Brand new Defender

waldershelf said:

No I haven't bought one but I was in the dealer in Sheffield (Guy Salmon) picking up some parts for a S3 disco.
I went into the showroom and had a look at a new 2.2L 90" Defender, electric windows, leather seats, air con, central locking etc etc. In fact all the toys you find on a "modern" car. BUT................

Sat in the drivers seat I could see daylight through the lower front corner of the passenger door just like on my old 'un.
Along with all the other ill fitting, poorly designed,"features" we all love about our 'fenders.

And sure enough when I looked underneath, absolutely no protective coating on the chassis at all, just chassis black which was starting to show rust on a 0 miles vehicle.

And this costs over £30 grand.

There is really no surprise that Land Rover can't sell them in profitable numbers any more.

Much as I love my old banger I have to say no one in their right mind would by a new one.

Come on Land Rover it's time for a new Defender, and not the plastic fantastic "concepts" we have seen so far.

So what do you think? what does the new defender need to be?:-

I'll start.

Ladder chassis, so utility companies and the forces can have all sorts of cranes, cherry pickers, fire engines etc etc. and we can have the robustness for off roading.

Coil sprung, mechanical dampers, straight forward simple engineering for utility, strength and axle articulation, not road holding and finesse.

Similar look to the existing model but manufactured using modern techniques and materials. So it's properly built like a modern car not a throwback to the 1950's

And lets have some cabin ergonomics, with seats and a driving position that fit normal size people, a bit more right arm room, forward and backward seat movement and a handbrake lever that doesn't stick in the drivers leg would be nice.

A full range of body styles and options built on a modular concept to maximise the flexibility/options available to satisfy as many specialist customers as possible.

Lastly for me, price, make it competitive with other vehicles in its sector.

Click to expand...

Lord Hemming said:

I must be mad! I just bought one

This is my second 90 and I love it. I wanted a new one to keep. If you look back at iconic cars, it's the original everyone wants.....

I'm sure the new one wil be better in so many ways, but nothing will beat the classic shape and hand built (quality?) for me.

Click to expand...

Tubes63 said:

20 miles?? Damn your first big repair bill will be right around the corner!

Click to expand...

markst said:

day 3 of ownership....and engine warning light on......quick check under the bonnet and the AFM in particular --hey its gone out

nothing like a hands on expericance

Click to expand...

waldershelf said:

No I haven't bought one but I was in the dealer in Sheffield (Guy Salmon) picking up some parts for a S3 disco.
I went into the showroom and had a look at a new 2.2L 90" Defender, electric windows, leather seats, air con, central locking etc etc. In fact all the toys you find on a "modern" car. BUT................

Sat in the drivers seat I could see daylight through the lower front corner of the passenger door just like on my old 'un.
Along with all the other ill fitting, poorly designed,"features" we all love about our 'fenders.

And sure enough when I looked underneath, absolutely no protective coating on the chassis at all, just chassis black which was starting to show rust on a 0 miles vehicle.

And this costs over £30 grand.

There is really no surprise that Land Rover can't sell them in profitable numbers any more.

Much as I love my old banger I have to say no one in their right mind would by a new one.

Come on Land Rover it's time for a new Defender, and not the plastic fantastic "concepts" we have seen so far.

So what do you think? what does the new defender need to be?:-

I'll start.

Ladder chassis, so utility companies and the forces can have all sorts of cranes, cherry pickers, fire engines etc etc. and we can have the robustness for off roading.

Coil sprung, mechanical dampers, straight forward simple engineering for utility, strength and axle articulation, not road holding and finesse.

Similar look to the existing model but manufactured using modern techniques and materials. So it's properly built like a modern car not a throwback to the 1950's

And lets have some cabin ergonomics, with seats and a driving position that fit normal size people, a bit more right arm room, forward and backward seat movement and a handbrake lever that doesn't stick in the drivers leg would be nice.

A full range of body styles and options built on a modular concept to maximise the flexibility/options available to satisfy as many specialist customers as possible.

Lastly for me, price, make it competitive with other vehicles in its sector.

Click to expand...