In my humble opinion, I think this may need a separate thread.... is diverging from having the production halted or not.
Don't jump on the poor guy with all these questions.
Honestly, if you have the opportunity to do the changes and if that is what you want, just go do it. They (JLR) are a business trying to maximize the profit, not give us piecemeal packages. I don't like the Tesla(ish) approach to software and packages, but... hey, if that's the case, we may need looking for a better vehicle.
My gripe is with the existing crappy stuff, not extra stuff... the one that breaks when you hit an aroused mosquito, and JLR fails to acknowledge the crappy glass.
But, again, that need probably another thread (wait ! there is one ! ), if the Insider guy won't run away .

 

Like most here I want to take a moment to thank you for your frank answers, they are appreciated.

I don't agree with your answers above or well accept them. I think there is a very simple way to answer each of your objections.

A. Offer upgrades after initial sale at a "penalty" higher price than during initial bill, plus allow dealers to charge reasonable labor fees (realizing it's mostly plug and play scan tool, plus perhaps some additional test drive time). But a higher than initial fee for the "option" coupled with a couple of hours at $100/hr+ labor charges should both incentivize most people to buy options at initial build AND project the dealer's income stream as well.

B: Trade-in Values vs Build Spec - It's your database, there's no reason you can't update the VIN data for the model to show features legally added by a dealer after initial build and delivery.

C: Your last scenario is a false objection since it already exists. JLR themselves have already allowed certain features and options once associated only with a given pack to be sold separately. For example we spec'd the locking differential and all-terrain response systems without off-road tires because that was possible during a 2020 build.

Just some counter-points for your consideration.

Regardless we love our truck, and we're the rare customer who bought, didn't lease, and are planning for a long term ownership.

Cheers,

Kev

 

Unlike most of guys in this thread, I went with Disco with petrol engine, even though I had the opportunity to take diesel. I think it's totally different story in Europe. Everything found at dealerships is diesel and you cannot even test drive petrols. Never tried mine before picking it up last week. Test drove P400 velar and P400 f-pace though. Tried most of models with various diesel engines and I was honestly surprised how good, cultivated and refined they were. Unfortunately, I do a lot of short trips (checked the map and the usual trip to tesco is only 2.7km/1.68mi) which is not that good even for the petrol version. Yes, diesel produces less CO2, but produces more of the other things that are much worse (better with adblue, but still).

@insider I'd love the new RR, but there's no option for 100% cruelty free interior. The kvadrat stuff is made from wool and you don't have luxtec available at the moment. The luxtec should be 100% vegan right? That's why I went with dinamica steering wheel and luxtec seats in my disco even though there was duoleather as a standard. Plus, it'd be nice if there were an option for cooled non-leather+non-wool seats. You could also provide us with "better" version of discovery that would have more RR stuff (soft close at least?). I feel like that's my persona. I might feel different at 50 and just buy a full RR (for me it's a tax write off so I was thinking near future, but I'd rather pay 30% more for better disco). I don't even have a family, I just like the brand and focus on active lifestyle. Discovery SVX? Btw why is the I6 engine in Discovery mapped to 360hp and 400hp everywhere else? As I've found out it can be remapped to 440hp.

 

On forums it seems Americans always wish they had more diesel and the Brits always wish they had more petrol haha. Long story short- constrained petrol production is going to focus mostly on markets that don't have an alternative. Diesel is not an option across the pond, so we have to give them a good amount of the petrol we produce. When things return to normal you'll see more choice.

As for the interiors-we have some vegan interior options in the works. On new launches we're just focused on getting the basics right on popular equipment before we start adding in more complexity. Based on our research, the majority of RR owners prefer a traditional leather interior in many markets so that's the focus. More options will appear in time.

In regard to a more luxurious Discovery....Hmm. At some point we start turning it into a Range Rover and moving away from the core mission which is a blend of practicality and refinement at a reasonable price point. The Discovery did get a revised and upgraded interior recently and the feedback has been positive. We can look into soft close doors and additional features, but honestly, given the low sales volume and consumer interest shifting towards Defender and Range Rover products I didn't foresee big investments during the end of the lifecycle.

I'll keep your comments and ideas in mind though and we invite you to participate in our focus groups if we reach out down the road.

