Invitation to Touch & Feel - but not Ride!!!

[Mad Manny]

Well Done Peter Street (TGWIndina!)!
Waterford Jaguar Land Rover is a premier dealership - yet half the people to arrive to view the New IFS Defender were Action Group members or other that you invited.
If it wasn't for you - it would have been a sad affair.

[Mad Manny]

My impressions of the NEW IFS Defender:

It's not a Defender.
It's not an Off Road vehicle.
The tiny 2.0L Coke Bottle Twin Turbo would be lost in the engine bay if it weren't for all the accessories & add ons.
It's just too expensive,
It will scavenge Disco5 & Disco Sport sales.

It is very nice.
It will be very capable on Dirt& tar roads & will even do a mild trail with ease
It's a great outdoors vehicle for the well - heeled Milk & Manure belt.
It is solid.
It's very well thought out.
It's well built.
The overhangs are very short.
The air suspension is fantastic - you can even lift & lower the arse for towing.

The more basic models are better than the fancier models;
They only had S, SE & First edition examples.
No HSE (yet) & no 90's.
But everyone seemed to prefer the S to the others.

[Apocalypse]

I think it looks great - It looks like a Land Rover unlike the other offerings they have at the moment ! - I suspect it will cope with more than just 'mild trails'


Well done for organising to Peter and Manuel!

[Apocalypse]

My impressions of the NEW IFS Defender:

It's not a Defender.
It's not an Off Road vehicle.
The tiny 2.0L Coke Bottle Twin Turbo would be lost in the engine bay if it weren't for all the accessories & add ons.
It's just too expensive,
It will scavenge Disco5 & Disco Sport sales.

It is very nice.
It will be very capable on Dirt& tar roads & will even do a mild trail with ease
It's a great outdoors vehicle for the well - heeled Milk & Manure belt.
It is solid.
It's very well thought out.
It's well built.
The overhangs are very short.
The air suspension is fantastic - you can even lift & lower the arse for towing.

The more basic models are better than the fancier models;
They only had S, SE & First edition examples.
No HSE (yet) & no 90's.
But everyone seemed to prefer the S to the others.

It's not IFS by the way. That usually refers to bakkies and Fortuners and so on - Independent Front Suspesion, implying a live rear end.

The New defender is independent on all 4 corners.....

[Mad Manny]

I must add it's biggest flaw - the rear door.
It's a side hinged (RHS hinges) single swing door.
1. It doesn't open fully 90*
2. The door is thick - meaning it encroaches on the opening.
3. The DLO (Day Light Opening) is NOT very big - it's smaller than my Fortuner's.

This means you cannot put a fridge slider, for example, on the right, you'd almost have to mount it in the center.
So you'd then mount the slider on the left, but then with the fridge slid out, you will not fit between the fridge & the (not fully) open door.
Loading a large item, like aTV or a coffee table, flat, is not going to be easy
It's terrible.

They should either have the door swing out way past 90* (a someone suggested on Saturday)
Or...
Made it top hung as per the Fortuner (as Andreas suggested),
Or...
Fitted 60/40 barn doors as on the Land Cruiser 200GX (as I suggested)...

But Kurt did point out that the door opening should have been wider, maybe 100mm wider each side...

[Mad Manny]

It's not IFS by the way. That usually refers to bakkies and Fortuners and so on - Independent Front Suspesion, implying a live rear end.

The New defender is independent on all 4 corners.....

Yes, you are correct.
Where the previous Defender was solid/live axle all round this one has adjustable independent pneumatic suspension all round...

Peter Street says the compressor for the air suspension can be used to inflate the tyres...

[KurtG]

So.... 20 odd years after the mighty Pajero Gen3 went fully independent, the Land Rover has followed suit. Finally following the leader of the best 4x4xfar

[tgwinduna RIP]

It's not IFS by the way. That usually refers to bakkies and Fortuners and so on - Independent Front Suspesion, implying a live rear end.

The New defender is independent on all 4 corners.....

Yes, you are correct.
Where the previous Defender was solid/live axle all round this one has adjustable independent pneumatic suspension all round...

Peter Street says the compressor for the air suspension can be used to inflate the tyres...

Quite common since Disco 3 if you fit a Schrader valve to the reservoir.

[tgwinduna RIP]

So.... 20 odd years after the mighty Pajero Gen3 went fully independent, the Land Rover has followed suit. Finally following the leader of the best 4x4xfar

Hate to burst your bubble, Land Rover has been using Macpherson strut independent suspension for a very long time just not in the Defender.
Your terminology is wrong for your car, Best 4X4 on Tar, phixed. Suppose you are going to put a "ONE LIFE LIVE IT" sticker on your "Wanker Mobile" as well.

[tgwinduna RIP]

Manny
So much negativity and you haven't even driven the car yet. This is the Design Car of the Year through out the world. Understand on the design 20% was on aesthetics and looks and 80% on functionality, capability and to become the best production 4X4 ever produced in the world. Once you have driven this car on the all terrain track at the experience center you are going to be as happy as a dog licking its own balls.

[KurtG]

.....Suppose you are going to put a "ONE LIFE LIVE IT" sticker on your "Wanker Mobile" as well.

I don’t own a Jeep. You must have me confused with your boyfriend

[Apocalypse]

It's not IFS by the way. That usually refers to bakkies and Fortuners and so on - Independent Front Suspesion, implying a live rear end.

The New defender is independent on all 4 corners.....

Yes, you are correct.
Where the previous Defender was solid/live axle all round this one has adjustable independent pneumatic suspension all round...

Peter Street says the compressor for the air suspension can be used to inflate the tyres...

you will note that Land Rover have never done the 'half and half' job. Independent Front and Live Rear is basically the mullet of suspension design . A pair of live axles or Independent all round is the only way to go....

[BushWacker]

Manny
So much negativity and you haven't even driven the car yet. This is the Design Car of the Year through out the world. Understand on the design 20% was on aesthetics and looks and 80% on functionality, capability and to become the best production 4X4 ever produced in the world. Once you have driven this car on the all terrain track at the experience center you are going to be as happy as a dog licking its own balls.

Peter, ignore Manny & Kurt etc ...
... theyre the type of guys that used to creep behind a mango tree
just to share a Texan Plain through a cigarette holder .

[Apocalypse]

Manny
So much negativity and you haven't even driven the car yet. This is the Design Car of the Year through out the world. Understand on the design 20% was on aesthetics and looks and 80% on functionality, capability and to become the best production 4X4 ever produced in the world. Once you have driven this car on the all terrain track at the experience center you are going to be as happy as a dog licking its own balls.

Peter, ignore Manny & Kurt etc ...
... theyre the type of guys that used to creep behind a mango tree
just to share a Texan Plain through a cigarette holder .

When they zol... what do those two lick?

[Mad Manny]

Manny
So much negativity and you haven't even driven the car yet.

I listed 5 negatives & 7 positives.
Two of the negatives were subjective - they won't bother everyone.

So to say 'So much negativity' is a bit off.