// ranting

Wonderful. More cars for the unsellable (in the US) loaner fleet.

What meetings do they continue to have at headquarters whereby they think they must have a baby Range Rover, a baby Discovery and now a baby Defender? (ie Evoque, the Disco Sport, now this) to capture “market share"?

Gerry and co droned on and on (and on and on and on) at Defender product launch about what Defender meant, what the DNA of Defender was -- and there is nothing in a baby Defender that is going to represent any of that mythology that they espoused to launch the New Defender. Unless this is some sort of Ralliart Misibishi Pajero thing -- which would be cool and expensive -- it’s ****e in my opinion. I don’t think actual Defender-ness is going to be possible at the price point they need to bring it in at. Is it?

I've had every single one of these entry-to-the-brand lower priced volume land Rovers over the years as dealer loaners, and they all absolutely sucked. Attempts at platform sharing. Make me thank the lord that I can afford an actual LR3, LR4, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover, or now Defender. This surely will be more of the same. Some styling cues and a nav screen from the big boys but cheap plastics, lawn mower motors that don’t last, no low range, brand dilution.

Great car for White Lotus’ Lochlan if you’re a family of some means. Beyond that. IDK.

Maybe I’ll be proven wrong but I do not know who is asking for this in the marketplace. And god forbid they introduce it, and the model proves to be unreliable and damages the brand. These lower priced models have been troublesome for the LR brand to sell globally, except in the UK, where apparently they do have quite the following. Disco Sports and Evokes sold well at launch because they looked good, ask any LR sales person how they sell now. They are even hiding sales data of Evoque and Disco Sport by including it in Range Rover and Discovery sales...

Prove me wrong, JLR. Please.

My mother would not be impressed with my post here ... “if you don’t have anything nice to say..."

 

I believe the Defender Sport will sell very well in Great Britain and Europe. There is a huge market for smaller cars.
Doesn't mean I have to like it though...

 

Not passing judgement on camoflaged design or whether there is a need in the market for a baby defender, but isn't a baby defender just a D90?

 

Auuuugggghhhh
Imagine if it was electric

 

It is electric.

 

It's too bad they don't have a hybrid drivetrain they could stick into an LR4 and get say 27 mpg combined. Imo they would be killing it right now if that had been their roadmap ten years ago.

 

Another article from Autocar magazine in the UK. Apparently Defender Sport will be the name, as it’s been added to the LR website, even though it’s only available in a search engine.

EMA is currently expected to be an EV-only platform, even though it was originally designed to be MHEV and PHEV compatible. Still is expected to debut as an EV, but a PHEV version could be in the cards and is slated to be a replacement for the Discovery Sport and positioned more as a direct successor to the old LR2/Freelander 2, which still has a cult following.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...aHTEBDfAeoBKxg

 

Surely the Defender 90 is already some kind of Defender Sport? I mean how much smaller could the sport be than a 90?

 

Even the 90 is considered "large" in the EU/UK. Plus this will be 4 doors. At least here in the US, we're stuck in the crossover craze an the D90 is just a wee bit impractical with only 2 doors to be a smaller family hauler.

So did the Hale-Bopp comet.

Just sayin'

 

I’m sure you mean the Ford Escape, and it didn’t replace it, they’re selling along side each other.