Land Rover Defender 2020

[Sprintey]

Lots of leaks recently on this one, and tbh this is a pretty exciting release.

https://www.caradvice.com.au/771032/...etails-leaked/

It isn't the old Defender (with its 29000 worldwide sales), it isn't live axle or chassis. It isn't the Disco 4 although many have pointed out it seems a similar place in the market.

But for me, it has some really cool specs: you can get a front bench seat and use the width practically, you can get a 2 door 4wd (memories of the Series LR, and things like FJ73), there will be inline 6 petrols and diesels available (and also in the F-Pace if you fancy a I6 petrol Territory replacement, but that's off topic) Defender is ALL ALLOY so take that beach rust! It's like Christmas has come!

They might even land on their feet, given the diesel woes of the Tojo 2.8 and 4.5 recently - if they can make it reliable and price it well

Good luck Land Rover...

[TheInterceptor]

This is absolutley superb! Ive never been excited for a new car till now.
Ive seen what a D3 can do and theyre amazing offroad. Independant hi travel air suspension, diffs are up high out of the way, superb terrain response traction system....its unparallelled! This defender will be all of the above at the least but with many more options.
Great engine options too.

I am definitley waiting eagerly for it to be released, see how they go.

[Crazy Dazz]

And in other news, Lotus is launching a new version of 123...

and de Havilland have plans for a new Comet

[Peuty]

Looks great, and the specs seem pretty decent.

I'm waiting for BigTrev to chime in on how it won't be as good at towing as the V8 County model from nineteen dickety two

[janddbone]

Yeah a few of us crazy idiots are waiting every so impatiently!

[b0son]

The problem will be the price. LR hasn't been anything close to good value for several years now. I'd have loved to upgrade our D4 to a D5, but the equivalent spec/drivetrain was $30k more than what we paid for the D4. I can see why JLR are in trouble, if you're going to be paying $100k+, and most people aren't serious about the 4wd capability, there are plenty of more prestigious vehicles to be had for similar coin, and without the rep for unreliability.

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

And in other news, Lotus is launching a new version of 123...

and de Havilland have plans for a new Comet

well played for mention of the de Havilland Comet. For every Comet they come out with something game changing like a Harrier, so I'm hoping this Defender will be the latter...

[Sprintey]

And here it is at Goodwood:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTwV...ature=youtu.be

[Sabantien]

And now it looks exactly like every other Range/Land Rover. Even down to the 20" low profile tyres.

RIP Defender.

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by Sabantien

And now it looks exactly like every other Range/Land Rover. Even down to the 20" low profile tyres.

RIP Defender.

That is where i have to disagree a bit. There is no way they can make anything like the original defender in this day and age however the design cues are definitley there. The Discovery range were indestructible compared despite the hype over the original defender (not saying the defender was weak, it was also excellent but the Discovery 3/4 were miles ahead).

The large wheels and low profiles arent really an issue to traction if current rovers are anything to go by, except for sand driving however most full size 4wd's weigh that much these days they all kind of sink unless you fit some major fats.
Base model is tipped to have 18'' wheels at least.

Im still excited but perhaps this is because i know what modern rovers can do!

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

well played for mention of the de Havilland Comet. For every Comet they come out with something game changing like a Harrier, so I'm hoping this Defender will be the latter...

My point is that Britain was once at the forefront of many things, including cars. But 50 years of socialism ruined all that.

The Land Rover was the 1st and best of its kind, but like so many things it has been passed by the rest of the world.

I'd be interested to know who their target market is, and what their selling point will be?
It seems like they are turning the Rangie into Exotic luxury cars, and the Disco is becoming the new Chelsea Tractor, so perhaps the Defender will be the new Disco?

[Sprintey]

Agree with you. Post 1980 a lot of that industrial economy was turned into a financialisation-based economy (check out all the Bentleys getting into work in the city of London at 8:45am each morning...) and that is quite sad. I still treasure (and use) my grandad's old quality hand tools, "Made in Sheffield" cast into the blocks...

Every now and again they show their brilliance (for example, the Rover 75 in its day or some of the F1 based stuff and top-end engineering, Aston Martins, Rolls Royce including all the jet engines, BAE, nuclear subs, satellites, radar, fleet aircraft carriers - hello Scotland!) and JLR remains as one of the flagship industrial enterprises, along with quite a lot of the defence stuff.

For the target market, perhaps it's me. Long have I wanted a 4wd (or any wagon) with a front bench seat option. That centre section filled with a storage box and mobile phone paraphenalia is just such a massive waste of space. It could be used for passengers, far more practical. Even for a short trip down to the beach with 3 sitting on the front and all boards and gear in the back. Edit: imagine some of the 10-20km long sand beaches on the NSW mid coast with a Defender 90, bench seat and the 3.0 petrol inline 6 and all its power.... mmmm. Bonus is aluminium construction...

Do I realistically need a troopie or a 60 series Cruiser all the time? No way, the things are uncomfortable. Do I need the bulk of a 200? Do I need the wagon or dual cab to be 5m long? Do I want a diesel? (no) This car has options.

And yes agree, this new Defender is the new Disco 4. Disco 4 is much loved among the LandRover forums crew and owners. The old Defender sold 29,0000 or so worldwide each year, so like the much loved Falcon, the times moved against it.

One last comment. Reliability is everything. My bro's company switched 79 series for Defenders (the old one that everyone is mourning) for their rail line work. You know, where the ute has the rail attachments at front and rear and gets to pretend to be a choo choo train. The Defenders just kept breaking axles, so the switch was back to the 79... That is the big one that JLR must face, whatever vehicle they make - reliability/toughness.

