RE: 2020 Land Rover Defender | The short review

RE: 2020 Land Rover Defender | The short review

Author
Discussion

Cripes

32 posts

59 months

Wednesday 25th March 2020
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aston addict said:
Got excited to see a review of the Defender - heart sank when I saw NC was the author. Sorry Nic your prose is as hard to read as ever...

Anyway, the car itself - think it looks great - but not in white; and surely £79k is a typo?!
A bit harsh, I thought it was pretty well written, engaging, infoative yet concise.

Murph7355

37,651 posts

255 months

Wednesday 25th March 2020
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Rear lights should have been on the outer panel. Otherwise it looks nice enough.

Too expensive though.

It'll probably cannibalise sales from other models in the brand. No electric version either?

Kolbenkopp

2,343 posts

150 months

Wednesday 25th March 2020
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I'm glad I don't have to drive through mud / "terrain" on a regular basis, but if that was different I think the new Defender looks quite attractive. Even the cheapest trim level seems really well kitted out. Smallest diesel should be plenty fast enough for the type of car. Street prices start at €42k for a base D200 90 which isn't cheap but not totally outrageous either?

Wiccan of Darkness

1,838 posts

82 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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These have been driving around the herefordshire/worcestershire border for several weeks, including the one reviewed, I recognise the numberplate.

Having seen them in the flesh, I still don't know what to make of them. The rear lights remind me of some 1990's neon arcade game, they look a little unstable, and true to form are much bigger than the original.

They just don't have that utilitarian feel of the original, it's not something I envisage being driven up the side of a Welsh mountain to collect a dead sheep, but it certainly has that look and feel of something driven by a yummy mummy on the school run in central London.

What bugs me the most, though, is each time I see one whizzing past, I see another part of it and think its just been nicked or a mild redesign from another landrover product. It's like they pulled out a bin of spares that had all the bits of the last 3 gens of discovery, range rover and freelander, mashed them up a bit, backed it in to a wall to square it up a bit and give it the utilitarian look, and stood back, leaning on a stick said "that'll do, pig. That'll do".

keith2.2

1,100 posts

194 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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Murph7355 said:
Rear lights should have been on the outer panel.
My immediate thought also.

I'm so torn on this - I really like it. But with the cream leather and all those electrical outputs and buttons in near the footwells I wouldn't fancy hosing the hay and mud out of the back like I did with the Series 3.

The Mad Monk

10,474 posts

116 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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If you buy the one with the smaller engine you get a maximum speed of 117mph.

If you buy the one with the bigger engine you get a maximum speed of 119mph.

You pay £27,000 more for the bigger engine.

£79,000 rather than £52,000.

FlukePlay

938 posts

144 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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Car designers seem to be losing their way when designing the front of cars. BMWs now have huge, shiny and horrendous grills, Audis have large gaping mouths, Mercs look ridiculous and have lost their elegance, Rollers (Cullinan) look like they have been designed by Geely in the 90s to look like a Roller, and so on. This Defender already needs a facelift.

oilit

2,618 posts

177 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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Genuine question:

Why would you buy this over a previous version disco (ie not the one with the offset numberplate) - you could save yourself a ton of cash and have something that does 80% of the job if not more for 20% of the cost almost

I feel that there are so many LR models now that look similar it's almost become so common the attraction has gone - i actually think here in the cotswolds there are more LR than minis on the road - what has the world come to !!!

The Mad Monk

10,474 posts

116 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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Genuine answer.

I don't if I were looking to buy a 4x4, I would be looking at a Landrover group product.

595Heaven

2,387 posts

77 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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rastapasta said:
Brutal but true. The max towing weights are not published which tells us all we need to know as to the target market.
They are ‘hidden’ here https://www.landrover.co.uk/vehicles/defender/spec...

Virtually impossible to find I know , so I’ll make it easy for you...

Unbraked 750kg, max towing 3,500kg

Bill

52,483 posts

254 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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I just need a beam axle mention for my Bingo card.


