I was a bit disappointed as it didn’t seem like they were together as much in the adventure but it was an epic journey

No reason to wait take whatever Land Rover you have and hit the trail. From what I have seen in the area any reasonably sorted Disco, LR3 etc should be a bucket of fun

 

No LR just yet, but will once the lease on Monday his Bimmer ends. Sorry to disappoint. Last off-road worthy car was a 4Runner over 10 years back.

can’t wait to get back to the dirt. Always wanted a Defender, so I’ll be a happy guinea pig with the new one.

 

I would happily join you on being a first adopter of the new Defender. My wallet disagrees with my desires lol

https://gearpatrol.com/2019/12/15/fu...cheap-version/

I want to know a lot more about the cheap edition with classic styling

 

That cheaper version is an attractive proposition. Seems there is some debate over whether or not it will wear the Defender name or be called something else. As long as it’s capable, it may prove to be the best seller.

As many such as yourself are hoping for, a Defender without all of the gizmos that will surly fail while either out in the woods, middle of the desert, or on the top of a mountain each with no cell coverage (other than Sat phone), mechanical features are a must need and should be standard. I love Terrain Response and the “idea” of air suspension, but will just have to set aside maintenance money for when they start to fail or glitch. The sensors are what ultimately will be the problem other than other areas; just my opinion.

I’m giving some thought to a static suspension slightly lifted, but not sure if that would be a day one mod.

 

So here is my thoughts I’m a realist and I realize the solid axle, rubber mat clean the interior with a hose days are gone.

I have both EAS and Coil sprung LR3’s both are fantastic. The coiler is obviously a fire and forget as it won’t fail, but the EAS really is not that bad. We are seeing plenty of trucks 150K plus with not much more than maintenance on the suspension. My 07 has a new compressor and one valve block but all the struts look original.

I am completely cool however with Terrian Response Independent air suspension and the normal tech. I don’t need however dual 14” touch screens with 1100 watts, air conditioned seats and rain sensing wipers with cameras for everything. I’m good with some fake leather seats that wear like iron, clean up easy, a radio with chunky ***** and big buttons room for a winch and a spare tire that isn’t under the truck.

 

This seems to be the consensus among enthusiast who will actually put the Defender through its paces and not leave it parked at Starbucks. A “base” model D90 with minimal tech as possible. I believe it would be a very popular truck that would possibly boost the LR community and save a piece of LR’s heritage regarding It’s off road bloodline.

But, as optimistic as I want to be, I don’t see LR getting the picture. If they are already tinkering with a baby Defender or a lesser model of the Defender, it’s over before it begins. The new Defender is their last chance before they go full on street market. If they can pull it off and get a following again with real enthusiasm it would be sweet. If it short circuits and the mags and you tubers start bashing it as typical LR junk, it’s over.

 

Hi Stillruns, I’m from Bham also. Love the enthusiast comments, reminds me of a BMW forum where there is clear hostility to the poseur crowd.

That said, just like with Bimmerpost, the enthusiast ranks just aren’t that large anymore, yet these companies need to move units. Catering to the douche bags, hipsters, and poseurs is now a thing we all must adjust to.

Big take away for me is that LR is listening to all of the chatter, just like BMW did for the current series of cars that have a little more of the purity baked in. LR is planning on a bare bones model because they hear the cries for one. If it will sell, they’ll build it. Just like most Rovers now are for rich suburbanites, as well as most Silverados and F150s are also; it’s the new normal.

I’m early 40’s, so tech at this point isn’t too bad, just as long as they made it rugged; we shall see. I am done with track days and the like, so looking forward to getting back into some mud and dirt. Said it earlier in a post, young people these days do tend to go outside, hike, and camp. I feel that the new Defender was designed for them. Downside is that LR may seem to have left behind those who actually rely on this truck to do serious things beyond Occasional playing. If they answer the outcry, the company can save itself.

Hard to be all things to all people, but that essentially is what made the company and this vehicle; such irony....

 

Unfortunately I doubt JLR will be moving in the direction you guys hope. JLR positioned itself as a luxury brand for quite a while and has pretty much migrated most of its models to reflect that. If I look at US sales figures they definitely have moved to a luxury brand in the US with the Range Rover Sport being the sales leader with almost 1/3 of the sales. https://media.jaguarlandrover.com/en...s-october-2019

We have seen similar approaches with other brands like BMW & MB to name a few. In the 4WD space Jeep is pretty much the only brand left if you want a solid axle bare bones model.

I would not be surprised if the cheap Defender is a "Defender Sport" using the Evoque/Discovery Sport base/chassis which will likely limit offload capability to meet a price point. Things that come to mind less suspension travel, cross flex, EAS, TR capability, 2 speed transfer case, locking differentials, RWD bias/outlay. I hope to be pleasantly surprised............

 

Not really that interested in solid axles. I have spent a lot of time in the newer gen trucks off road and the independent suspension really does the job and does it well. Also once you are off the trail you can roll down the highway at 80 mph no problem in comfort.

So as long as it has a 2 speed transfer box and a locking diff we can find away around the rest

 

Andries,LR has been a luxury brand for well over 40 years, not sure what the issue is with that, unless I am mischaracterizing your point. The solid axle argument reminds me of those who claimed to swear by the former suspension of the Mustang, which I felt was highly primitive. There were always debates on BMW forums about which was better, the Mustang or 3 Series. To this, many of us just rolled our eyes as there is no comparison between the cars or usually, the type of people who buy each.

A Wrangler will always offer that primitive offload experience for those who either don't know any better, or need/want to do some serious rock climbing. Other than that, a Wrangler has always felt horrible to me unless you invest another close to $15K in mods; sometimes more. A decent 2nd car, but as a daily, not my cup of tea.

LR vehicles are for a more mature application for the most part. The Defender was always primitive, yet full of character with a hint of class; just drove like a tractor. However, if you absolutely needed a ride that could go almost anyplace other than the ocean, this was your vehicle! There is a certain charm to this with a tremendous cool factor, particularly in North America.

At my age, I don't want to drive like I did or what I did when I was 20, so the Mustang was out, and so is a Wrangler. Yes, I will take my future Defender off road; I'm Southern and rolling through the unpaved land is both fun and sometimes a necessity. The ability of, refinement, and cool factor make the new Defender a promising market leader in a world full of Wranglers I see with lift kits that are always clean and shiny black....