[Sprintey]

While I'm at it, washing machines haha:

https://www.ebac.com/

https://www.ebac.com/washing-machines/

This is a story I'd love to see here in Australia...

[janddbone]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

That is where i have to disagree a bit. There is no way they can make anything like the original defender in this day and age however the design cues are definitley there. The Discovery range were indestructible compared despite the hype over the original defender (not saying the defender was weak, it was also excellent but the Discovery 3/4 were miles ahead).

The large wheels and low profiles arent really an issue to traction if current rovers are anything to go by, except for sand driving however most full size 4wd's weigh that much these days they all kind of sink unless you fit some major fats.
Base model is tipped to have 18'' wheels at least.

Im still excited but perhaps this is because i know what modern rovers can do!

Dunno, did not stop Suzuki doing it.

[Sabantien]

I've never seen anyone doubt the ability of a Defender or Discovery, just the reliability.

Make them safer, make them a bit more comfy, but certainly the body shape of this looks exactly like the 7 other Land Rovers already for sale.

A Defender was something a bit different, and if they could build a reputation for reliability (assuming they've actually improved that at all) then this new Defender could be a point of difference.

[Sioso]

Lots of info below.
I love the white steel wheels.
Going by the UK site the I6T is only available on the top spec model, I would have preferred a base model 90 or 110 with the steel wheels and I6T.

https://buildyour.landrover.co.uk/lr...969.1568166845

https://www.carsales.com.au/editoria...priced-120501/

https://www.caradvice.com.au/791133/...nder-revealed/

https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-new...nd-70000-76102

[Vesper Martini]

Three seats across the front!

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Three seats across the front!

Perfect for drive-ins

[Ben73]

They’ve done pretty well. I wouldn’t say no to one.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Three seats across the front!

I read that on carsales, 6 and 7 seat options with 3 in the front!

Price will be interesting, carsales are saying base at 70k which would be sweet.

Im to tight to get brand new, but 12 months old or demo will have me if its got a bench in the front!

[Sioso]

Originally Posted by Polyal

I read that on carsales, 6 and 7 seat options with 3 in the front!

Price will be interesting, carsales are saying base at 70k which would be sweet.

Im to tight to get brand new, but 12 months old or demo will have me if its got a bench in the front!

Starting $70K for the 110 and $50K for the 90 but you can always through another $10K on top of that.

[Sprintey]

Sioso, great vid links!

That 90 with steelies and bench seat looks absolutely unique! Then it gets the satin paint cover, and the safari roof, perfect for, er, I'm not sure what the roof is perfect for but it sounds pretty cool.

Sign me up for a 90/bench seat, petrol 4 (again I'd love the I6 in the base model) but with the height adjustable suspension.

My 4wds in the past have had 1 1/2" or 2" lift, what you gain going into the deeper sand feeding onto the beach you lose in driving experience.

Like the reviewer said "I remember the bench seat of the County when I was a kid" - plenty of us grew up with these in cars, so nice to see them come back.

[Sprintey]

This is really, really good.

Within hours of the reveal, this fellow has posted an in depth film on the Defender, the problems with keeping the old one in today's world, and the identity and love for the Defender:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi7yyMaS3Kk

Only a few people have viewed so far. As we are mostly Ford fans here I guess we're not as emotionally invested in this product, nevertheless, the way he's put it together I get the sense that it's a really important moment for the brand.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

I get the sense that it's a really important moment for the brand.

Yes and no. I think it's abundantly clear that LR have moved firmly away from the hardcore enthusiasts. This is no doubt a very capable vehicle, but other than a few poorly executed styling cues, I don't see a lot of Defender DNA. TBH, visually, its one of the most disappointing cars I've seen... its a mess, and not even a hot one at that.

[futura]

Im a fan. Really like the Land rover brand

[Sprintey]

Some of the comments on the youtube vids are harsh but it might be that enthusiast element (all 29,000 per year globally). I quite like it, can see the shoulder line, tail, upper windows, where the wheel is hung. But that said the seating aren't the flat bench seat squabs you can fling around like frisbees - they never could be in today's car.

So what's it closest too? A 2 door Disco 4 with a petrol engine and bench seat? That is a car I'd have some interest in.

It's a really important moment for them I meant as something that could go both ways, eg the launch of Disco 5 and its numbers which are running at about 1/2 the Disco4 for example

[Sioso]

I went and built one on the UK site and the options are mind boggling, I thought I was never going to get to the end of it.
It was very easy to add £17,000 worth of options.
My base model petrol blew out to £64,000 or $115,000AUD!

https://buildyour.landrover.co.uk/lr...969.1568166845

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by b0son

Yes and no. I think it's abundantly clear that LR have moved firmly away from the hardcore enthusiasts. This is no doubt a very capable vehicle, but other than a few poorly executed styling cues, I don't see a lot of Defender DNA. TBH, visually, its one of the most disappointing cars I've seen... its a mess, and not even a hot one at that.

I agree. Some versions look good, others just look ridiculous. And there is some really silly looking styling features on it, like those weird outer indicators/stop lights on the rear. And what's with those silly looking carry cases? They look like saddle bags.

The I6 Turbo is pretty impressive though. 0-100 in 6.1 seconds for something that weighs around 2.3 tonnes is pretty good.

[roKWiz]

I'm no fan of modern but this one I like.
Land Rover / Range Rover always manage to come out with great under rated vehicles.
I reckon the grey nomads are going to like that reversing counter steer.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

I'm no fan of modern but this one I like.
Land Rover / Range Rover always manage to come out with great under rated vehicles.
I reckon the grey nomads are going to like that reversing counter steer.

I dunno Grey Nomads don't like change & are hard to please.