The main thing I am torn on with my LR4 vs. the new Defender is this....

LR4 Has a Clam Shell back end that works amazing! On the mountain it's shelter, it's a tailgate and the access at Costco is easy....

Defender, it's a "hail" to the heritage and the space isn't quite the same....

Convince me otherwise while I have a Defender on order and a lovely LR4 HSE LUX sitting here!

 

Loved our LR4, but you can't mount the spare tire on a hatch, and it would be even less convenient if you had to swing the tire away and then open the back. Like you I loved the tailgate on the LR4, but if you're going to mount the tire on the back door, it has to swing to the side.

 

I had an LR3 and still have my Discovery 1, so I have had both. Obviously lots of pros and cons on either side, but overall, I prefer the full swinging door. I like being able to load everything without having to lean over the tailgate, it's just easier with heavy stuff. I also like being able to lay out tools, or whatever else I may be using (I basically use my Discovery like an old pickup) right where they are in easy grasp, and then just shut the door and whenever I reopen it, they are still just as easy to grab.

It is hard to fully articulate why I like it so much, it just makes more sense to me and fits my use better. And the fact that the Defender has one was a huge selling point for me (I get mine in about 6 weeks). The only time I miss the tailgate is when I'd like to sit on it. Cause of course I can sit in the back of my old Disco, but that big *** door is in the way...

 

I wouldn’t mount a spare on a clam ever. More or less the hiccup on the functionality of Clam vs. Swing!

 

Nah. You seem pretty content with your LR4, I'll pass.

 

Loved my LR4! I enjoyed having a place to sit and change my shoes and still have a bit of protection over me. My Wife's BMW X5 is the same way with the clam shell rear.

I've only had my Defender for 10 days and I'm still getting used to the full sized swing door. I don't think it is nearly as convenient , especially if I have to haul something longer and leave it open.

If the rear door is the only criteria for choosing one or the other, I say LR4.

Rob

 

Only downside I can think of to the LR4 tailgate is that after 8 years and 128K miles it needs new struts. If I forget to push it all the way up I hit my head on it.

One advantage to the Defender is not having the LR4 spare tire winch. When doing the winter tire swap I went to lower the spare tire to add air only to find the winch rusted and seized. Now I carry a can of WD40, vice grips and a breaker bar with me in case I actually need to use the spare tire.

Will be interesting to see if the 130 comes with a clamshell tailgate and they store the spare tire under the vehicle.

 

I love my LR4 so much, I kept it and sold the newer Evoque when I bought my 2020 Defender 110.

My only complaint on the LR4 was that it was not all it could be off-road -- it had some real limitations -- tire and wheel sizes being most obvious. So, I am willing to pay the design price in the Defender to achieve the wheel sizes, departure and approach angles and overall weight (800 lbs less than the LR4). The design price includes high entry (gotta kinda jump in and fall out of the drivers seat), an impractical third row seat, a small opening rear hatch (to accommodate the very hefty stiffening structure around the hatch), the loss of the truck frame, the comparably smaller rear hauling space, and the loss of the wonderful LR4 rear hatch.

I did not buy the Defender for its looks (I actually like the LR4 look better), but I accept the design choices made. It's all about the off-road capability of the Defender -- nothing is better off-the-shelf, unmodified, when driven by someone who understands the electronic and mechanical aspects of the drivetrain.

If going off-road is not on your list of needs, then I cannot make a valid argument for the Defender (other than a new LR4 is not able to be bought).

 

Thanks man, you have me seriously considering keeping the LR4 and selling the AMG. I will have to do some "crafty" work for my wife. It's more of a "Garage" problem... :O

 

My Defender supposedly arrives in early February but I'm not turning-in my LR4 yet. I explained to my wife that Nokian doesn't make a winter tire in Defender sizes yet so I need to keep my LR4 with winter tires at least through April. Here's a thread that will have your AMG on the market for sure...

https://www.landroverworld.org/threa...te-well.42302/