G-Wagen vs Defender: PH Blog
Why the Land Rover Defender won the fight against the G-Wagen but has ultimately lost the war
As the G-Wagen thrives the Defender is in its final year of production though, the Mercedes seemingly finally victorious in a rivalry that stretches back to the late 70s when the Gelandewagen first appeared. Geneva traffic isn't good for many things but when I hopped into the back of an XJ and found myself alongside Roger Crathorne - aka 'Mr Land Rover' - he seemed like a good chap to discuss this with. And so it proved. We weren't short of time...
Roger's history with Land Rover goes all the way back. Indeed, he was born round the corner from the factory and spent his entire career there - you can read his story here in a press release issued by Land Rover on his retirement last year.
Anyway, his years working in PR meant he was tactful on the topic of the Flying Huntsman and its ilk but his tales of evaluating the early G-Wagens against Land Rover product were fascinating.
"If they'd sold a proper utilitarian short-wheelbase they'd have murdered us," he admits. Instead of going against the Defender Mercedes made the fatal error of pitching the G against the Range Rover. And here it struggled. Roger explains that the Range Rover's light aluminium body meant they could get away without anti-roll bars, improving comfort and - crucially - axle articulation for off-road use. This combination of road manners and proper mud-plugging cred remain there to this day of course.
The G-Wagen, meanwhile, had a heavy steel body and to match the Range Rover's roadholding needed anti-roll bars. This, says Roger, limited axle articulation meaning Mercedes had to fit switchable diff locks to maintain off-road traction, originally operated by 'organ stop' controls and later electrically with dash-mounted switches. Effective but, Roger says, "it cost them a fortune" and made the G too expensive to compete with workhorse Defenders. Yet too utilitarian to rival the Range Rover.
Which isn't to say Roger is dismissive of the G-Wagen. When it first appeared and he got a chance to drive military spec ones with the Dutch army in the late 70s. And its coil sprung suspension was much more up to date than the then leaf-sprung Landie. "It was an impressive vehicle. We were evaluating coil springs for the Land Rover at this time," says Roger, this experience no doubt informing the boys from Solihull and inspiring them to follow suit with the heavily modernised 1983 Land Rover 90/110/130.
A pity then that, as Mercedes continues to support the G with up to date engines and mad special editions of its own, the Defender has gone beyond the point where this would be economically viable. There will probably still be some outrageous special edition Landies soldiering on at future Geneva shows. But the chance to see both grow old disgracefully together has been denied to us. And that's a damned shame!
Dan
[Sources: Land Rover, Mercedes Archive]
Give me something that looks identical, costs about the same, but doesn't have the NVH and safety credentials of a WW2 submarine and I'll be happy.
Give me something that looks identical, costs about the same, but doesn't have the NVH and safety credentials of a WW2 submarine and I'll be happy.
Apart from that not much else is known for sure.
I think the general theory is that the Range rover range is the very expensive premiums stuff, Discovery range middle of the road and Defender will be the more 'affordable' range. Hopefully it'll come in in reasonable spec and good offroad utility. Maybe around £25k. Then again this may be wishful thinking on my part...
What I don't understand is why Land Rover are so silent on the matter.
JLR will be replacing or put another way upgrading the Defender as well as continuing to produce the Defender outside the EU.
Additionally JLR makes the RR and Disco RR which clearly out performs the G Wagon. So JLR will have four viable competitiors to the G Wagoin against Mercs one.
The G Wagon also continues to be built (as the Defender would be) because it is supported by the German government buying the military spec. Would they make it otherwise, I doubt it.
Come on PH, drop the illogical German love.....again.
The G Wagon also continues to be built (as the Defender would be) because it is supported by the German government buying the military spec. Would they make it otherwise, I doubt it.
Come on PH, drop the illogical German love.....again.
Where did you pull that golden nugget from?
JLR have said that the new model will be "dual role". By that I guess that there will still be work horse versions that people will adapt and use for personal use - as indeed happened to the original much to the surprise of the Rover company at the time. But to up their volumes they will, no doubt, feed the market desire for performance versions. It would be good to see a Big Foot version coming out of SVO.
JLR will be replacing or put another way upgrading the Defender as well as continuing to produce the Defender outside the EU.
Additionally JLR makes the RR and Disco RR which clearly out performs the G Wagon. So JLR will have four viable competitiors to the G Wagoin against Mercs one.
The G Wagon also continues to be built (as the Defender would be) because it is supported by the German government buying the military spec. Would they make it otherwise, I doubt it.
Come on PH, drop the illogical German love.....again.
Oh, that's right, we did!
Dan
The G Wagon also continues to be built (as the Defender would be) because it is supported by the German government buying the military spec. Would they make it otherwise, I doubt it.
Come on PH, drop the illogical German love.....again.
Where did you pull that golden nugget from?
Wel done.
Oh, that's right, we did!
Dan
Defender and "styling" should not be in the same sentence.
Form should follow function... anything else can be binned.
Oh, that's right, we did!
Dan
In the commercial sector, it was simply too expensive to challenge the LR's as a pure utility vehicle, leaving LR unmatched until the flood of reliable but cheap Eastern pickups (hilux etc) pushed it out of most world markets.
The downside is that the Landrovers famously flexible construction has become it's Achilles Heal today, being vastly expensive and time consuming to assemble, and lacking in the necessary "precision fit" of todays robot welded, pressed steel unibodies.
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