New LR Defender

[Cowabunga]

Bridgend site really cracking on now?

You are based as near there as anyone, so would you like to answer your own question for the rest of us?

 

[nails]

It will handle well then

It will, you must remember Postman Pat had only 3 fingers on each hand.

 

[roscoe erf]

It will, you must remember Postman Pat had only 3 fingers on each hand.
View attachment 844405

too much self pleasuring does that

 

[Still Farming]

You are based as near there as anyone, so would you like to answer your own question for the rest of us?

Yes the new site is well underway and big orange pipes being laid at the moment.

 

[nails]

too much self pleasuring does that

 

[Cowabunga]

Saw another Defender in the metal at a dealer event the other day. Another pre-production unit. I can confirm that there have been no full production retail-ready final versions produced as yet, although the first, press fleet ones, will be coming off the line this week or next apparently. First UK customer deliveries due at the end of March, early April.

I have not put a factory order in. For two reasons. One is that I have little confidence in my farming being sufficiently profitable in future to justify one. Secondly I’m not excited by it. By that I mean that it looks more like a cut down alternative cheaper build version of a Discovery5 aimed at people who like more bling than a serious quality long term prospect to be a ‘keeper’. Could buy it and sell rather quickly I suppose, and not lose much money.

Another issue is the rear door with wheel. To be honest I never have liked that kind of door. Not on the Defender Station Wagon, Series3, Shogun, isuzu, Terrano or Discovery we’ve had over the decases. So why inflict another on ourselves? Once again the company insists on building the rear passenger doors into the wheelarches, so that the rear circular cutout edge gets covered in sh1t. When will they realise that this is unacceptable on an offroad vehicle that tends to work in sh1tty conditions?

On the positive, in general the interior looks good and practical. The seating position is great. The wading depth and critical clearance and angles are all great and it is actually competitively priced compared with rivals.

To coincide with the Nitra factory ramping up production, Discovery5 production will be transferred there in the Spring. This will fairly obviously mean a facelift, especially as the V6 diesel is being discontinued and replaced by the Ingenium in-line 6. The biggest visible difference will most likely be a substantially restyled passenger compartment, possibly with the second row raised by a couple of inches. No change to the offset rear numberplate apparently because, as always, LR know better than their customers.

 

[Johnnyboxer]

Saw another Defender in the metal at a dealer event the other day. Another pre-production unit. I can confirm that there have been no full production retail-ready final versions produced as yet, although the first, press fleet ones, will be coming off the line this week or next apparently. First UK customer deliveries due at the end of March, early April.

I have not put a factory order in. For two reasons. One is that I have little confidence in my farming being sufficiently profitable in future to justify one. Secondly I’m not excited by it. By that I mean that it looks more like a cut down alternative cheaper build version of a Discovery5 aimed at people who like more bling than a serious quality long term prospect to be a ‘keeper’. Could buy it and sell rather quickly I suppose, and not lose much money.

Another issue is the rear door with wheel. To be honest I never have liked that kind of door. Not on the Defender Station Wagon, Series3, Shogun, isuzu, Terrano or Discovery we’ve had over the decases. So why inflict another on ourselves? Once again the company insists on building the rear passenger doors into the wheelarches, so that the rear circular cutout edge gets covered in sh1t. When will they realise that this is unacceptable on an offroad vehicle that tends to work in sh1tty conditions?

On the positive, in general the interior looks good and practical. The seating position is great. The wading depth and critical clearance and angles are all great and it is actually competitively priced compared with rivals.

To coincide with the Nitra factory ramping up production, Discovery5 production will be transferred there in the Spring. This will fairly obviously mean a facelift, especially as the V6 diesel is being discontinued and replaced by the Ingenium in-line 6. The biggest visible difference will most likely be a substantially restyled passenger compartment, possibly with the second row raised by a couple of inches. No change to the offset rear numberplate apparently because, as always, LR know better than their customers.

There's the definitive answer, well reasoned

 

[mf7480]

Saw another Defender in the metal at a dealer event the other day. Another pre-production unit. I can confirm that there have been no full production retail-ready final versions produced as yet, although the first, press fleet ones, will be coming off the line this week or next apparently. First UK customer deliveries due at the end of March, early April.

I have not put a factory order in. For two reasons. One is that I have little confidence in my farming being sufficiently profitable in future to justify one. Secondly I’m not excited by it. By that I mean that it looks more like a cut down alternative cheaper build version of a Discovery5 aimed at people who like more bling than a serious quality long term prospect to be a ‘keeper’. Could buy it and sell rather quickly I suppose, and not lose much money.

Another issue is the rear door with wheel. To be honest I never have liked that kind of door. Not on the Defender Station Wagon, Series3, Shogun, isuzu, Terrano or Discovery we’ve had over the decases. So why inflict another on ourselves? Once again the company insists on building the rear passenger doors into the wheelarches, so that the rear circular cutout edge gets covered in sh1t. When will they realise that this is unacceptable on an offroad vehicle that tends to work in sh1tty conditions?

On the positive, in general the interior looks good and practical. The seating position is great. The wading depth and critical clearance and angles are all great and it is actually competitively priced compared with rivals.

To coincide with the Nitra factory ramping up production, Discovery5 production will be transferred there in the Spring. This will fairly obviously mean a facelift, especially as the V6 diesel is being discontinued and replaced by the Ingenium in-line 6. The biggest visible difference will most likely be a substantially restyled passenger compartment, possibly with the second row raised by a couple of inches. No change to the offset rear numberplate apparently because, as always, LR know better than their customers.

