New Defender in the Wild
Discussion
100SRV said:
Less an armchair expert more a very experienced green laner and serial Land-Rover owner as well as being a succesful marketing consultant.
Well why didn't you say so in the first place? JLR should look him up on LinkedIn and see if he'd be prepared to consult for them, because clearly this new 'Defender' is not going to catch on at all.Crossflow Kid said:
unrepentant said:
100SRV said:
Friend of mine said that Land-Rover should have used a model name other than Defender.
Why? Is he an expert in new car marketing?There were seperate intelligent observations that the Defender had key attributes and this lacks many of them - hence giving it a new name and letting Defender remain the foundation of the brand and an unused badge (for now).
Coin Slot. said:
clearly this new 'Defender' is not going to catch on at all.
That might just be the case. It’s all a load of hype and fleeting glimpses of press cars at the moment. It might turn out to be a total turkey once the armchair experts are allowed near it.And anyway, the old one lasted nearly 70 years of evolution.
Come back in 2090 and see how the new one’s doing.
Crossflow Kid said:
Coin Slot. said:
clearly this new 'Defender' is not going to catch on at all.
That might just be the case. It’s all a load of hype and fleeting glimpses of press cars at the moment. It might turn out to be a total turkey once the armchair experts are allowed near it.And anyway, the old one lasted nearly 70 years of evolution.
Come back in 2090 and see how the new one’s doing.
M
100SRV said:
Friend of mine said that Land-Rover should have used a model name other than Defender.
That doesnt make sense...at all.It supposed to look like the old one, so why wouldnt it be called it?
The last separate , standalone name Land Rover did was the Freelander so it was hardly going to be called something new.
XIII said:
That doesnt make sense...at all.
It supposed to look like the old one, so why wouldnt it be called it?
The last separate , standalone name Land Rover did was the Freelander so it was hardly going to be called something new.
It is "supposed" to, I'm not convinced. Maybe the similarities are more apparent on a foggy day?It supposed to look like the old one, so why wouldnt it be called it?
The last separate , standalone name Land Rover did was the Freelander so it was hardly going to be called something new.
XIII said:
100SRV said:
Friend of mine said that Land-Rover should have used a model name other than Defender.
That doesnt make sense...at all.It supposed to look like the old one, so why wouldnt it be called it?
The last separate , standalone name Land Rover did was the Freelander so it was hardly going to be called something new.
Defender is absolutely the right name for this car. It's the third pillar of the brand and a name that harks back to the origins of it all while looking forward.
unrepentant said:
Defender is absolutely the right name for this car. It's the third pillar of the brand and a name that harks back to the origins of it all while looking forward.
Errr......what?How does a model name dating from thirty years ago “look forward”
And how is it the “third pillar” in a line up of:
Range Rover
Velar
Evoque
Discovery
Not Quite Defender?
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 3rd March 23:59
Crossflow Kid said:
unrepentant said:
Defender is absolutely the right name for this car. It's the third pillar of the brand and a name that harks back to the origins of it all while looking forward.
Errr......what?How does a model name dating from thirty years ago “look forward”
And how is it the “third pillar” in a line up of:
Range Rover
Velar
Evoque
Discovery
Not Quite Defender?
Edited by Crossflow Kid on Tuesday 3rd March 23:59
Land Rover has 3 pillars.
Range Rover - 4 models
Discovery - 2 models
Defender - 1 model
So far.
unrepentant said:
Land Rover has 3 pillars.
Range Rover - 4 models
Discovery - 2 models
Defender - 1 model
^^^^ Mostly correct...Range Rover - 4 models
Discovery - 2 models
Defender - 1 model
The pillars are correct but the number of models aren't. Remember this from a couple of years ago?
e.g. Evoque convertible, 90, 110 & 130 are all different models.
M
camel_landy said:
unrepentant said:
Land Rover has 3 pillars.
Range Rover - 4 models
Discovery - 2 models
Defender - 1 model
^^^^ Mostly correct...Range Rover - 4 models
Discovery - 2 models
Defender - 1 model
The pillars are correct but the number of models aren't. Remember this from a couple of years ago?
e.g. Evoque convertible, 90, 110 & 130 are all different models.
M
unrepentant said:
Happy to help you out.
Land Rover has 3 pillars.
Range Rover - 4 models
Discovery - 2 models
Defender - 1 model
So far.
What a load of made-up marketing bLand Rover has 3 pillars.
Range Rover - 4 models
Discovery - 2 models
Defender - 1 model
So far.
ks.Discovery could just as easily slip in to the Range Rover “pillar” if so desired, same as Evoque could’ve easily been Freelander 3.
Long after this thread fades away, there will still be three types of people when it comes to the new Defender.
* Those that actively like it.
* Those that actively dislike it.
* Those that look at it on the road and have no idea what they're looking at because they have no interest in it, or in cars generally.
Most people, I reckon, will fall into the latter camp. It's an odd concept on a forum like this one, but most people don't watch TV or Youtube car shows, nor do they read the motoring press or websites. To the bulk of the population 'What Car' is about as relevant as 'Fitted Kitchens Monthly' or 'Flypast' magazine.
