Thread: Defender 90. Why no auto?

Originally Posted by loanrangie

An auto TD5 Defender would have sold well and made it a proposition against the jap vehicles instead of being marketed at grumpy old men stuck in the dark ages.

Would it sway the hummer h2 buyers?

Of course an auto option would have been good.
BUT, NOT with 90KW 2.2 Puma, or for that matter, ANY engine that Defender has had, & what looks like, ever will have.
A lot of owners drive their cars predominantly on the roads, where getting off the line the Defender is dreadfully slow,...with an auto it would be even slower,....90KW is simply not enough to drive an auto.,,,IMHO of course.
However, place a decent engine in there, & the equation changes, & it could've,.... years ago,......but,.......it ain't gonna happen now.
We will have to wait for the "next" "Defender", to see what will happen.
Pickles.

Originally Posted by loanrangie

An auto TD5 Defender would have sold well and made it a proposition against the jap vehicles

I agree with this. My last manual four wheel drive was six fourbys back. No auto option and it's immediately off my buying list.

Could see what rocket rod has available at Wholesale Auto's... I doubt he'd have a conversion ready, but I'm sure he could do it!

Originally Posted by loanrangie

An auto TD5 Defender would have sold well and made it a proposition against the jap vehicles instead of being marketed at grumpy old men stuck in the dark ages.

I clearly don't pay enough attention to marketing. Is the defender for grumpy old men? Suppose I'll get there eventually.

If there had been an auto in the Defender TD5, they most likely would have sold very very few back then.

The NAS V8 auto made sense for the NA market, but they still didn't sell too well.

I think the current Puma is the best diesel candidate for auto so far, considering improvements in auto boxes with 100+ gears that can apply and use power much more effectively than 6 speed manuals. Also you have advantages of vnt turbo and a more advanced ECU system.

An auto puma would probably boost sales now that the defender is riding a pre termination boom and high up on the cool wall. From what I can see on the roads here in Melbourne there are a lot of people out there that would consider a D90 for a city run about. Even P platers with rich parents seem to be asking for them. Not having an Auto must keep a lot of these types at bay.

So yes, perhaps now is a good time in the market for an Auto box! Whilst I like to pretend that all defenders are used for grit, grime, work and adventure - I think we could all just about handle a short wave of 'Fashionistas' driving polished defenders around town at the risk of making us all look like a bunch of small pricked plonkers. The more defenders that are out there before termination, the better. Those that buy defenders for urban chic, wont keep them long. Ultimately they can all serve my spare parts bin.

Time is running out - Your country needs you - Procreate more defenders!

Originally Posted by Keithy P38

Could see what rocket rod has available at Wholesale Auto's... I doubt he'd have a conversion ready, but I'm sure he could do it!

You know that Ashcroft have conversion kits ready to go?

Originally Posted by Pickles2

Of course an auto option would have been good.
BUT, NOT with 90KW 2.2 Puma, or for that matter, ANY engine that Defender has had, & what looks like, ever will have.
A lot of owners drive their cars predominantly on the roads, where getting off the line the Defender is dreadfully slow,...with an auto it would be even slower,....90KW is simply not enough to drive an auto.,,,IMHO of course.
However, place a decent engine in there, & the equation changes, & it could've,.... years ago,......but,.......it ain't gonna happen now.
We will have to wait for the "next" "Defender", to see what will happen.
Pickles.

Same motor in the 2WD Ranger 6 speed auto.

Engine DIESEL TURBO F/INJ

Capacity 2,198 cc Size 2.2L

Cylinders DT4 Valve Gear DUAL OVERHEAD CAM

Bore x Stroke 86x94.6

Max Power 110kW @ 3700 RPM

Max Torque 375Nm @ 1500 RPM

Compression Ratio 15.7

No. of Valves 16

Baz.

Originally Posted by Redback

Same motor in the 2WD Ranger 6 speed auto.

Engine DIESEL TURBO F/INJ

Capacity 2,198 cc Size 2.2L

Cylinders DT4 Valve Gear DUAL OVERHEAD CAM

Bore x Stroke 86x94.6

Max Power 110kW @ 3700 RPM

Max Torque 375Nm @ 1500 RPM

Compression Ratio 15.7

No. of Valves 16

Baz.

For me 6sp is the point where some autos become livable. IMO anyone trying to sell a 4sp auto in a mass-market is in for mockery.

So we know they have a 6sp auto that will fit to the engine. But could it be made to fit with the LT230 and if so, how many $$ would this have taken?

A 6sp auto which fits the LT230 would open up A LOT of aftermarket conversion possibilities for RRC/D1/D2 and defender.