New Defender - Land rover micro site

[Rowland]

View attachment 832338Another car you’d have to be insane to run without warranty

You might well have a point but 85 ECU’s is not exceptional. I was a bit curious about this and a brief bit of google has taught me a a ECU can be responsible for complexed tasks and also very simple ones in a car .
Also 7 series BMW have around 150 of the blighters.

 

[Rowland]

They had better use a different price formula than they used for Disco3 and 4 for that to be true. In those cases they actually increased the base price before VAT for commercial models.
Commercial van versions will not be sold for another year and there is unlikely ever to be a pickup version, due to the monocoque design.

If the figures are anything to believed a 90 commercial Defender is allegedly going to be around £35 k so if that’s with VAT then without VAT it’s just over £29k. Still a chunk of money!

 

[Chris F]

If the figures are anything to believed a 90 commercial Defender is allegedly going to be around £35 k so if that’s with VAT then without VAT it’s just over £29k. Still a chunk of money!

No chance and it will still be £1000 for a towbar on top of that.

 

[Rowland]

No chance and it will still be £1000 for a towbar on top of that.

But you don’t know! If you need a tow bar get your local man to do one .

 

[Cowabunga]

But you don’t know! If you need a tow bar get your local man to do one .

It is likely to be a minimum of £500 for a nuisance fixed towbar. Around 750 for a removable. About £1000 for an electrically deployable one.
Probably including VAT and fitting, so a tiny tiny proportion of the total cost.

 

[Kingcj]

Unless Disco5 sales improve very soon, which it won't because both Defender and RR Sport will cannibalise its sales, then I can't see the model surviving beyond 2020.
Which would be a pity, because apart from its asymmetrical rear door, I think it looks great. Better than the Defender.
I don't want to heave open a door with a massive spare wheel on it many times daily. I know its placement on the rear door allows for improved departure angle, but if it comes to a choice of compromises for 99% of the time, give me the Disco5 design. Plus the upward opening door provides shelter from the rain and needs less room behind the car to open and close.

I do like the Defender's gear lever design and placement, which is similar to my Honda's. As far as I can tell I like the front design and the dashboard of the Defender, but I also like the Discovery 5 in these areas.
They have almost identical engine and transmission choices apart from the V6 engines being unavailable on Defender and soon to be phased out on all other models.

Prices?
I've recently specced up a Velar, F-Pace, Disco5 and [today] the Defender. All with the 2.0 diesel. All with HSE sort of spec with a sprinkling of extras and they all come close to £60,000. Every one of them. Which is also about the entry price for a Range Rover Sport.
However, speccing the basic model Defender, plus metallic and grey alloys, black pack and no other packs, just quite a few extras from the list, and I can get a very reasonably equipped Defender 110 for around £52,000, which still seems expensive but is certainly competitive with rivals, including the dreadful Jeep Wrangler.
Trouble is I want a commercial spec, which will not be available until at least the last quarter of 2020. Even then I would much prefer a pickup to a van. I can't carry a 600kg bag of fertiliser or a big round or square bale in a Defender van.

It does look like I'll have to give it a miss. I'm not that bothered, because they are not made in the UK any longer and I owe them no more loyalty than they have ever given me. Which is zero.

That's the problem, people who bought defenders were utility or offroad performance oriantated at all costs. No one when deciding to buy the old defender thought they should also coincider a rangerover sport or a Honda CR-V or any of the other school run mobiles, they were all too soft. They wanted a vehicle that could take a few knocks that they knew it would get and were more impressed by steel bumpers than infotainment systems. There are loads of cars like the new defender to choose from very few like the old one (only the wrangler really)

 

[Chris F]

But you don’t know! If you need a tow bar get your local man to do one .

Given it probably has the same stabilization system as on the range rover for towing, I doubt that would be good for the electrics of the new defender.

This is not going to be a car to use like we use the old defenders or our pickups. This is competition for the Volvo XC 90, Range Rover, Mercedes, BMW X5 and so on.

I'd buy it over a Range Rover any day, but wouldn't abuse it like my old defender.

 

[Rowland]

It is likely to be a minimum of £500 for a nuisance fixed towbar. Around 750 for a removable. About £1000 for an electrically deployable one.
Probably including VAT and fitting, so a tiny tiny proportion of the total cost.

If you go to the Lr site you can build your own Defender 110 and in there somewhere will be the price of the LR spec toe bar .
If you take it to your local man any where from £250 to £500 will probably get you a fixed tow bar with electrical plug

 

[Rowland]

Given it probably has the same stabilization system as on the range rover for towing, I doubt that would be good for the electrics of the new defender.

This is not going to be a car to use like we use the old defenders or our pickups. This is competition for the Volvo XC 90, Range Rover, Mercedes, BMW X5 and so on.

