Defender - why the big publicity?
Discussion
Land-Rover have made this car since 1983, but it's the same basic car from 1948 or whenever.
Icinic, historic, well past it's sel by date. Lots of differing views on it.
It doen't fit with the Land Rover brand anymore and is going out of production for that and pracyical safety emissions and other reasons.
So why is LR going in so much about it? Motor show cars special editions, publicity, mail shots, you name it?
I've noticed near me, three or four new ones have appeared in my neighbourhood in the last few minths. I live in an urban area so they are not used as work vehicles.
I love the Defender and shall be sad to see it go, but all the miney LR is spending on a "Dead" model is very odd.
The model is dead but the Defender brand isn't, they have the huge task of replacing it with something that keeps farmers, military and other utility type customers who need one happy whilst also is desirable to those who want one because its cool. They dont want to lose their mainstay customers who will easily write it off as a ponces chariot if it doesnt carry sick sheep up a muddy 1 in 3 without being ruined/falling apart.
They keep warming over the old one and keeping it going but it is a dinosaur, it has had updates but can still trace its lines back to the original, I always think that it is really a piece of farm equipment you can use on the road rather than a car that can go in fields, they are pretty hard work on the road, the new one needs to be comparable to any other off roader one road.
I think there will be one model with lots of options to cover all bases.
They keep warming over the old one and keeping it going but it is a dinosaur, it has had updates but can still trace its lines back to the original, I always think that it is really a piece of farm equipment you can use on the road rather than a car that can go in fields, they are pretty hard work on the road, the new one needs to be comparable to any other off roader one road.
I think there will be one model with lots of options to cover all bases.
I don't understand why they need to make it fit in, it is / was what it is, a serious off roader that is simple and easy to fix and something you don't mind getting dirty. Dirty as in having muddy water wash in up to your knees!
For those that wanted something upmarket, that is why they made the Range Rover. And then twenty years later when the Range Rover Rovers got silly expensive they bought the Discovery. Five years on from that the Freelander arrived. And sometime in the last few years they bought out a fashion accessory model, I don't even know what it is called.
They have got a model to suit all already. The need to replace it is not understood by me at all, I'm off now to find out and waste what is left of Sunday morning.
[edit] EU emissions and safety regulations in the EU and US.
How do the other 4x4's get round this then? Surely LR could have whacked a few airbags and a cleaner engine...... like a V8 petrol
For those that wanted something upmarket, that is why they made the Range Rover. And then twenty years later when the Range Rover Rovers got silly expensive they bought the Discovery. Five years on from that the Freelander arrived. And sometime in the last few years they bought out a fashion accessory model, I don't even know what it is called.
They have got a model to suit all already. The need to replace it is not understood by me at all, I'm off now to find out and waste what is left of Sunday morning.
[edit] EU emissions and safety regulations in the EU and US.
How do the other 4x4's get round this then? Surely LR could have whacked a few airbags and a cleaner engine...... like a V8 petrol
Edited by colin_p on Sunday 8th March 11:52
Replace the chintzy interior in an Evoque with some vinyl and rubber, put some proper tyres on, bit more ground clearance and I suspect it will offroad very well, so something more offroad focused can go the other way, i.e. sling a posh interior in and sell it to those who never go offroad.
I reckon they will offer different configurations for different customers, they have been doing that with the Discovery for years, you could get a van at one point.
It doesnt need to be massively simple, it just needs to keep on working whatever the situation, the current ones have modern engines with ECU's and all that, I think they can make something more reliable and tougher these days, hopefully it wont rot for fun either.
I reckon they will offer different configurations for different customers, they have been doing that with the Discovery for years, you could get a van at one point.
It doesnt need to be massively simple, it just needs to keep on working whatever the situation, the current ones have modern engines with ECU's and all that, I think they can make something more reliable and tougher these days, hopefully it wont rot for fun either.
Hitch78 said:
Their next model will neither sell to military or farmer customers. It will compete against the Land Cruiser/Prado so a bit of off-road cred may be useful.
They're flogging the dead horse - get as much out of the history (and what a history) before it goes!
Agreed after all the MOD have already signed a deal for a replacement and its not LR. They're flogging the dead horse - get as much out of the history (and what a history) before it goes!
rambo19 said:
rovermorris999 said:
ecsrobin said:
Agreed after all the MOD have already signed a deal for a replacement and its not LR.
Out of interest, what have they gone for?This may have changed since I left thou
wildcat45 said:
It doesn't fit with the Land Rover brand any more and is going out of production for that and practical safety emissions and other reasons.
Woh, since when did Land Rover stop making piles of expensive unreliable s
t, was there a press release? Why was I not informed of this new change in the Land Rover brand? So you're saying that we can now buy Land Rovers that, you know...actually work? wildcat45 said:
So the Defender name will live on then?
What we are seeing is like the way the original Mini got promoted before the new MINI came in?
Similar, but the original Defender will probably live on too - expect the production line to be sent out to India after UK manufacture finishes, where it will have a long, long afterlife with a different name, sold in countries where they aren't quite so worried about killing pedestrians.What we are seeing is like the way the original Mini got promoted before the new MINI came in?
colin_p said:
I don't understand why they need to make it fit in, it is / was what it is, a serious off roader that is simple and easy to fix and something you don't mind getting dirty. Dirty as in having muddy water wash in up to your knees!
...snip...
They have got a model to suit all already. The need to replace it is not understood by me at all, I'm off now to find out and waste what is left of Sunday morning.
[edit] EU emissions and safety regulations in the EU and US.
How do the other 4x4's get round this then? Surely LR could have whacked a few airbags and a cleaner engine...... like a V8 petrol
If the market is farm equipment how do JCB 4x4s and similar meet the regs? ...snip...
They have got a model to suit all already. The need to replace it is not understood by me at all, I'm off now to find out and waste what is left of Sunday morning.
[edit] EU emissions and safety regulations in the EU and US.
How do the other 4x4's get round this then? Surely LR could have whacked a few airbags and a cleaner engine...... like a V8 petrol
You can already buy a reliable Defender - It's just not made by LR and it's called the Ibex F8.
http://ibexf8.com/pages/gallery-main.html
http://ibexf8.com/pages/gallery-main.html
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