New Defender

I had a chance to briefly drive the new defender yesterday around a short off-road course. It does drive bloody brilliantly! The interior is very nice. I've had a look at the price list today and the 'basic' entry level one has pretty much everything I would want. Why on earth would anyone spend 30k more for the top version when mostly what it has extra are gimmicks and bollocks you'd never need? I would probably add the active rear diff but that is it. I certainly wouldn't spend an extra 3775 pounds for a 'satin protective film'... they have to be taking the ****! What I found funny was that the dealers/instructors were quite clueless and would willingly slate the old defender... which they were selling for 160k euros as the works edition not long ago. Mind you, the off-road course they demonstrated...well to be frank you could get through it easily with a Dacia Duster and probably even a fiat panda 4x4. Anyway, marketing done beautifully...many people were like oooh-aaah. I now just hope with fingers crossed that the ineos grenadier is coming over here in lhd form

Most people don’t “buy” these cars, they lease them or take out a PCP
So it’s not about the actual cost, more the monthly payments. Many buyers won’t have any idea about what you “need” and “don’t need” on the new Defender, they want it to look good parked at the gym or when collecting the kids.
So they will more than likely let the salesperson advise them. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, it’s just a way of life for those with plenty of money.

l’ve got a customer who owns a crewed yacht in the Mediterranean. They bought it two years ago at a boat show in the USA.

“Sounds fabulous” l said “What’s it like to stay there?”
“Oh” he said, “We’ve not actually been yet” TWO YEARS AND THEY’VE NOT EVEN BEEN TO LOOK AT IT.
Goodness knows how much that’s cost them, £10,000,000? How much is a yacht? I’ve no comprehension.
They are really nice people.
But
“Defender, just spec it up so it looks good...”
They won’t even see the invoice, they own a finance company, it will just go into the books somewhere

A Discovery 4 would likely drive very similar and is also nice inside.

I’m sure the Pretender isn’t a bad vehicle. But it isn’t and never will be a “Defender”. It’s a complete snake oil marketing sham from JLR. Such a shame and wasted opportunity.

How is it a snake oil marketing sham when it’s taken more pre orders than any other product they’ve introduced?
In the end what matters is how many they can shift.
It might save the company.

lightning said:

How is it a snake oil marketing sham when it’s taken more pre orders than any other product they’ve introduced?
In the end what matters is how many they can shift.
It might save the company.

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If anything, it will take sales away from products built at Solihull, while abandoning the traditional Land Rover markets. When is the Wolf version being announced?

lightning said:

How is it a snake oil marketing sham when it’s taken more pre orders than any other product they’ve introduced?
In the end what matters is how many they can shift.
It might save the company.

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Im sure every con artist would say the same.

Its a shame because JRL are heavily portraying it as a direct successor. And clearly it isn’t. I’m not saying I don’t like it. But it isn’t a Defender in any shape or form.

Not getting off to a good start. Problem started on the way home from picking up his new vehicle.

Scooby22 said:

Not getting off to a good start. Problem started on the way home from picking up his new vehicle.

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Fixed! Until that pipe completely melts!

Video doesn’t work. But l guess no car is 100% reliable

lightning said:

Video doesn’t work. But l guess no car is 100% reliable

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That’s odd, it worked this morning. Can’t find it on YouTube site either. D’ya reckon LR have offered the new owner some ‘goodies’ to take the video down?

Could be. Or threatened litigation

well I´m taking my mum´s evoke to the dealer tomorrow so they sort out the two middle screens. Both freeze or switch off intermittently. She has done probably 1700km and had it for less than a month before this fault first appeared. I doubt JLR have ever won any prizes for reliability.

We test drove the new Suzuki Jimny on Saturday.
It’s to all intents and purposes a mini Defender TD5
Ladder chassis, live axles, low range lever, flat windscreen, transmission noise, it’s got the lot.
I wouldn’t even call it a mini Defender Puma as the dash is more TD5
But it’s so SMALL
If only it was 25% bigger! It would be the “new Defender”
Shame you can’t actually buy one....emissions are killing it after this year.
Although there’s talk of it being updated with a new engine, plus a commercial version (lol, you might get two lambs in the back)
And even a five door version, which looks larger and is a possible contender.