I'd buy it over a Range Rover any day, but wouldn't abuse it like my old defender.

As you say probably but I’d say doubtful .

We’ll just have to wait and see what the commercial one is like .

My RR sport is a very capable off road car on the few occasions it’s been off road not quite as good as my old Defender but for driving on bad roads snow ice etc it’s head and shoulders over the old Defender.

Like I’ve pointed out numerous times if there was a large market for swb 4x4 vans the market would be flooded with the things .

Which is probably why they haven’t made made a one like the old 90 commercial one.
If they did it would be 2 this 2 that 2 this 2 that ..... I don’t fit in one it’s uncomfortable.....
The list would be similar to why people don’t like this one .

Everyone is Just jumping on the band wagon and slag it off with very little information not driving one or even sitting in one .

It’s is expensive and I’m not sure what I’m going to do about my deposit!
Wait till there’s the straight 6 engine for the 110 and swap it for the RR which will be sometime next year, wait for the 90 commercial or get my money back.
I may even order one and sell it on .
I asked my land rover guy about this and he had heard why you couldn’t do it .

 

[Chris F]

As you say probably but I’d say doubtful .

We’ll just have to wait and see what the commercial one is like .

My RR sport is a very capable off road car on the few occasions it’s been off road not quite as good as my old Defender but for driving on bad roads snow ice etc it’s head and shoulders over the old Defender.

Like I’ve pointed out numerous times if there was a large market for swb 4x4 vans the market would be flooded with the things .

Which is probably why they haven’t made made a one like the old 90 commercial one.
If they did it would be 2 this 2 that 2 this 2 that ..... I don’t fit in one it’s uncomfortable.....
The list would be similar to why people don’t like this one .

Everyone is Just jumping on the band wagon and slag it off with very little information not driving one or even sitting in one .

It’s is expensive and I’m not sure what I’m going to do about my deposit!
Wait till there’s the straight 6 engine for the 110 and swap it for the RR which will be sometime next year, wait for the 90 commercial or get my money back.
I may even order one and sell it on .
I asked my land rover guy about this and he had heard why you couldn’t do it .

That's because many wanted it to be affordable to them. Its easy not to like something you can;t afford to drive on a daily basis on farm. That is the shame of it.

I have no doubt it will be good, but for that money it should be and will need to be. Assuming depreciation follows the same as Range Rover, these will be very affordable in 3 years time.

 

[Cowabunga]

Interesting to compare the size of the older vehicles with the new Defender.

Old Defender 90 and 110 had wheelbases of 93" and 110" respectively.
The new 90 is at 102", which is actually a longer wheelbase than either the classic Range Rover or the original and DiscoveryII, all of which had a 100" wheelbase.

The new 110 has a 119" wheelbase.

So even the new 90 isn't a small car. Most of the extra 10" wheelbase is hopefully allocated to the front row passengers, who were mostly always almost crippled in the original Defender.

 

[Drillman]

The more I see it the more I like it. New it’s way out of my price range so I’m hoping it drops in value like a brick in water!

Edit- the 119 inch one ten version will I’m guessing be a fair bit shorter than my Ford Ranger so wifey might like it better for parking. I wonder if they will ever squeeze a 5 door version out of the 102 inch. Ninety version?

 

[Cowabunga]

The more I see it the more I like it. New it’s way out of my price range so I’m hoping it drops in value like a brick in water!

Edit- the 119 inch one ten version will I’m guessing be a fair bit shorter than my Ford Ranger so wifey might like it better for parking. I wonder if they will ever squeeze a 5 door version out of the 102 inch. Ninety version?

Without checking, the Ranger and most similar pickups are between 125 and 130" wheelbases. The Ranger nearer 130 at a guess. Which is about the same wheelbase as the old special order Defender 130.

 

[uztrac]

As members are knowledgeable on matters 4xwd what is the status of Sir Jim Ratcliffes INEOS 4x4 vehicle that he was /is intending to build ?

 

[HolzKopf]

As members are knowledgeable on matters 4xwd what is the status of Sir Jim Ratcliffes INEOS 4x4 vehicle that he was /is intending to build ?

Yep, where is that at? - are there any pictures or sketches yet?

 

[Rowland]

Yep, where is that at? - are there any pictures or sketches yet?

How much do you think they will be?

 

[Johnnyboxer]

 

[Cowabunga]

Is Project Grenadier any more advanced than a design exercise yet? For all the talk, I don't think so. They are certainly actively designing a vehicle, using a Mercedes subsidiary company for that, and there is talk of utilising the skill of ex-Ford employees in the Bridgend area for assembly in that region. Nothing certain though.

 

[Johnnyboxer]

What's a 'pressurised rinse system' on the County pack?

 

[Cowabunga]

What's a 'pressurised rinse system' on the County pack?

It is a portable shower by any other name.