2025 Defender Beach Break Edition
It's funny, but any "beach break" Defender for me would hopefully have additional rust protection! It's not the salt water from the sand, it's the salt in the air that will wear on the metal over time. Maybe add some type of enhanced corrosion protection in the package! I like the white rims, although I don't get why JLR showcased their lack of understanding how the extra 1/2 inch sidewall on the smaller 19"s would have been better if you need to deflate an oversized 20" rim stuck in the sand. I note they likely snapped the pic when the tide was incoming (as there is no wet sand below the Defender). Anything going to a beach can have the front recovery hook added in there too, particularly if you don't calculate an incoming tide is going to loosen the sand a distance from shore, so you may look safe, but it's going to be soft. A beach brings everyone, but saying "beach break" you get surfers. For the surfer, JLR could have made this special Defender with the rear window/glass on the swing gate door either fully removable or somehow go down - that would have been very creative!! (that way you can throw your surfboard in the back and flag it if you must, but otherwise just head to the lineup slowly, behind all the 4Runners and trucks with boards sticking out the back). There are surely those that reason no JLR car purchase is ever to be deemed "practical." But in the JLR world of car models, once you are in that category of buyers anyways, the Defender owner is most likely to be the most practical of the bunch. If you sell us a hammer we're going to hit stuff with it. From a marketing standpoint, I find stuff like this distracting for JLR. They should focus on managing their supply chain (for parts) and fitting their 18" rim to the P400 engine. Nothing would be a better marketing tool (and success) than a Defender that could buy a host of different All Terrain Off Road tires. That would be time well spent. But until then, this looks nice!
You're not wrong, though!
Mudding
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 169
Likes: 78
From: Wisconsin
the roof rack looks different. More surfboard friendly, maybe.
Those are just the normal cross bars. Definitely more surfboard friendly. They should've put one on for the press photos to make it look like a surfer's truck.
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,135
Likes: 824
From: Boston, MA
Odd that it has the Michelin road tires. The only thing the Goodyear Adventure "off road" tires are good at is sand. The tread pattern has decent sand grip and is shallow enough that they don't dig. I've seen Wranglers with mud tires get stuck in sand because the tread pattern just digs straight down in sand.
Then again, other than sand driving, the Goodyears are useless, especially in winter.
Then again, other than sand driving, the Goodyears are useless, especially in winter.
Rock Crawling
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 289
Likes: 218
From: Miramar, Florida
True
It's funny, but any "beach break" Defender for me would hopefully have additional rust protection! It's not the salt water from the sand, it's the salt in the air that will wear on the metal over time. Maybe add some type of enhanced corrosion protection in the package! I like the white rims, although I don't get why JLR showcased their lack of understanding how the extra 1/2 inch sidewall on the smaller 19"s would have been better if you need to deflate an oversized 20" rim stuck in the sand. I note they likely snapped the pic when the tide was incoming (as there is no wet sand below the Defender). Anything going to a beach can have the front recovery hook added in there too, particularly if you don't calculate an incoming tide is going to loosen the sand a distance from shore, so you may look safe, but it's going to be soft. A beach brings everyone, but saying "beach break" you get surfers. For the surfer, JLR could have made this special Defender with the rear window/glass on the swing gate door either fully removable or somehow go down - that would have been very creative!! (that way you can throw your surfboard in the back and flag it if you must, but otherwise just head to the lineup slowly, behind all the 4Runners and trucks with boards sticking out the back). There are surely those that reason no JLR car purchase is ever to be deemed "practical." But in the JLR world of car models, once you are in that category of buyers anyways, the Defender owner is most likely to be the most practical of the bunch. If you sell us a hammer we're going to hit stuff with it. From a marketing standpoint, I find stuff like this distracting for JLR. They should focus on managing their supply chain (for parts) and fitting their 18" rim to the P400 engine. Nothing would be a better marketing tool (and success) than a Defender that could buy a host of different All Terrain Off Road tires. That would be time well spent. But until then, this looks nice!
say it loud and say it proud nothing is more important than 18” rims on the P400. I have a full set of 18” steelies just waiting for a solution. I have even thought of ordering a complete replacement set of A arms and everything that is needed to just be able to fit 18’s.
Mudding
Joined: May 2022
Posts: 208
Likes: 226
From: Colorado
D'accord, c'est magnifique... Mais où est le fromage? 
Winching
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 549
Likes: 275
From: Western NY
Trying to copy the Bronco Sport's Free Wheeling edition I guess. I actually don't mind the Free Wheeling's look in some of the color options but haven't seen that edition in person yet.
It's a throwback to the free wheeling package Ford released in the 70s but it's a bit of a mystery why LR would try to follow suit here as they would seem to have enough history to do their own thing.
Maybe TATA wants to court another acquisition of JLR by Ford. As much of a mess as Ford is I actually think it would benefit JLR for Ford to re-acquire them. I don't see TATA motors as having done much of anything for the longterm benefit of JLR and the whole throwing everything 'jag into the EV bucket is a ship that's already sailed market-wise and yet hasn't even left port for Jag.
At this point they might just as well skip over the whole precious metals battery mining mistake that is EV and crow-hop Jag directly into hydrogen. If that fails to pan out maybe Jag goes away entirely which I'd hate to see, but hey everyone seems to want zombie apocalypse vehicles anyway post-covid so that's Land Rover's wheelhouse. Bring back the LR4, IMO a true masterpiece of styling even to this day !
Look at this thing, I mean this is some 'goodness': https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...-rover-lr4-38/
It's a throwback to the free wheeling package Ford released in the 70s but it's a bit of a mystery why LR would try to follow suit here as they would seem to have enough history to do their own thing.
Maybe TATA wants to court another acquisition of JLR by Ford. As much of a mess as Ford is I actually think it would benefit JLR for Ford to re-acquire them. I don't see TATA motors as having done much of anything for the longterm benefit of JLR and the whole throwing everything 'jag into the EV bucket is a ship that's already sailed market-wise and yet hasn't even left port for Jag.
At this point they might just as well skip over the whole precious metals battery mining mistake that is EV and crow-hop Jag directly into hydrogen. If that fails to pan out maybe Jag goes away entirely which I'd hate to see, but hey everyone seems to want zombie apocalypse vehicles anyway post-covid so that's Land Rover's wheelhouse. Bring back the LR4, IMO a true masterpiece of styling even to this day !
Look at this thing, I mean this is some 'goodness': https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...-rover-lr4-38/
Last edited by Chief65; Aug 31, 2024 at 05:45 PM.
Rock Crawling
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 330
Likes: 266
From: San Diego
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say it loud and say it proud nothing is more important than 18” rims on the P400. I have a full set of 18” steelies just waiting for a solution. I have even thought of ordering a complete replacement set of A arms and everything that is needed to just be able to fit 18’s.
say it loud and say it proud nothing is more important than 18” rims on the P400. I have a full set of 18” steelies just waiting for a solution. I have even thought of ordering a complete replacement set of A arms and everything that is needed to just be able to fit 18’s.
