The Great Defender Debate...

[BushWacker]

R1m not only buys the car ...
... ensures only the worthy do ...

[Ricof4e]

R1m not only buys the car ...
... ensures only the worthy do ...

Any person who pays in excess of 1bar for a vehicle secretly wants a gold tooth.

[BushWacker]

... far as I know all the. ‘Div 1’ 4*4 s cost more than a bar ... will look in my motor mag later today ... and with this model, Land Rover is, yet again ..., leading a revolution in technology ... not just for Land Rover but for the other manufacturers in this class.
Looking at the development time from concept to marketing and looking at what the worlds demanding wrt emission controls, carbon footprints etc it will probably be the last
genuinely new contender in its league... ‘last of the dinosaurs’ if you must !

( put your name on the list now ... for 300kw and 550Nm out of a ‘combustion engine’
... to drive an aluminium car !
or wait for the new age and drone of unglamorous, boring electric transporters ! )

[Willemvan]

I spent last week driving it in Namibia as part of the world media drive.
We drove both models coming to SA, the diesel and 3.0 litre mild hybrid. We did Van zyl's pass, Skeleton coast and wet muddy river beds where winching was the order of the day. Some of the roads had corrugations that would rattle the fillings out of your teeth. There were eight rotations not one of the 18 Defenders they brought in gave a day's trouble, either with hardware or software. The JLR technicians had real time monitoring throughout their stay there and would give feedback to HQ every night, so by the time it goes in to production, (all units currently are pre-production) trust me this will be a real Defender. On the second day, that included Van Zyl's, we drove close to 11 hours, If I had to do that in my own Defender I reckon I would have been in a wheelchair The price is moot, it's unfortunately determined by things outside our control. Driving impressions are embargoed till March 25.

[grips]

My question. Will we soon see Operators like Operators doing Namib desert tours driving the new Defender? Will it be able to survive everyday dune driving which is hard on the fully laden Cruisers most guides use? Some of them doing this for their entire life span. Sitting close to limiters for most of the day most of the times in low range.

Will the new Defender make it out on the mines, will it become the overland vehicle of choice ? When Land Rover add a pickup to the range will farmers swap their old Defenders or Cruisers for the new ?

I do not for one moment say the new Defender is not capable but there is a long way to go to proof itself in real life.
The pricing also does not favour it to become an everyday 4x4.

[Martin de Jager]

Grips, in my opinion, the new Defender is a well thought or designed vehicle, the short overhang on the wheel , the departure and approach angles its agility combined with new technology, makes it a stunning vehicle.
Price and backup that is another question, and reliability the remains its biggest challenge. Only time will tell. there is no doubt that the Land Cruiser would remain the desert king, also when it comes to value for money or at end of life, the best return on investment, it would be the Toyota.

[KurtG]

Found this quite interesting. Really didn’t do too badly for a non-locked IFS vehicle.


https://youtu.be/frTPchIuD4U


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[Mad Manny]

Kurt's video above shows how capable the NEW Defender is.
Here is a reveal of the REAL Defender...

https://www.motorauthority.com/news/112 ... l-revealed

[Mike-PS]

I like it - back to basics

Parts and service network is going to be questionable


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[KurtG]

...Parts and service network is going to be questionable...

So just like Mitsubishi SA?


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[Mike-PS]

...Parts and service network is going to be questionable...

So just like Mitsubishi SA?


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Exactly


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[Mike Nel]

https://youtu.be/wicvbE1jy0Q

You only need to watch the first 2mins. He sums it up pretty nicely.

[Mike-PS]

Sorry Mike - just can’t bare to listen to that chop but I’m sure he loves it though - the looks are nostalgic and does looks like it should belong in Africa


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[Mike Nel]

Sorry Mike - just can’t bare to listen to that chop but I’m sure he loves it though - the looks are nostalgic and does looks like it should belong in Africa


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I share your sentiment but take two minutes. It’s all. He’s on point.
The new Defender is actually a D4 but the 2.0 version with a little bit more payload.

[BushWacker]

... as far as I know, he requested a New Defender to test & review but was refused ...
so not surprising to see him initiate on a negative splurge.

I don’t see it as a D4 derivative...
it’s got a wishbone Al chassis integrated with the bodywork , sort of like a tortoise,
which makes it half a ton lighter,
and it’s got a small cap ingenium engine with 2 stage turbocharging,
and the engine bay is not a crowded place like the Disco’s,
... I suspect partly because the engine block sits well back and
is integrated to a whole new transmission set-up in/below the consol/bulk-head ?
This new Defender is completely flat underneath ... like a beetle ...
no diff pumpkins, no evident prop-shaft ( or tunnel) etc ...
so there’s no real underside topography , and that helps with clearance together with its suspension.

If the mechanicals (engine and suspension) prove to be hardy and reliable ...
this cars going to be a winner ... will only leave the interior and body work etc for you guys to criticize !

If I had the option, I would exclude all the back seating for a lower price,
to give me free space to work with ... and I’m not a flaunting urban racer nor furtive creeper !
... and, if the Jag XE can have an Ingenium engine & manual gear change ... can’t this Defender ?
I agree rear-door access is inadequately constricted ... but I’m a 130 guy!
...and I find some of the bodywork stuff puzzling like those little skylight peep-holes etc

... but I remain a hopeful spectator at this stage more than a market participant.

... think Kurt will be first 44AG buyer ...