Release day today, (live on Facebook now). Have Land Rover managed to ‘re-imagine’ an icon?

As a regular driver of Defenders, I have a love hate relationship with them. They are uncomfortable, unreliable, rusty, unsafe, inefficient, massive outside and too small inside.
However, they are also, inexplicable, awesome.

The old one was decades out of date. It will be really interesting to see if they can find the right balance between old Defender and modern expectations.

It’ll cost a bloody fortune.

It’ll cost a bloody fortune

The old ones were hardly cheap! But yes, they will be super expensive.

There’s leaked photos out it looks like a Chinese Knock off it’s a bit crap.

The best thing to happen with the new Defender is if it pushes the crazy high second hand prices of the old one down! 🙂

I like it….even though  it looks like a giant mini countryman

This?

Hardly a new design these days, so its the underpinnings that really matter innit?

They still have this issue that they’re trying to make an agricultural vehicle that the majority of owners will barely drive off road.

‘Enthusiasts’ want something they can fix with a mallet and an adjustable spanner, ‘lifestyle’ people a jacked up 5 series estate and they can’t sell enough of them to the former to make it pay it’s way and the latter can’t understand why they shouldn’t just buy a Disco/Evoque.

It’s a difficult sell.

I like it.

Tough audience at the motor show though. Lots of awkward silences where the designer is waiting for applause.

I don’t think you can build an “easy fix vehicle” for the EU/American market.  With all the emissions control gumpf and quest for light weight and electric that’ll never happen.

Not seen the commercial ones yet but the Professor was making my teeth itch so had to stop watching

The commercial 90 looked great.

£35 + VAT for the commercial!
**** that!

£35 + VAT for the commercial!

Less than forty quid? bargin!

configure away…

VAT back though innit.

£35k is about right, what were you expecting? £14k??, 7shillings and 6pence???

I personally quite like it. I do agree that the majority of buyers/PCP’ers won’t ever take it off road though.. but stick low profile tyres on it for the Waitrose carpark monotony..

Theres a bloke down the road from me who will definitely buy one, he has a HarleyD in the garage, an Ewok for his Mrs, an RR’finch (old shape, trad design because the new ones a bit gauche) cleans them all at least once a week and jet washes his drive once a fortnight.

But I think the LRD has lost out to rattly L200’s/Navaras/Rangers these days (for anything remotely like “commercial”)

Looks like a Skoda Yeti

Looks like a Skoda Yeti

Or a squared off Mini Countryman in the options pictures

Oi! Don’t you be insulting my Yeti, it look like a Kia Soul

£35k not crazy for the commercial version, a blingy Transit is about the same! Wonder if you can get a 29er in the back with the wheels on 🤔 I don’t think it’s what most people will want though (I.e. simple, reliable, cheap)

I guess it’s come full circle in a way… there was a time when the Range Rover was just a posher Land Rover, now this seems to be just a budget RR (and neither really meant to go off road!)

Agree it looks like a giant mini though 😂

People who want real utility have pick ups, they’re a far better configuration for people who want to use their vehicle as a tool so this was only ever going to be aimed at the Waitrose car park set.

It’s a classic nostalgic re-interpretation.

Trouble with having one as a commercial/work vehicle is reliability- if it’s off the road it’s costing you money, and LR’s reliability reputation, combined with the complexity and dealer/workshop turn-around times would count it out for anyone with a bit of nous I would think.

To my untrained eye the 3 door version looks like a modern version of the Freelander I.
I have to admit to being a fan of the old Defender, used to drive them quite a lot off-road and on-road in my old military days.
Even Mrs W wanted one until she test drove it. It would only be the Waitrose carpark, mountain bike carrying / weekend away vehicle. But she wasn’t a fan. Looked awesome on the outside but it was a bit rattly and noisy.
Price wise, doesn’t seem to silly really. My old Freelander II had a list price of £30k back in 2008 (HSE).

To my untrained eye the 3 door version looks like a modern version of the Freelander

Agree. Bit of a cross between Freelander and Discovery. Just another modern Land Rover product I guess that has nothing to do with the Defender and all those before that.

I remember the base model Defender hardtop was just over £20K before they stopped selling them wasn’t it? so £40K is quite a jump.

Bit of a cross between Freelander and Discovery.

A Free Recovery?

Why is there a great big square of metal blocking rear passengers visibility on the 3 door model!?

Why is there a great big square of metal blocking rear passengers visibility on the 3 door model!?

It’s an Adventure Panel.

That’s where the roof ladder / jerry cans / dead deer  / insurgent corpses get strapped on.

To hide their shame of being in faux defender.

The new Defender that I want is this one:

It’s a bit bland, isn’t it? Looks like any other 4×4 you’ll see doing the school run.

Looks a bit like a squished version of the last RR? Looks good IMO.

But……

Its just a slightly cheaper nostalgic discovery isnt it?

A new defender, should have been something unusual and an update of the otiginal concept like a galvanised ladder chassis to please the modifiers, independent suspension to bring it into the second half of the 20th century, bodywork made from recycled plastic.

Yes the engine would still need to be something complicated, But I dont see why the rest of it can’t be a cooler 4wd version of a berlingo/yeti in ’90’ trim, and l200 competitor in 110 guise.

They’ll still sell them as quickly as they can be built.

Lots of surprise on Twitter, apparently it looks a lot like a concept car they released prior to this, which is normal, apart from the fact they released it in 2004.

£50k is about entry for a non-commercial one which is about the same as an X5, GLE and Touran which will likely be more refined, smoother more car-like and all that, but £25k less than the cheapest G Class, but the new G Class is supposedly almost perfect.

Looks like the love child of a Skoda Yeti and half a Discovery.

I’ll pass, in favour of a V8 Landcruiser.

Hmm I quite like the commercial, not that I have any use for it whatever or the cash to buy one.

£78k for an unreliable cheap looking Skoda Yeti knock off?

Dear me….

I bet the suzuki jimmy will still outperform it and be more reliable in the real off road world.

£78k for an unreliable cheap looking Skoda Yeti knock off?

Dear me….

But… Defender.

Too expensive, too much paintwork, too much plastic, gone upmarket from it’s original roots (inevitably), crap new engines.
I’d rather have a Landrcruiser Utility at £35k

🤮

Sad day when a Suzuki Jimny has more off road credibility than a ‘Defender’, or rather a D.I.N.O.