Thread: A marketing opportunity missed

john i hope you realise that i'm not actually arguing this, i know landrovers leak thats why i have that signature! i know they brake down, as does everyone else, we know they have crap dealer network....we all know parts can be expensive.

We all know they have SMALL engines.....but this is my point we all know this so if it bothers you enough to crap on about it all the time why did you (not you inparticular by the way ) buy one in the first place.

this is not all directed at you john so please dont take offence i only used your POS as an example amongst others.

i just find it hard to understand.....there are a number of people on this forum, that aren't willing to except change, but they bang on why they are not willing to except change hence making those that have embraced the change feel subdued, and tired of trying to defend there choice.

I understand people are going to have an opinion, hey both me and you are voicing ours right now.....but sometimes there is an opinion and theres an OPINION......


lets just all have a cyber hug i reckon.......and get some of this landrover man love out in the open

if all you children dont play nice I'm gonna send you back inside!

Originally Posted by digger

if all you children dont play nice I'm gonna send you back inside!

... and you wont be able to work on the LandRover for the rest of the day.

Some points.

1. The TDV6 shouldn't be in the Defender. The Puma engine is designed for slogging all day long with heavy loads on anything resembling diesel fuel, year in year out, remember it's the Transit engine which tradies rely on. That's why it only puts out 90kw from 2.4l. Still, Puma-powered Defenders move along quite nicely indeed thank you. First time I drove one I said it was a "Defender Sport". If you feel you want more power I suggest a driving course is could be in order.

The TDV6 is designed for higher power, smoother performance; 140kw from 2.7l. A different cc/kw ratio you'll notice. Given you can't have everything I'd be willing to bet some tradeoffs have been made, and the Puma would be chugging away years after the TDV6 dies in an expensive way. I know for sure it's more sensitive to fuel quality, and I think the servicing/parts costs would be an interesting comparison.

If you want to scoot around at high speed buy an RRS. If you want to lug heavy loads, economically, all day long, anywhere, buy a Defender. If you're not sure, buy a D3.

But either way, don't complain about one not being the other.


2. Please understand Land Rover is now a premium brand. They are not, repeat not, interested in taking on Toyota in the ute/basic market. So get over it. Yes, they should have been, lots of bad decisions over the years, agree with all of that, lost potential etc etc, but that's unfortunate history. As someone said, LR is as interested in the non-premium market as Jaguar, by an amazing conincidece.

The Defender is an embarrassment to LR now. They can't ditch it, but it's expensive to redevelop it. It's not a big money maker. But it's a halo, an icon. Their hearts want to do something with it, but their heads make them focus on FL hybrid, RR replacement, D3 mid-life, V8 RRS, LRX etc first and the project seems to slip and slip.


IMHO.

well I love sitting in my 110 with the window wound down, elbow on the sill, driving wherever I want to at whatever speed I'm comfortable with and not in the least envious of the blokes in their aircon comfort, luxo-barge family wagons (no matter if they are disco's, cruisers, patrols or whatever). It just works for me. The fact that it has a 3.9 litre aussie factory spec motor with a hair dryer on the side is almost unimportant, but I know it will be running and plugging away for the next 30-40 years no matter if I ran it on peanut oil, olive oil, diesel or whatever is on the market by then!

Originally Posted by rmp

Some points.




2. Please understand Land Rover is now a premium brand. They are not, repeat not, interested in taking on Toyota in the ute/basic market. So get over it. Yes, they should have been, lots of bad decisions over the years, agree with all of that, lost potential etc etc, but that's unfortunate history. As someone said, LR is as interested in the non-premium market as Jaguar, by an amazing conincidece.




IMHO.

And history will record that failure to have a volume seller contributed to the demise of both brands. Every car maker now has "prestige" lines chasing a small percentage of the market. Jaguar has struggled for at least twenty years now. It is very hard to get a decent dealer if you can't offer him a volume seller to pay the bills. Been there.

I think there are some important issues here re LR in the OZ market.

Theiss imported cruisers to OZ, which had a big(ish) 6 and originally a 3 speed which wasn't ideal.

The cruiser engines and boxes were rapidly improved, the nissan followed soon after with an even larger engine, and Land Rover's market share started to rapidly decline. The rear axle strength in 109" IIA's didn't help at all.

If you were back in the early 70's, when fuel was cheap, and had the option of a 4L 6cyl petrol or diesel in the competition, and a 2.3L petrol and diesel in a landie, then...

You only have to look at how many landies of that vintage were fitted with holden (or similar) engines. I think the 2.25 is a great little engine, but it doesn't cut it for the brigade that wants to go to the back paddock and do "circle work"

The balance was FINALLY redressed in the early 80's by the V8 and the 4BD1T, but it was really too late by then, and the rapidly worsening exchange rate meant that the defender was almost killed off completely in OZ (and AFAIK wasn't offered for sale in 1991).

IMHO, if a 3-5 Litre petrol and diesel had been introduced in the early 60's, along with a sufficiently strong rear axle and gearbox, then landies would be as popular as toyotas in Australia today.

(edit - but who wants to be one of the sheeple driving a Nissota???)

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

And history will record that failure to have a volume seller contributed to the demise of both brands. Every car maker now has "prestige" lines chasing a small percentage of the market. Jaguar has struggled for at least twenty years now. It is very hard to get a decent dealer if you can't offer him a volume seller to pay the bills. Been there.

True. I'm not agreeing with their direction, I'm reporting it.

However, premium doesn't necessarily mean low volume. BMW, for example.