wednesday 31st August 07:50

[Chaffs]

Not hugely keen, though I can see it growing on me. You can definitely see alot of Disco 3/4 in the design of it but I would expect it to share the Freelander / Evoque platform, so per one of the earlier posts, will it be available in 2wd? Having said that it is still 4 years away.

[Leithen]

Can some clever person photoshop a pair of sensible wheels on that side profile?

[badlands1]

richard300 said:

I'm sorry but a LOT (not all) of Defender owners buy them because of some 'Retro cool' image!

Edited by richard300 on Wednesday 31st August 07:50

So does a PH buy a car because its fast and everyone else knows its fast, errr trying to be cool?
We buy a defender because it is a off road king.

Plus its cool as fook.

[anonymous-user]

When i see this picture:



I have absolutely no doubt that that car could easily traverse that sort of terrain, but only whilst sustaining several thousands pounds worth of body damage in the process.

If you really use your Defender off road (and am am looking at a small minority (Farmers/military/enthusiasts etc) then having a small square sided vehicle, with minimum overhangs, and those overhangs that do exist end in a nice steel bumper or cross member so you can get a high lift jack under them etc

If you've ever been witness to a RRS doing the "rock gulley" run on the Gaydon Off Road facility, you will know what i mean. 1 wrong move, and crunch you get a £5k bill (the car is perfectly capable of traversing the run, but the driver is unlikely to be a "up" for the challange..... ;-)


This is the essence of the problem for JLR, just how utilitarian do they make it ????

[grammalta]

you idiotic english people!.. you have something that no one has in the world
and you are going to ruin it! and then you moan that the UK has no great cars left!
isnt it obvious! you always figure a way out to screw them up!

A defender has to remain simple, rugged and flexible, something that you can bodge up in a barn(much like the Series 1,2,3 and the lightweights). If you want a plastic piece of junk you can buy a freelander, an evogue, a new disco, but not the Defender!!!

[DS240]

Most of the latest defenders I've seen out on the road look dressed up as style items rather than this rugged workhorse image portrayed.

And not too many of the drivers looked like they were preparing for a dessert expedition, jungle exploring or out back adventure.

Looking at the concept again. Take away some of the concept touches and you have a valid replacement already. Sure there could be variations, even a stripped out basic interior version for those wanting to put a gorilla inside from their jungle adventures.

[Digga]

Marlin45 said:

It looks like a Roomster on steroids!

Got it in one.

As others have said already, it doesn't look anywhere near 'modular' enough to take the knocks and dents. Perhaps they have cleverly figured out ohow to make panels easily replaceable, without external fasteners, but I'm still not sure it's right.

[ammark]

The design brief for the new defender should be based around Form Follows Function!

It is going to be more modern and newer materials will no doubt be in there but if they follow that basic mantra hopefully they won't get it too wrong! Still a tough job though to please everyone!

[Hellbound]

It's a concept that won't see the light of day. Definitely won't see 2015. A farmer wouldn't buy one of these with those wheels and tyres. They should have released images of one with a lift kit and fatter tyres and a shell with slightly smaller overhangs.

Either way, people hate change. Just improve the interior and mechanicals and keep churning out the same shape. Maybe add a few rounder edges.

[varsas]

grammalta said:

you idiotic english people!.. you have something that no one has in the world
and you are going to ruin it! and then you moan that the UK has no great cars left!
isnt it obvious! you always figure a way out to screw them up!

A defender has to remain simple, rugged and flexible, something that you can bodge up in a barn(much like the Series 1,2,3 and the lightweights). If you want a plastic piece of junk you can buy a freelander, an evogue, a new disco, but not the Defender!!!

How true.

Why does it have such big wheel arches? What's with those wheels? Presumably they have put those on because they look 'cool'. I think it shows exactly what's wrong with this concept. Stop trying to make it look modern and cool. It should be functional, basic, strong. As others say, Land Rover have plenty of other vehicles that look funky and modern.

Having said that, the 'new mini' was nothing like the proper one, erasing most things that made that what it was and that still did OK. Shame, really.