Future Land Rover design?

#### knows but it's clear that LR just arent interested in keeping that model going

Haha sorry guys, its not exactly my cup of tea either! Every version kept becoming less like a defender all the time. If it was up to me itd be modern, but much less sleek and aerodynamic with a much more robust aesthetic.

Corporate 'family' design .. I can't see that working well off-road, windscreen too sloping, can't see the corners, windows all round too narrow. I can see a need to round off bits to appease some people but not to that extent.

It also looks like everything else, the thinner windows, higher door bottoms and raised arse, looks like it's cruising for a bumshag ...

Fair play for trying, but when 'the company' ask for a design and that design turns into something very like what the company already want and produce rather than a 'new' design, it loses a lot of appeal for me.

I understand 'we' don't buy new Defenders and so aren't their target market, but that borrows nothing from early Landrover designs and everything from the way they are going anyway.

Hmm.. Judge Dredd's Freelander

Too much styling for styling's sake there I reckon, the necessary updates should be wrapped in a much more recognisable skin for something as established as a Landrover.

Your lot have shown what happens when people who have no idea about a 4x4 of the type that defender owners use design something . Point one those wheels are for boulevard cruising , tyre sidewall height is more suited to a formula 1 car than a 4x4 on rough terrain . Some other comments that are very relevant have been posted above .
Your design is so close to a BMW Mini 4x4 that its almost plagiarism . Even the current defender designer/ builders , have been taking it in the wrong direction , so dont feel too bad about it .

there is vey few ways of keeping a recognisable defender going , they should perhaps change the chassis design so its more crash friendly ( segmented chassis rails with crush cans that slide inside eachother) , add airbags for safety, reduce the weight so that its closer to the mass of vehicles( cars ) it will crash into

they could also make it wider so you have elbow room with the windows up,more soundproofing but no carpets ! they could also fit a thin rollcage as standard inside the vehicle due to the birmabright panelling not being strong in a rollover

not a huge amount can be done about engines as we already have the transit crap in the current models,im sure they could design something without having the need for that much wiring and ecu"s and I think the timing should be gear driven

difflocks as standard like half the jap market does

what else can be done??

That is one horrible looking vehicle,the front face looks like a fatter version of the latest rolls royce.bleurghhhhh.it looks out of balance front to rear,it is definately not an off roader as the body lines are all wrong and it will get damaged to easily.tyres are way to thin for off roading.this design is just to attract the yummy mummy type and not the genuine land rover enthusiast.

this early sketch shows what direction i would have went in if it were up to me.

But it wasnt.

slightly better but wheels too big

garyjpaterson said:

Thought i should update, the final design is finished! Still got to finish the clay model and stuff, and we're presenting on thursday.

The design is such a compromise between what so many people wanted, but im happy its done. Its been a group effort although it was my design chosen, and i did the renders you see below.

Land Rover Final Renders by garyjpaterson on deviantART

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If land rovers new defender is anything like the pics speculated here and elsewhere I can see slittys getting even more popular.

slittys??

A new defender of sort with a larger engine preferably a V8

Burtie2904 said:

A new defender of sort with a larger engine preferably a V8

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Why? So they can cost even more to run and be not much use?

yellow90 said:

slittys??

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jap/korean/chinese vehicles,slitty's,(eyes)

because V8's are awesome

Dr_evil said:

because V8's are awesome

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yeh,when they run.:screaming_bug_eye_f:jaw::bolt:

Ive heard from one of the design engineers at Solihull that the track Defenders are built on is being ripped up and scrapped plus the army no longer want them so the replacement for the defender will have to be monocoque and therefore look like that heap of crap in the concept design pics.

At least the proper defenders will go up in price.

insult to the eyes it is hideous, :crazy_driver:

gemsdad said:

jap/korean/chinese vehicles,slitty's,(eyes)

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ahh ! cheers for clearing that up

If the current Defender line is not selling enough then something had to change, Landrover are a business so keeping ahead of the competition and profit is the name of the game. If you already have a Defender, 90, 110, or Series then you own a design classic that may well increase in value after production stops, were you ever likely to buy a new Defender? So why worry?

Landrover originally made their name with robust off road ability, and became leaders in this market, they have for some time been looking to the luxury end of the market and have put the same effort into this to become the leaders in 4x4 luxury cars.

The Defender has kept the same basic looks and construction since the series 2 was launched in 1958, hats off to Landrover for achieving this. Nothing can last for ever though.

It may go full circle one day, but that's not now, Landrover have done it before and are fully capable of doing it again when the time is right and it's profitable to do so.

The ultimate vehicle is one that does not corrode, wear resistant, is modular, and easily repairable, the technology exists now and has done for some time to produce such a vehicle. Basically much like the supermarket's green "Bag for Life" idea, you'd have a car for life, reusing is after all better then recycling, and both are better than replacing and throwing away. However world economy does not allow for such "Green" vehicles to exist as once the market is saturated and everyone has one there is no more business. Plus it's human nature to always push for new technology.

Are we going to have the same Defender type argument when internal combustion engines are replaced by electric or some other technology?