Jaguar Land Rover parent posts $386 million loss on shutdown
Honestly, even the older ones aren't really that bad. Most of the issues with timing chains on the AJ133 V8 & AJ126 V6 were due to the 15k oil change intervals. I had an LR4 with the 5.0, and from new we did 5k oil changes. Sold it with 95k and the timing chains were in perfect condition. The coolant lines went bad many times, but at least now they have aluminum parts. The I4 Ingenium diesels in other markets have had some serious issues, but it seems that the new I6 Ingenium diesels are pretty solid. I drove an I4 Ingenium diesel D240 110 at the LR Experience Center at the factory in Solihull, and I didn't care for it whatsoever. I drove a D300 110 in the UK in 2024, and that engine was truly excellent. Perfectly suited to the Defender.
JLR has some of the most loyal customers in the automotive world. Once you see the light and own a JLR product, it's hard to go back. Sure, there are objectively better options, (except the Range Rover. There is no SUV that offers the level of quality, performance, capability, tech, presence, and prestige as a Range Rover) but JLR makes special cars. They have that X factor that you just can't put your finger on that gets under your skin. They have charm and character, something that the Germans completely lack. I am a die-hard Porsche guy, but I've never driven a Porsche that has character. Closest one was a 992.1 GT3, and I get it - life doesn't begin until 9,000 rpm, but I digress. But I feel that my Defender is more charming than one of the best sports cars ever made. There, I said it. Unless they start making complete junk (i.e. bad design, interior quality, overreliance on tech, go all EV, etc.) then I will always have at least one JLR product in my garage for the foreseeable future.
Thread Starter
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Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,151
Likes: 458
From: USA
@CincyRovers well said! Character is key here, and having owned every generation of the Range Rover since 1982, I can testify that the current L460 Range Rover is the absolute best one yet. I have also owned a 2020 Defender P400 (totaled), a 2022 Defender V8 Carpathian Edition, a 2023 Defender P400 (totaled), and they have been amazing and reliable Defenders. My current Defender is a 2025 P300 and is my favorite Defender thus far. I have also driven the diesel D300 110 Defender extensively in Africa and what a gem of an engine that is. I wish they would bring that engine to the US. I would buy one in a heartbeat.
@CincyRovers well said! Character is key here, and having owned every generation of the Range Rover since 1982, I can testify that the current L460 Range Rover is the absolute best one yet. I have also owned a 2020 Defender P400 (totaled), a 2022 Defender V8 Carpathian Edition, a 2023 Defender P400 (totaled), and they have been amazing and reliable Defenders. My current Defender is a 2025 P300 and is my favorite Defender thus far. I have also driven the diesel D300 110 Defender extensively in Africa and what a gem of an engine that is. I wish they would bring that engine to the US. I would buy one in a heartbeat.
Mudding
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 114
Likes: 32
From: PA
Yes and no. Along with sharing software, they share many, many hardware components. Technically speaking, the Defender is on a version of the same platform that underpins the XE, XF, and F-Pace. Their quality has vastly improved. I spoke with the service manager at my dealer a few weeks ago and he was saying how much better the new generation is compared to the old ones. They really put everything into the Ingenium engines, as (at least at the time) it was going to be their final ICE engines that were designed to last into the late 2030s. And it shows - they're brilliant.
Honestly, even the older ones aren't really that bad. Most of the issues with timing chains on the AJ133 V8 & AJ126 V6 were due to the 15k oil change intervals. I had an LR4 with the 5.0, and from new we did 5k oil changes. Sold it with 95k and the timing chains were in perfect condition. The coolant lines went bad many times, but at least now they have aluminum parts. The I4 Ingenium diesels in other markets have had some serious issues, but it seems that the new I6 Ingenium diesels are pretty solid. I drove an I4 Ingenium diesel D240 110 at the LR Experience Center at the factory in Solihull, and I didn't care for it whatsoever. I drove a D300 110 in the UK in 2024, and that engine was truly excellent. Perfectly suited to the Defender.
JLR has some of the most loyal customers in the automotive world. Once you see the light and own a JLR product, it's hard to go back. Sure, there are objectively better options, (except the Range Rover. There is no SUV that offers the level of quality, performance, capability, tech, presence, and prestige as a Range Rover) but JLR makes special cars. They have that X factor that you just can't put your finger on that gets under your skin. They have charm and character, something that the Germans completely lack. I am a die-hard Porsche guy, but I've never driven a Porsche that has character. Closest one was a 992.1 GT3, and I get it - life doesn't begin until 9,000 rpm, but I digress. But I feel that my Defender is more charming than one of the best sports cars ever made. There, I said it. Unless they start making complete junk (i.e. bad design, interior quality, overreliance on tech, go all EV, etc.) then I will always have at least one JLR product in my garage for the foreseeable future.
Honestly, even the older ones aren't really that bad. Most of the issues with timing chains on the AJ133 V8 & AJ126 V6 were due to the 15k oil change intervals. I had an LR4 with the 5.0, and from new we did 5k oil changes. Sold it with 95k and the timing chains were in perfect condition. The coolant lines went bad many times, but at least now they have aluminum parts. The I4 Ingenium diesels in other markets have had some serious issues, but it seems that the new I6 Ingenium diesels are pretty solid. I drove an I4 Ingenium diesel D240 110 at the LR Experience Center at the factory in Solihull, and I didn't care for it whatsoever. I drove a D300 110 in the UK in 2024, and that engine was truly excellent. Perfectly suited to the Defender.
JLR has some of the most loyal customers in the automotive world. Once you see the light and own a JLR product, it's hard to go back. Sure, there are objectively better options, (except the Range Rover. There is no SUV that offers the level of quality, performance, capability, tech, presence, and prestige as a Range Rover) but JLR makes special cars. They have that X factor that you just can't put your finger on that gets under your skin. They have charm and character, something that the Germans completely lack. I am a die-hard Porsche guy, but I've never driven a Porsche that has character. Closest one was a 992.1 GT3, and I get it - life doesn't begin until 9,000 rpm, but I digress. But I feel that my Defender is more charming than one of the best sports cars ever made. There, I said it. Unless they start making complete junk (i.e. bad design, interior quality, overreliance on tech, go all EV, etc.) then I will always have at least one JLR product in my garage for the foreseeable future.
Thread Starter
|
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 1,151
Likes: 458
From: USA
Yes, unfortunately...The first 2020 Defender got totaled when I got hit from the rear by a tow truck. The second 2023 Defender got hit from the rear as well by a tractor trailer. Was lucky in both instances and did not have a scratch! They are definitely built well and extremely safe and I hope no one ever experiences such collisions.