 

The Insider... are you absolutely sure that going from 255/60/20 on a D110 to 265/60/20, as per the pivot you recommend above, will cause no rubbing in any of the height settings? I was going to order my 275/55/20 KO2's today, I'm glad I didn't! If what you are saying is true, I will option shift as you suggest to the 265/60/20's.

Much appreciate your presence here!

 

^^ I can’t speak to your question as I haven’t replaced the OE 20s yet. But some food for thought: I bought a set of 18” OEM steelies and in an abundance of caution bought OEM size Cooper Discoverer RTs, 255/70R18. They fit, but it’s close. Why? I put a mounted one up against my OEM 20” Goodyears, both inflated to 35# and unloaded, and using a level to ensure accuracy measured the Coopers at 0.5” taller than the Goodyears.

So even with the same size I picked up a half-inch of height, which uses up most of the wheelwell space. In fact, I had 30mm spacers on when I first mounted the 18s (for brake clearance purposes) and the fronts rubbed pretty hard at full lock in Normal height. Without the spacers no rubbing. That’s how close it is. I am very glad I didn’t go with 265/70R18s, even though the internet is full of promises they would fit. SOME tires no doubt will; others may not.

And I realize 265/60R20 is not the same as 265/70R18; I’m just saying beware that a deep-tread RT or AT can be significantly taller than the OE tire in the same size.

Note: full details of my journey are near the end of the sticky on tire sizes.
Cheers!

 

A question like this deserves it's own thread really- as it's surprisingly more complicated than it seems at first.

I think it might be helpful if I explain why your question cannot be answered with 100% certainty and we need additional information. I think based on posts I see in forums most owners do not understand how tyre sizing works. For example, I suspect that most people if shown the size 255/60/20 think this means the tread is 255mm wide and the sidewall height is 60% of the tread width. This is incorrect. 255 refers to the SECTION width of a tyre-not the tread width. Please note that section width is also different from overall width. Section width is measured at the sidewalls but does not include raised lettering. Overall width includes raised lettering.


This is all important to understand because you can have two tyres that are both sized at 265/60/20 that fit differently due to different tread widths and shoulder designs (also manufacturers allow a variance of a few percent within sizes). It's typically the shoulder designs and tread sizing that cause that rubbing. The reason you see some people claiming a particular size fit on their car and others saying they have rubbing is because people are looking at the wrong measurement.

Here's some additional pictures taken from Mr. Google to illustrate what I'm talking about.




Further complicating matters is when significantly wider tires (20+mm) are placed on the same size rim. You can create a tucking effect which can pull shoulders in slightly. Generally, it's said that a 12mm reduction in rim width can reduce section width by 5mm.

In summary, yes, the right tyres with the right shoulder design and tread width should fit in 265/60/20. Likewise you might be able to make a 275/55/20 tyre work. You'd need to measure the overall diameter and tread width and compare that to tyres that you know fit. I think some tyre vendors provide this information on their website.

I know it's going to be unpopular, but I stand by my earlier statements that it's really not necessary for most people to put wider and heavier tyres on their Defender. These tyres increase weight, noise, reduced acceleration, lower mileage and place additional wear on suspension pieces. Narrower tyres are actually preferable in certain off-road conditions. One of the reasons we're a fan of the Goodyear off-road tyres is that they're quite light and efficient for their size. Compare the weight of your factory Wrangler to other off-road tyres and you'll realize the weight savings. Reducing unsprung weight has additional benefits in terms of ride, braking, acceleration and component wear.

People who overland and off-road in remote places of the world do not use the type of tyres that are popular in the United States. In fact, Americans often choose tyres solely for appearance rather than performance. Sometimes science and aesthetics on vehicles do not align. Formula 1 cars use tyres which look quite uncool in the modern era, but they are highly effective.

Hope this helps.

 

^^ The last cool-looking F1 tires:

 

@Kev M - Love your option A. I too would vote for that.

FWIW - I'm another + to the purchase for a long while owner and not a leasing customer. Probably makes me less valuable to the average JLR Dealer, but it does make me a passionate owner!

 

100% will admit and agree with everything @The Insider wrote up above. Inclusive of admitting that changing my tires had more of a personal perspective in what "looks good" (I'm in US market) than how it actually functions. I will readily admit that my vanity came at a noise & mpg cost. However, I will strongly assert that the sharp limestone rocks where I off-road are MUCH less forgiving to the native rubber that comes with the Defender. I recognize that the TFL morons underinflated their tires resulting in the dual blow outs. But these are not those conditions.