Thread: The "New" Defender,.....When?

I forgot to say I'm tipping the Defender to have IFS and maybe rack/pinion (or maybe electric) steering to tidy up on road manners.

It may have features decided for the Disco 5.

So the 2014 defender will be an attractive option for many.

Originally Posted by uninformed

As for dougals comment, I would go and buy a LR right now if it came with a 3.2 ford or the 3.0 v6 from other LR. And it would be for work not for traffic light racing.

Yep, so would I as it would be a great idea for the Australian and African market.

The Europeans are however an "interesting" bunch and the "unpopular" comments were specifically aimed at that market. They have spectacular road tax on (depending on Country) emissions and or displacement. Diesel costs the equivalent of $2.65 per liter and only commercial and agricultural users get subsidized fuel. A small percentage of well to-do people just about make up Land Rover's entire European market.

Cheers,

Lou

Originally Posted by uninformed

As for dougals comment, I would go and buy a LR right now if it came with a 3.2 ford or the 3.0 v6 from other LR. And it would be for work not for traffic light racing.

But you know you'd be outnumbered hugely by the ones that only ever tow jetskis.

Originally Posted by Dougal

But you know you'd be outnumbered hugely by the ones that only ever tow jetskis.

I thought it was the meek who were going to get ahead, instead its all the cashed up bogans working in the mines None of them would be caught dead in a LAnd Rover though, which is a shame, becasue a big sales increase for the Def could maybe make some difference.

Originally Posted by uninformed

I thought it was the meek who were going to get ahead, instead its all the cashed up bogans working in the mines None of them would be caught dead in a LAnd Rover though, which is a shame, becasue a big sales increase for the Def could maybe make some difference.

I wouldn't be so sure. I happen to know some people who fit the jet-ski, BMW X6, golf on weekends stereotype to a T.

They were amazed to hear they were still making landrovers. They thought that all these ones they saw on the roads were series landrovers with new paint-jobs.
These same people go all gooey over the rangerover sports, if they knew there was a new tough landrover with decent power available then they'd be out taking a look.

Originally Posted by uninformed

any links to said papers?

Sorry can't help there. He was born in 1885, died 1974, his great book "The High Speed Internal Combustion Engine" was first published in 1932.

The following quote is from a racing forum:

Secrets

1. Study Sir Harry Ricardo's work, The High Speed Internal Combustion Engine (multiple editions)
and you will find it's unlikely you will do anything that's new, and if you don't read it you will probably
do everything wrong.
2. Study Charles Fayette Taylor's two volume The Internal Combustion Engine in Theory and
Practice (M.I.T. Press) and realize for a second time you don't know what you are doing.
3. ...

Also regarding so called modern technology, read what Maxwell and Tesla had to say so many years ago.

Science is not an art that can be re-written by newbs, no matter how clever they are.

What we are seeing in modern vehicles is not necessarily a result of manufacturers developing what the consumer wants. It is more likely imposed upon them and done reluctantly.

Land Rover is notorious for disregarding factual criticism; for example the problem with brakes was raised by the Snowy Mountains Hydro Authority was dismissed as Aussies don't know how to drive (or similar). No doubt you have read posts in this forum and seen that their clones are alive and well here.

Originally Posted by Bush65

Science is not an art that can be re-written by newbs, no matter how clever they are.

Oh man, soo many uses for that quote.

Originally Posted by Bush65

What we are seeing in modern vehicles is not necessarily a result of manufacturers developing what the consumer wants. It is more likely imposed upon them and done reluctantly.

We are also seeing systems that were dreamt up a century or so ago but weren't feasible then due to to material and control limitations. Common-Rail was one of the first injection methods tried. But injectors and valves in the 1900's weren't up to it and the abacus wasn't quick enough to work out the real time calculations.

More news: Land Rover Defender range to grow | Auto Express

The all-new Land Rover Defender is set to play a major part in Land Rover’s expansion over the next few years. And like the revamped Discovery family, it will spawn a range of bodystyles to satisfy a wide range of buyers.

Former brand director John Edwards – now in charge of the bespoke Engineered to Order Division at Land Rover – spoke to us about his plans for replacing the icon. And now that the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque have completed the ‘luxury’ pillar of the business, he told us: “Our focus is on chapter two and three, which is the leisure pillar and the dual-purpose pillar.”

In plain English, the ‘dual-purpose’ pillar refers to the Defender, with the brand keen to move the new model– previewed by the DC100 and DC100 Sport concepts back in 2011 – away from the traditional utilitarian image.

Edwards added: “The current Defender is probably too rooted in off-road – it needs to be more civilised in the future. That’s why it’s dual purpose.”

But he was quick to reassure buyers that “we are not abandoning off-road capability; we are talking about
a breadth of abilities instead”.

Production of the current Defender will end in December 2015, but we were told there will be a gap before the new version arrives in mid-2016. Edwards promised a variety of body types, too, telling us: “If you look at the range at the moment, there are 17 types. We won’t do that many next time round, but we want to satisfy as many customers as we can.”

However, when we asked about the possibility of a baby SUV to sit below the Evoque or the baby Discover, he said: "In the next five to seven years, we have no plans to go below the Evoque and Freelander. It’s not because I’m concerned about the brand; I think the brand is elastic enough to live beneath those cars."

Finally, Edwards promised that Land Rover would launch a new or heavily revised model every year. “We are ambitious to grow,” he said. “For me, momentum is important. Put it this way, we’ll be keeping you busy.”