A Rover that could replace the horse
 

"what I want says many a farmer, is something that can do everything a horse can do, plus alot more, and add three times the speed" - the Land Rover, with a unlimited capacity for hard work...

So to make a vehicle to compete with Jeep and provide a affordable workhorse replacement for the hard working people (The Farmers). Highly versatile, durable, and fun to drive. Sounds wonderful.... but years later do these values still hold true for Land Rover? Can modern day Rovers meet up to the expectations set in stone by the founding fathers? .... This is a rant and I dare say the answer is NO! I mean how do you go from a versatile workhorse to a $100,000+ luxury SUV with 19" wheels and street tires?

I do like how it looks but this is NOT a workhorse, and its certainly not a practical vehicle for around the ranch.
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In fact none of these models are practical for the hard working individuals, the farmers or the middle class people. Id hesitate to take ANY of these models offroad for that matter. Hell Id hesitate to take em out of the garage in fear that someone might vandalize one leaving me with a hefty $$$$$ repair bill.

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The new Defender Workhorse? What a joke!
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These vehicle do not in any way reflect the heritage of the original Land Rover models nor do they uphold true to the original intentions for the Land Rover. All they are now is top dollar bling mobiles which oversized wheels and factory equipped with street tires. And now LR wants to remove the only surviving model that still serves its original utilitarian purpose to the people for the people by the people. In its home country its affordable, still all versatile, easy to work on, still capable of doing everything a horse can do and 3 times faster. Its a true classic and now about to be added to the endangered species list.

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The only model that looks as handsome when its covered in dirt as it does fresh off the assembly line. The only model I would not hesitate to spray down the interior with a hose. The only model that still serves its country and even after all these years it looks handsome!

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A vehicle made with pride in the United Kingdom and the last surviving Land Rover model....

I love Land Rover, truly I do, but sometimes I think they have lost their marbles. Ownership changes and politicians with fat wallets have left a horrid stench on the company and I'm afraid LR is no longer a Land Rover. I think LR needs to return to the Brits, to the people who still drive the classic Defender and who can appreciate the original intentions of these vehicles. LR needs to be returned to the workers and the average income peoples. LR should not be reserved for the top level members of society who can easily bluster $100,000 with the push of a button. The way its going you might as well remove the LR bading and slap on a Mercedes badge and remove all the 4x4 and road enhancement features (terrain response, hill desent control, cdls)!

Im very disapointed with Land Rover. My rant is over.

Somebody had to say it. I agree with you completely. You should send that to Land Rover headquarters and see if you get a response. I would be interested in what they have to say if they reply at all.

The works like a horse goes back to the days when a Rover came with a PTO for the hobby farmers. They have changed a lot since then. But so have other cars, a top of the line Mercedes 2 seater was about $7200 in 1969. Dodge Charger was like $3500.

If you like old school things, buy them and fix them up. If you want newest of the electronic gizmos, and creature comforts, lease a new one. A one ton pickup still hauls the same load of boards, but today's is a mobile office and entertainment center.

If your identity only comes from what you drive, might want to think about that. I don't envy the guy in the SL550 I met the other day as he pulled up at the marina where his 60 foot "other toy" is moored. We chit chatted about Mercedes, and I found out he was retired from a place in Atlanta - Genuine Parts ..... NAPA knowhow....

It is a sign of the success of the free enterprise system that allows individuals to accumulate enough spare coins to fund the bling Rover. Provide gainful employment for sales weasels, managers, technicians, parts gurus, and all the trickle down. I'm glad Rover has a market for vehicles that are not just bare bones utility. It would be pretty boring if we all drove exactly the same vehicle, even if they were all Lamborghini (which is part of Volkswagen).

Re: LR needs to be returned to the workers

Mao would agree.

I don't think that they should stop making high end luxury 4x4 vehicles like the Range Rover, however it is a shame that they are going to discontinue the Defender.

Buzz I dont really mean to say that I think all Rovers should be bare bone ultiltarion, but they should not be all luxury either. Would you dare to hose down the interior of the new Range Rover? How about drive one through 4 feet of water? Would you take a new Range Rover through the Vermont Overland Trophy? What about with a new Lr4? More than likely you would not do that because chances are something will go wrong, electronics and gadgets would get all messed up and the scratches/dings the vehicle sustained from tree branches would leave you broke for over a year! These new models are just to expensive to buy, to expensive to use off-road and that is what angers me. LandRover should never compromise off-road capability. I may not like Jeep at all but I do give credit to the new Wranglers becasue after all these years the Wrangler still holds true to its classic design and despite modern additions it can still be hosed down and certainly can be taken of the pavement. Grant youll have to have somebody with a D2 or Defender tow him out but ;)

Just saying LR should have spent less time with facelifts and less luxury and more time improving the quality and off-road capabilities. I dont give two ****s about turbocharges supercharged bull ****! I care about how it performs off-road. I care about my safety when I lose control on black ice and the vehicle reacts and auto corrects itself! In this day in age there exist new materials, new plastics that could have been used to make these new models waterprrof in the interior. Imagine that? All those fancy interior comforts protected with waterproofing technology? Better quality air suspension componets that dont fail! Large batteries and improved electrical systems that can handle all the gadgets and wont leave you powerless when you need the vehicle most. Quality trim parts that dont fall of and sunroofs that dont leak. There should be a middle ground between luxury and utilitarion off-road capabilities.

There are fellows with folding money that can indulge themselves with a new one and playing in the mud. For $2500, and a trip to Biltmore Estate in Asheville, you can be trained in a new one out on trails by the LR driving experience school. I think it may be as long as 4 hours.

If you have to ask, you can't afford it. Example - a previous boss of mine had a 47 foot Hatteras boat. How much fuel does it hold? 600 gallons. How far can you go on that? Almost to Charleston, from Savannah.

As for wading, I hate to think about brackish marsh water in the LR3 / LR4 electrical system. FTD (flatbed to dealer).

Here is the hard fact, Land Rover is a automobile company and they are in business to make money.
They loose money on every Defender they sell, the fines on them are so high if they added the fines to the purchase price they would not sell, so just like every other car company they spread the cost of the fines over the entire fleet.
The Defender cannot pass the MPG standards or the safety standards that are required by most countries.
If your car cannot meet the requirements you either have to pay a fine or you cant sell your car.
Thats it, bottom line, brass tax, it cant meet the standards so it goes the way of the Dodo bird.

There are plenty of pick up trucks to meet the needs of the farmer, just like here in the U.S., farmers use pickup trucks.

There are plenty of videos on youtube of people off roading their LR4's and Range Rovers.
You guys do not realize how reliable and capable the new Rovers are.

You can either keep up or you can be left in the dust.

The guys in Australia have all the fun.

Good video Spike but I did not notice much if any improvements in the RR or Disco 4 when compared to the performance of the D2. Grant the RR was towing a izuzu most of the way but in the end of the vid the D2 was pulling the thing and still the RR seemed to be lacking. But overall I did enjoy the video. I like videos like there were you can compare the early models to the latest models on the trails.

I've been to the LR school in Vermont, and have seen the capability of newer models first hand, both at the LR Experience, and with a group that consists of many different types vehicles including a few LR3's. I think the problem with the newer models is not that they are not capable, I've seen an LR3 effortlessly go over things that my Defender has struggled with. The problem is that these newer models are not rugged.

I certainly hope whatever replaces the Defender in the LR global lineup, is a vehicle that truly replaces the Defender. It's a tall order.