Thread: RIP Defender....

I suppose just because they might adopt the shared aluminium platform wouldn't stop them from producing a range of basic vehicles on it, so it may not be the end of the world yet.
Platform-sharing is a smart way to reduce manufacturing costs. The real issue would be what they attached to the platform.
If the aluminium platform is their best one, and if they then make a workhorse on it, retaining the Defender's virtues while upgrading it to comply with safety regulations then that could be a good result, couldn't it?

Originally Posted by manic

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If Land Rover do not replace the defender with something at least as useful then its total transition to a Luxury car brand will be complete.

What I would want in a Defender replacement is something with more shoulder and leg room, quieter and with good air con, but one you would still be happy drilling holes for mounting stuff!

And capable off road!

Originally Posted by solmanic

Sorry, but I just had to add this in here...



my path to the dark side is now complete...

How much does that thing cost? Is fair to say that I could buy a new Rangie for the Mrs to cruise around in and a new 90 to park along side the 110? Now that would be lovely site to greet me in the garage every morning.

Originally Posted by Alra

How much does that thing cost? Is fair to say that I could buy a new Rangie for the Mrs to cruise around in and a new 90 to park along side the 110? Now that would be lovely site to greet me in the garage every morning.

Costs way too much, hence my comment about G-Wagen's not having a logical price point. Estimated price of the G-Prof when it comes here could be around $100K, again based on interweb chatter.

A lot of people complain about not having enough shoulder room etc in Defenders, but for me it is the narrow width of them that makes them so appealing. Defenders & G-Wagens have a lot of things in common - but one is that they both fit into military helicopter transports. This also makes them much easier to drive off road where all the Disco... a-hem, Landcruiser drivers get to knock all the scratchy scrubby branches out of the way for you.

I just hope any replacement Defender doesn't suffer from American SUV bloat and end up having a track width too much over 1.5m.

Round and round the ragged rock, the Rugged Rover ran!

If we can't have a Defender perhaps we can at least have rugged Rover?

Maybe a sort of precedent Land Rover could follow is what John Deere did around 1960. Up to then. their tractors all had 180 degree twin cylinder engines since JD purchased the Waterloo Boy company that initiated their Model D design in the early 1920s. When the company changed to more conventional, 3, 4 and 6 cylinder layout, tooling for the second largest twin, the JD 730 was sent for Argentina where they were produced for another 10 years. Although regarded by some as an antiquated design, they proved less prone to abuse by "cowboy" operators than most other tractors. The JD 730 was not tested by Nebraska University because it was largely mechanically the same as the 720 it superseded but with a lot of cosmetic changes to draw attention from secret development of new models. However for many years following the 720 was the most fuel efficient tractor ever to undergo the world recognised Nebraska tractor test
I would think most likely Defenders could continue to be produced profitably in Sri Lanka or India for a while with cheaper labour costs there and there would continue to be a market for them in countries where they still meet vehicle standards.


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Could look like this

gallery

Love the 6x6 dual cab