Personally I don't much like the new Defender. But then I don't much like any of the current crop of "lifestyle" SUVs. Whereas I loved the raw utilitarian outgoing Defender, and it's Series predecessors, despite their hideous discomfort, leaking, creaking bodywork, and woeful power output (in my experience). But nothing beats the experience of spinning a Defender through 720º on a muddy hill on Salisbury Plain in driving rain and scaring your OC into needing fresh underwear. Or driving a 110 FFR with no windscreen from Emden to Osnabruck in a German winter while dressed like an Eskimo. Or having your first motorway driving lesson in a Series III Airportable. For me, the new Defender is always going to be too much like a car, where the old one was always more of a truck. In fact, 'Truck, Utility, Medium' was the army's terminology for the Defender 110, and 'Truck, Utility, Light' for the 90.
Whether this new model should carry the 'Defender' name? That's Land Rover's business, really. But to me, the name 'Defender' conjures up an image of a vehicle primarily used by the military, and one without the frills, bells, and whistles of a car. I don't really see a military application for the new Defender, at least not in the forms I've seen it in so far. There's way too much inside it that oafish squaddies will destroy in minutes, and it's not the kind of vehicle that an in-unit REME workshop will be able to rebuild swiftly. It remains to be seen whether it will appeal to NGOs too. I was thinking yesterday about how it might fair against stuff like the ubiquitous white Toyota Hilux when I spotted such a Hilux on a low-loader on the A31 Wimborne bypass wearing an Islamabad number plate.
In the end, fans of the old defender will probably measure the new one's success by how many hostile environments it earns a living in. Where Land Rover will only be interested in unit sales, and not what customers use them for. It ought to be a very capable vehicle from what I've seen, but sadly I think very few of them will ever be called upon to demonstrate their capability beyond the school run, or an occasional camping trip.
* Those that actively like it.
* Those that actively dislike it.
* Those that look at it on the road and have no idea what they're looking at because they have no interest in it, or in cars generally.
Most people, I reckon, will fall into the latter camp. It's an odd concept on a forum like this one, but most people don't watch TV or Youtube car shows, nor do they read the motoring press or websites. To the bulk of the population 'What Car' is about as relevant as 'Fitted Kitchens Monthly' or 'Flypast' magazine.
Personally I don't much like the new Defender. But then I don't much like any of the current crop of "lifestyle" SUVs. Whereas I loved the raw utilitarian outgoing Defender, and it's Series predecessors, despite their hideous discomfort, leaking, creaking bodywork, and woeful power output (in my experience). But nothing beats the experience of spinning a Defender through 720º on a muddy hill on Salisbury Plain in driving rain and scaring your OC into needing fresh underwear. Or driving a 110 FFR with no windscreen from Emden to Osnabruck in a German winter while dressed like an Eskimo. Or having your first motorway driving lesson in a Series III Airportable. For me, the new Defender is always going to be too much like a car, where the old one was always more of a truck. In fact, 'Truck, Utility, Medium' was the army's terminology for the Defender 110, and 'Truck, Utility, Light' for the 90.
Whether this new model should carry the 'Defender' name? That's Land Rover's business, really. But to me, the name 'Defender' conjures up an image of a vehicle primarily used by the military, and one without the frills, bells, and whistles of a car. I don't really see a military application for the new Defender, at least not in the forms I've seen it in so far. There's way too much inside it that oafish squaddies will destroy in minutes, and it's not the kind of vehicle that an in-unit REME workshop will be able to rebuild swiftly. It remains to be seen whether it will appeal to NGOs too. I was thinking yesterday about how it might fair against stuff like the ubiquitous white Toyota Hilux when I spotted such a Hilux on a low-loader on the A31 Wimborne bypass wearing an Islamabad number plate.
In the end, fans of the old defender will probably measure the new one's success by how many hostile environments it earns a living in. Where Land Rover will only be interested in unit sales, and not what customers use them for. It ought to be a very capable vehicle from what I've seen, but sadly I think very few of them will ever be called upon to demonstrate their capability beyond the school run, or an occasional camping trip.
yellowjack said:
military / squaddies / REME
I'm afraid you're well off PH script here with such reminiscing. Defenders are the sole preserve of farmers. No one else bought them, ever.It's a proven fact writ large within the pages of this forum. Twenty five sheep in the back, a front bumper that can be used as a makeshift chainsaw and an interior that can be cleaned using nothing more than a hosepipe - which doesn't necessarily have to be connected to a tap.
This new one with its modern complicated features such seats won't sell at all. If farmers can't drive it to the Isle of Wight without using a ferry they won't order one.
Osinjak said:
With my pedantic hat on the Army didn't buy the Defender either but a variant of it called the Wolf. Spent many an hour trying to sleep in the back of one.
Pretty sure they had both. IIRC The wolf was 300tdi and 24v. I'm fairly sure they bought and used some standard td5s as well.Gassing Station | Land Rover | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff