Thread: New Defender - Have your say

Originally Posted by PAT303

You have to remember about vehicle placement.People who pay 80K for a D4 don't want a 50K defender to have the same motor/gearbox,same as a person who spends 150K on a RR doesn't want a D4 owner having the TDV8.It sounds silly but thats the way it works.Being a Puma owner I really like the 2.4,it punches well above it's weight but I also don't tow a van or boat so can't comment on that. Pat

Unfortunately that theory does not hold water in the real world. For a perfect example look to the toymota mob. 75-120k cruiser gxl -sahara with a 4.4 tdv8 or a 58k 70 series with a de-tuned 4.4tdv8. Which is outselling both the disco and the defender at around 10 to one. Drop a 2.7tdv6 or even better a detuned 3.6/4.2 tdv8 into the defenders as a 5-10k option and see the result.

Originally Posted by tempestv8

Here's more news about the 2015 Defender:

Land Rover 2015 Defender Sport - Frankfurt show: Land Rover's surprise DC100 Sport | GoAuto

Dear Mr Land Rover builder man,
I'm very happy with my Puma Ute, and that I was able to buy it new and before the design was changed.

I bought it because I want a working truck, not a penis extension.
sincerly
yours etc

The main issue with the Defender and bigger engines is the available space in the engine bay. Now the first thing people will say is that that Stage 1's had V8 engines and they fit in a Defender engine bay, not to mention the 50th Anniversary 90. All good and well, but all the additional bits to make a TDV8 or TDV6 function just makes the lump way too big. How much space is left in a Puma engine bay with the 2.4 in there?

Those of you that read Land Rover Owners magazine might recall the 6 week editorial on the guys who put a TDV8 out of a wrecked RR Sport into an ex-Td5 110 SW. The new engines are just physically too big to fit in a Defender and they had to move the main bulkhead back, manufacture a new tunnel and the entire front end was a tubular arrangement with competition standard plastic panels. The end result was an awsome vehicle as a one off, but the modifications required to shoe-horn the engine in required a ground up redesign that would be completely cost prohibative. Allowing for the Defender's shortfalls in terms of safety in the 21st century, there is very little else to do than bemoan what could have been.

The final production version of the DC100 concept, regardless of what it's going to look like is suppose to have a TDV6 (or whatever is in production in 4 years time). It will meet EU and Happy Greenie (is there such a thing?) requirements, something Tyota and Nissan are unable to claim as none of their family sized 4x4 are currently able to comply with EU and growing world standards unless they are hybrid version in some sort of way.

I've been and will remain a massive fan of the current Defender, but in a changing world we're set to become a decreasing minority...

Thats right,the cruiser V8 needs alot,and I mean alot of hours in labour to repair the simpliest things all because of lack of room.Unfortunatly in todays vehicles the motor is nothing more than something there just to hang crap off. Pat

the new defender has to be readily identified AS a defender.same as they did with rr and disco.surely designers can come up with something that has the same styling cues but is more modern and safe.also engine options for non eu markets.that other thing just looks like a freelander.i like freelanders,but i dont want a defender to look like one.

It looks like a Freelander on steroids.

Freefender?

They could just widen and lengthen the current defender shape. The have done in the past with to 80 to 86, or a 107 to 109. I'm not sure how a 90 and 110 came about, but to fit a more attractive EU5 Dico donk in surely is possible. It would also give it just that little more interior room needed between the driver and peddals, f and r seat, and shoulders to the doors.

My guess is LR would want to keep the existing, but past sales would cause them so much doubt they are struggling to justify a Defender.
The way I see it before pumping money into a new model, they need to work on dealerships as they have the service sorted mostly.
Jap owners are like hood winked sheep, but there is an element of sanity buying a jap vehicle if you live outside the capital cities, or even with in one. Look at Brisbane and surounds. You have a distributer in the city, on on the gold coast, one on the sunshine coast. Toyota has about a dozen in the same area. Purely out of convenience it makes looking to buy at a Jap vehicle so easy. As for a Defender, even after they worked through all the mis information regarding the vehicle, they have to make a day trip to look and touch one. Or pay for parking at the very least.
There is no doubt many many people assimilate a Defender to being a great 4x4, but getting them past the quirks and LR from top down is there biggest problem for a Defender.