595Heaven

2,387 posts

77 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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Bill said:
I just need a beam axle mention for my Bingo card.
biggrin

PushedDover

5,623 posts

52 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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The Mad Monk said:
If you buy the one with the smaller engine you get a maximum speed of 117mph.

If you buy the one with the bigger engine you get a maximum speed of 119mph.

You pay £27,000 more for the bigger engine.

£79,000 rather than £52,000.
Top speed being the important currency in choosing which model of Defender ?

The Mad Monk

10,474 posts

116 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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PushedDover said:
The Mad Monk said:
If you buy the one with the smaller engine you get a maximum speed of 117mph.

If you buy the one with the bigger engine you get a maximum speed of 119mph.

You pay £27,000 more for the bigger engine.

£79,000 rather than £52,000.
Top speed being the important currency in choosing which model of Defender ?
No, not really.

It seemed a lot of money - and engine! - for just 2mph increase in top speed.

2smoke

215 posts

110 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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Perfect for the apocalypse! ;-)
These look good in the metal, but the proportions are much better on the 90 SWB version,this looks stretched in comparison. I'm not the target audience, but I do wish JLR every success with this vehicle.

llcoolmac

216 posts

99 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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Dapster said:
Manufacturers do massive amounts of research before and during the process of pouring billions into developing a new model. If there was money to be made in selling a hose out, multi diff locked, no frills utility vehicles to farmers, Governments and armies, they'd be doing exactly that. I rather suspect that there is more money to be made in selling an £80 grand Tonka toy to wealthy 40 somethings who live in Hampstead and drive to the Cotswolds most weekends and Val-d'Isère every Easter.

I'd imagine this is bang on what the market is looking for and will sell like bog roll during a lock down.

Looks like it's fine off road for what 99% of buyers will need.

https://youtu.be/_gI_Qbc5Kds?t=389
Yes, and manufacturers often get it totally wrong even with all of their research. Just like formula 1 has continually lost viewers since they started relying on focus groups and market research. People don't know what they want.

But there is a very large market for work vehicles. City people don't seem to realise this.

PushedDover

5,623 posts

52 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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The Mad Monk said:
No, not really.

It seemed a lot of money - and engine! - for just 2mph increase in top speed.
It will be about flexibility, acceleration, smoothness.

Personally - I think the price makes the thing a folly anyway. They will have lost the position held in the market with this IMHO

Shakermaker

11,317 posts

99 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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oilit said:
Genuine question:

Why would you buy this over a previous version disco (ie not the one with the offset numberplate) - you could save yourself a ton of cash and have something that does 80% of the job if not more for 20% of the cost almost

I feel that there are so many LR models now that look similar it's almost become so common the attraction has gone - i actually think here in the cotswolds there are more LR than minis on the road - what has the world come to !!!
I know what you mean, but the Discovery has always had an offset rear numberplate, right back to the 200tdi. Just that previously, it was square and didn't look horrendous.

Andeh1

7,107 posts

205 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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Gotta love all the gasps of horror at the price. Jaguar Land Rover have been a premium OEM manufacturer, of higher end vehicles, for decades. Do you think they will suddenly decide to lower their brand image to compete with Suzuki and go cheap & cheerful!? rolleyes

If BMW can sell a diesel 1 Series for £40k or Audi sell a diesel A 4 for £50k then JLR will not be struggle to shift these Defenders!!


llcoolmac said:
Yes, and manufacturers often get it totally wrong even with all of their research. Just like formula 1 has continually lost viewers since they started relying on focus groups and market research. People don't know what they want.

But there is a very large market for work vehicles. City people don't seem to realise this.
What 'work vehicle' are you referring to the UK? What demographics do you think are worthy of serious consideration that JLR will not have considered?

braddo

10,399 posts

187 months

Thursday 26th March 2020
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PushedDover said:
It will be about flexibility, acceleration, smoothness.

Personally - I think the price makes the thing a folly anyway. They will have lost the position held in the market with this IMHO
What position are you talking about?

The position of the old Defender? Hasn't it been off the market for 4 years, with tiny sales in the past decade?