Thread: landrovers.... not what they used to be...

Well it would apear that Daves original observation ............'landrovers .... not what they used to be ...' strikes a chord with many.
Putting aside the issue of who waves to who and why/why not, I feel this issue begs the question of, well.............'landrovers.... what should they be ?'

At the risk of alienating the complete RR/Disco/Freelander membership of AULRO, not a small achievement in itself, I would suggest the definative LR would be of series ancestry. To wit, the Defender.

Body shape would remain the traditional slab fronted box with obvious improvements like panels that actually fit together and effective weather/sound proofing. Spiffy interior like from that 'special edition' SX, VX or whatever it was from last year.
How about the Iveco engine/drivetrain from their constant 4WD Iveco Daily ? 170 hp/400 Nm 3 litre common rail diesel matched to a 6 speed all synchro gearbox with dual range (4 speed) transfer case WITH diff locks both ends as well a the middle!
Suspension, probably long coil springs but not opposed to long semi-eliptical leaves.
Wheels and tyres 16" capable of taking 285/75's without body modification.

This would be my ideal defender, what would yours be ?

Deano

My idea of an appropriate defender,

• It would be at least 100mm - 200mm wider in the interior (like the 6X6 perentie).
• Drivers door would be longer, so the "A" pillar was behind your shoulder.
• the mudguards would be moved outwards leaving more room in the engine bay for batteries etc.
• The chassis rails would be tapered to enhance the turning circle but allow the choice of under-floor mounted spare or long range fuel tank in the rear.
• the combination heater/demister/air con would be mounted in the engine bay and ducted to the vents on the regular dash (not slung underneath)
• The station wagon, would have seating that lay flat like the seating in the D4.
• it would be powered by an efficient diesel of about 3 to 3.5 litres, with the power and performance like the current SDV6.
• suspension would be optionable, full EAS, coil and even a coil front long leaf rear option in the cab chassis model.
• body shell, should be enhanced occupant protection, ~ ROP equivalent.

This is what they still should be


That 3 point linkage and PTO would make a defender very versatile

Originally Posted by dobbo

This is what they still should be


That 3 point linkage and PTO would make a defender very versatile

Wot like the UniMog

Originally Posted by dobbo

This is what they still should be


That 3 point linkage and PTO would make a defender very versatile

Thing is it was available from 1960, but last appeared on the Land Rover price list in June 1966, so not a big seller, the one in the picture was hand operated too...

Originally Posted by dobbo

Engine origins have nothing to do with it, reliability, livability, longevity and functionality have. The Puma has very little of the above and therefore are being shunned out of anywhere but the metropolitan areas by any sane persons because of this. Land rover had the potential to build the most reliable Defender ever built complete with there own (albeit BMW designed) euro emmissions spec engine, but by going with the Ford transit engine they altered many of the essential designs that made a Land Rover so versitile and practical for thousand of the out of suburbia applications. Just because it looks like a 110, doesn't mean it is. It's an SUV, not a light agricultural and ultility vehicle for use on farms in which a Land Rover was and is still supposed to be. Anyone wanting to prove me wrong is more than welcome to put their new Puma up against my real Land Rover, I'd like to see the aftermath of an unmodified Puma's driveline and body after herding animals and pulling stumps out of the ground all day. more to the point where the hell can I mount a rear PTO on a stock standard Puma to run a slasher?

Coming from a bloke who lives in suburbia. Pat

I'm glad my Puma Defender is not like my old Series III, or even either of my previous Td5 Defenders.

And for the record, I wave at anything the same shape as me.

Originally Posted by juddy

Thing is it was available from 1960, but last appeared on the Land Rover price list in June 1966, so not a big seller, the one in the picture was hand operated too...

Perhaps if it had an engine driven hydraulic pump on it, it would have sold. Remember these cars didn't have power assisted steering, the new ones do.

If a Ford powered Defender could be used as a farm implement using Land Rover supplied parts and accessories (like you used to be able to buy on a series) would there still be a market for them, or would their cheese drivelines and lowrider styled gearbox sitting 2 inches below the chassis rails (Is this actually a Land Rover first on any of the models) render them useless? Is the Defender destined to be remembered as being a cult vehicle, a vehicle having a proud military history, (then when they became usless to the worlds armed forces due to crap electrics and a dodgey Ford engine transplant and before mentioned weak driveline) or will it be remembered as being used as a Toorak tractor to cart Latte sippling soccer mums around the urban jungle.


Ladies and Gentlemen, we need not the Posh Spice inspired **** machines of today with panoramic roofs, 22 inch Chromies and the smell of real dead animal skin on a $8000 interior, we need a vehicle that will take us to see the animals, let the Cheetahs **** on our heads as they climb over the Sarafi roof. Replace the 22inch continental tyres and wheels with 7.50 R16 bartreads on steelies, I don't want automated systems telling me how to drive, wipe my arse or changing gear for me, I want a big diesel, with a real gearbox, and simple mechanics that wont break every 5 minutes but when they do can get fixed without the aid of a computer, I can live with leaf springs and drum brakes and a crackly radio. I don't need Leather, chrome and woodgrain at my finger tips, instead, I need a large fuel tank and a winch, a few spare tyres and a network of dealers that can service my mechanically simple vehicle anywhere I choose to go. When you realise this, and discover that you cannot any longer buy a brand new series or a real 110, you do what I do and don't give up on the dream, just walk out of the Land Rover dealer go and buy either a low spec Dmax or Colorado. It may not be as capable offroad as my County or D2 but I can get parts and services in any major town in Australia, and is everything a Defender in this country needs to and should be. And I have an air conditioner that works. With my spare coin and the money I am saving from service costs, I am looking for a tractor to use on my (as Pat303 states, suburban block)