The "New" Defender, ...Your Thoughts?

Curiosity is equipped with six 50 cm (20 in) diameter wheels in a rocker-bogie suspension. The suspension system also served as landing gear for the vehicle, unlike its smaller predecessors.[44][45] Each wheel has cleats and is independently actuated and geared, providing for climbing in soft sand and scrambling over rocks. Each front and rear wheel can be independently steered, allowing the vehicle to turn in place as well as execute arcing turns.

They've come a long way since then, in fact all the way to Mars, Umm electric, independent gearing, portal hubs, F & R steering, getting pretty smick. Probably a tad pricey

edit,
and called a Mars ROVER , so there's some cred , how can we get Diggers sticker up there

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cafe latte

Problem with us all having electric cars is there is not enough Lithium available for us all to have electric cars we really need a new battery technology. Also how are we going to charge all these batteries? if it is by coal or oil fire power stations we as well carry on buring fossil fuels in our cars as it will be more efficient than using fossil fuels to make electricity and use that as every time you convert energy from one type to another ie coal to electricity something is lost. Chris

---

Pfft.. nuclear.😜

Mobile phones, turbo chargers, LiPo batteries, GPS... All are 'new' tech re WW1 - Remeber that ppl laughed at the first car "No way will that ever replace a horse and carrage!!!" etc

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Introduced by Couple-Gear Freight Wheel Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the period before WW1.

Never heard of them? May be a clue here as to how successful the idea proved in practice!

John

---

You're talking about something that happened over a century ago John.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by spudboy

What would the other 3 be? Mini (the original one of course)? VW Beetle? Ummm - can't think of any more!

---

Mini,Model T,Beetle,RRC,Audi Quattro. Pat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wally

Me too Chris. It's really the one thing that bothers me.

---

ATB center diff will remove it completely. Pat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cafe latte

Problem with us all having electric cars is there is not enough Lithium available for us all to have electric cars we really need a new battery technology. Also how are we going to charge all these batteries? if it is by coal or oil fire power stations we as well carry on buring fossil fuels in our cars as it will be more efficient than using fossil fuels to make electricity and use that as every time you convert energy from one type to another ie coal to electricity something is lost.

Chris

---

This is the main point for me against electric vehicles,everyone claims that they have zero emissions which is true for the vehicle itself but where does the power come from?,all they do is move the emissions from column ''A'' to column ''B''. Pat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Beery

You're talking about something that happened over a century ago John.

---

Yes, but just think about other innovations that were introduced in the same era and have now become virtually universal - four wheel independent suspension, four wheel brakes, hydraulic brakes, front wheel drive, unitary construction, overhead camshaft, just to mention a few.

There were a lot of other ideas that were going to take over the world, but have yet to do so, and there is usually a good reason(s) for this.

Having said that, I do find the concept attractive in theory, but just needs to be pointed out it is not a new idea.

John

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Yes, but just think about other innovations that were introduced in the same era and have now become virtually universal - four wheel independent suspension, four wheel brakes, hydraulic brakes, front wheel drive, unitary construction, overhead camshaft, just to mention a few.

There were a lot of other ideas that were going to take over the world, but have yet to do so, and there is usually a good reason(s) for this.

Having said that, I do find the concept attractive in theory, but just needs to be pointed out it is not a new idea.

John

---

They were all far more feasible at the time with the mechanical engineering available.
Electric motors have come a long long way and the computers to control them weren't even thought of at the time.

Just because something wasn't feasible 100 years ago doesn't mean its the same today.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

...and so Toyota produce the Camry.....about as boring as car can be.

I think Land Rover should call it a Landrover......far from boring.

---

I have been driving my Mum's Nissan Tiida while she was in WA for a week and if ever there was a car without a soul, it surely is the Tiida.
No wonder so many grannies fall asleep at the wheel, its from sheer boredom !

Great motor though, quite nippy and fuel efficient :angel:.