Thread: Will be Retro

FAKE

So, is that the baddies car or the goodies car ? Wonder if the winch gets used in the movie?

no more fake than whats been shown on 'wont be retro' or 'will be retro'

Well, I don’t hate it, but would it have killed them to have given it a separate, tapered bonnet that just sat proud of the wing tops, maybe just as tall as that banding at the base of the window pillars? It would have shielded more of the wipers too.

The grille could stand to be deeper as well; either flatter overall, or the whole thing protruding a little.

I still think the bonnet shape is bizarre and I’ll bet that chequer plate is actually plastic. Maybe the aftermarket will come to the rescue, or it will be part of a subsequent facelift when the design of the front end has been suitably criticised by all and sundry. The overall shape looks a bit too OG Range Rover Sport as it is.

I do like what they’ve done with the headlights; modern, but the lineage is still there. The rest of the shape looks on point too, though there are a few fussy details. I’m still keen to see the rear, especially after the further leak of the Lego model the other day.

It will be interested to see specs and colours and I’m still hoping they spring a manual option on us, though I know there’s virtually no chance of that.

One final thought: I hope those front quarters are composite and easily replaceable. That ‘chequer plate’ isn’t protecting anything, so if they’re metal they’ll end up dented something terrible after the car’s first visit to the dealer workshop. It will also make designing a bar much harder if they can’t be trimmed up and the cost of repair or replacement will be eyewatering.

Very fine looking automobile.

Cheers

Originally Posted by scarry

FAKE

I wouldn't be so sure. No evidence of photoshopping and it sure as hell looks like what the promo ones might be without camouflage. There is no way Land Rover could keep from having un-masked vehicles being spotted here and there this close to the launch. There will be demo models ready to roll out all over the place. When I was at the Solihull factory about a month before the Defender launch in 2007, they were rolling off the line already and even had one planted out the front of Eastnor Castle.

I don't hate it as a standalone vehicle, but don't see any link to the original that makes me feel this was an 'evolution' and that turns me right off. Admittedly this was what they were going for if all the marketing fluff we've listened to over the last few years is to be believed because they have no desire to retain the loyalists, only to secure a greater market share of the café culture by developing another discrover clone.

Sadly a missed opportunity, in my humble opinion, to design something that respects the iconic name of Defender while being a game changer i.e. the last true hardcore offroad vehicle in a neverending tide of SUVs and softroaders. I look forward to seeing them in school zones and woolies carparks across the country because I see nothing to distinguish it from a disco or a rangie, just different letters on the bonnet.

Will definitely be hanging onto mine, warts and all, because I bought a defender for the lineage and uncompromising focus on offroad ability, not for styling, brand identity or fancy gizmos.

What do you mean 'no evolution'? That Defender badge on the front looks quite similar to the last one...