Have JLR finished all their V6’s? I see the new F Type is only available with a 300hp 4cyl or a V8 in either 450 or 575hp. Seems a shame, I thought the petrol V6 was universally loved?

 

[Cowabunga]

Have JLR finished all their V6’s? I see the new F Type is only available with a 300hp 4cyl or a V8 in either 450 or 575hp. Seems a shame, I thought the petrol V6 was universally loved?

Only engines left in stock that were made by Ford are still being used. Mainly the V6 diesel. They will soon only be available on pre-built vehicles... no more factory orders. No doubt there are quite a few petrol and diesel V6 left in dealer stock currently and there may be yards full of factory stock for all we know. The straight six petrol engines are already being delivered in Range Rovers to dealers apparently.

 

[Timbo]

So what happens to the continuing V6 Derv's that snap their cranks - that are lined bored and not re-buildable ?

 

[Cowabunga]

So what happens to the continuing V6 Derv's that snap their cranks - that are lined bored and not re-buildable ?

I do believe that Ford are still building them. They export them for fitting to the F150 truck.

 

[vantage]

The straight six petrol engines are already being delivered in Range Rovers to dealers apparently.

Back in the day my parents purchased a LWB Land Rover with a straight six petrol engine from Greens. OMG it was woeful, when you managed to start it, which was rarely on a wet day and we have a few of those in Pembrokeshire, it then went on to splutter and fart away while consuming a good chunk of the fuel berthed at Milford Haven, drinking like a fish would an understatement. It stayed a year , its departure aided by the total lack of dealer support. Let’s hope the new ones are substantially better in every way!

 

[Cowabunga]

Back in the day my parents purchased a LWB Land Rover with a straight six petrol engine from Greens. OMG it was woeful, when you managed to start it, which was rarely on a wet day and we have a few of those in Pembrokeshire, it then went on to splutter and fart away while consuming a good chunk of the fuel berthed at Milford Haven, drinking like a fish would an understatement. It stayed a year , its departure aided by the total lack of dealer support. Let’s hope the new ones are substantially better in every way!

Things have changed a bit since the 1960's, thank goodness. Wasn't the LR a partial sidevalve or some such peculiar anachronism?

I was daft enough to buy a petrol short wheelbase Series 3 in around 1981 from Greens. There was something wrong with the carb from new, because it wouldn't pull and stalled at idle. Again Greens was absolutely useless [as many main dealers of all brands are]. On average it consumed petrol at the rate of 9 mpg. It only had a 10 gallon tank so to take it to Haverfordwest for a service or warranty repair, a 100 mile round trip, even driven very carefully indeed it consumed the whole tank bar fumes. Contrast that with my current 240hp Volvo which has currently covered 610 miles on a single 15 gallon tankful. It only has a 10 mile range left according to the dash though.

 

[bumkin]

i note greens are a regular complaint amongst you guys i must say as a blow in i went to greens to buy a land rover
when i was noticed looking at a car in the showroom the salesman do said to me i dont think we have any thing you can afford

 

[JP1]

i note greens are a regular complaint amongst you guys i must say as a blow in i went to greens to buy a land rover
when i was noticed looking at a car in the showroom the salesman do said to me i dont think we have any thing you can afford

I am always astounded that any sales person EVER would utter shyte like that

 

[Cowabunga]

i note greens are a regular complaint amongst you guys i must say as a blow in i went to greens to buy a land rover
when i was noticed looking at a car in the showroom the salesman do said to me i dont think we have any thing you can afford

They went bust. They deserved to.
At the time they were the longest established Land Rover and Jaguar dealer in the whole of the UK.
Some descendants of the Greens family are now selling cars out of their premises in the industrial estate by the closed-down slaughterhouse, trading as PMS.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Things have changed a bit since the 1960's, thank goodness. Wasn't the LR a partial sidevalve or some such peculiar anachronism?
The series 1 certainly had both side valves and oh. It was designed like that to run on 'pool petrol' which was standard in the 40/50s, no anti knock lead additives. We're now back to no lead but engine design has marched on and handles it no problem.

 

[Cowabunga]

The series 1 certainly had both side valves and oh. It was designed like that to run on 'pool petrol' which was standard in the 40/50s, no anti knock lead additives. We're now back to no lead but engine design has marched on and handles it no problem.

Purely from memory, and I had no practical experience with the LR six cylinder engine, I seem to recall that it had an overhead inlet and a sidevalve exhaust. However it is entirely possible that I've got it mixed up with some other engine or that I dreamt it. it's the kind of sweet dreams that I have.

 

[roscoe erf]

Purely from memory, and I had no practical experience with the LR six cylinder engine, I seem to recall that it had an overhead inlet and a sidevalve exhaust. However it is entirely possible that I've got it mixed up with some other engine or that I dreamt it. it's the kind of sweet dreams that I have.

from memory it was a 2.6 l around 80 hp can't remember if it was a side vale exhaust think it was , had one in a series 3 which sounded lovely but didn't have much poke never gave any trouble except for the m.p.g swapped it out for a fourtrak 2.8td engine which made it very usable and a good tow motor for the time

 

[ollie989898]

Have JLR finished all their V6’s? I see the new F Type is only available with a 300hp 4cyl or a V8 in either 450 or 575hp. Seems a shame, I thought the petrol V6 was universally loved?

I think the V6 petrol in the F type was supecharged so went like a stabbed rat and without the nose weight of the more powerful cars. Which made it a car to drive by the scruff of it's neck.