Thread: RIP Defender....

Well it has been a subject that has been around for years.

Here is the prototype new defender from back in the early 90's. those poms on the forum will notice it is on j plate which is 1991. This was when they were going to scrap the defender as we know it.

Funky gear selectors, hows the uncluttered floor (did they forget to put a gearbox in it) ??

what about the one piece Bonnett / grille, see a few bumped heads there , like the old Mercedes 220S , still got a scar on my noggin from that one.

The latest......
Time to say goodbye to Land Rover's utilitarian roots | Autocar

Originally Posted by Fifth Columnist

The latest......
Time to say goodbye to Land Rover's utilitarian roots | Autocar

I don't agree with this statement 'Secondly, building a rugged off-roader that would compete on quality and price with all-conquering Toyota would not be easy.'

Toyota's quality, particularly in it's bigger cars has been slipping over the last decade. I know a few people that have had some quite significant problems with the V8s and are seriously considering what else is out there. Land Rover could never match the sheer quanitity though (and cost reduction that goes with it)

It'll be sad to see Land Rover shift their focus entirely to Premium vehicles, and it's a move I don't really agree with. It may prove to bite them in the arse in 20 years time, then again, they may well be the leader of the market. Only time will tell if it's the correct thing to do

Time then to go back to where it all started,
Landrover Utilitarian Roots are actually Jeep,

(as if anyone dosent know the Prototype Landrover was infact built on a Jeep Chassis)

Wonder what the outcry would be in USA if Jeep were to drop the JK Wrangler.

Now if one wants needs capable coil sprung live axle 4WD that complies with Australian ADR's what choice will we have ?

Jeep JK Wrangler
Mercedes G (well outside price range
..... meybey they should bring out a poverty pack ??? )

....or the Mahindra Defender?

Originally Posted by goingbush

...Now if one wants needs capable coil sprung live axle 4WD that complies with Australian ADR's what choice will we have ?

Jeep JK Wrangler
Mercedes G (well outside price range
..... meybey they should bring out a poverty pack ??? )

The G-Professional is still on the cards although not likely to cost less than about $90K. And they don't even come with any radio.

I am not entirely opposed to the comment in that article that the replacement Defender might have to go further upmarket. As long as it retains its basic roots, many people buing new might just accept a price hike from the $50K range up to say $80K. This is still only around Toyota 76 series money and as others have pointed out, Toyota is losing some of its quality.

Most diehard Defender enthusiasts buy secondhand anyway so Land Rover can pocket the increased profit from a more premium product which will inevitably filter down to the secondhand market. There near-new $40-50K Defenders can satisfy the more adveturous users looking to break them properly once the warranty has run out.

If Land Rover got the design for an all new $80K Defender right then they just might pull some customers out of Nissan Patrols and poverty pack Landcruisers as well as drag some of their loyal new vehicle purchasers up to a higher price point.

It's still the same old stupidity. Toyota and Nissan have proven that there is a huge market for workhorses. Land Rover has done nothing to improve the Defender and grab their share of that market - no bigger engine, unbreakable gearbox, and most importantly, no advertising or dealer network to speak of.

They've been embarrassed by the Landie since the '50s when it made the most money and that money went to prop up Rover cars. In the '70s they did almost nothing on the SIII while Toyota took over the market and Rover cars started the long decline into their eventual demise. And now we have a company that seems to hide the Defender out the back while pushing the "premium" vehicles, just like they used to with the Rover cars.

Unless there's a sudden change in approach, I expect they'll get right out of the workhorse market, and then another company will exploit the gap and build a simple and affordable 4wd, just like Rover did in the '40s.