REPORT: Land Rover replacing 61-year-old Defender model
?
Oct 23, 2009 | 03:51 AM
#15
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 152
as much as i love defenders (drive an '08 110 and a '54 swb), i think that cutting it off now is the best idea, before regulation takes over and it becomes something the opposite of what it was. To quote Neil Young 'It's better to burn out, than fade away.' at least it is still held in such high regard. Just my .02c
Oct 23, 2009 | 05:35 AM
#16
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,909
Maybe not. There are so many issues on them that need to be corrected, that only an entirely new model might be able to adequately address. I am quite curious to see what they come up with. I have been giving some thought to selling my current one.
Here is mine.
Here is mine.
Oct 23, 2009 | 07:18 AM
#17
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,076
From: 51.933° N, 4.583° E
This story pops up every once in a while, it's a bit like those doomsday predictions 'no, seriously dude, this time it's for real'.
The Autoblog article sucks btw: the Defender name is not 60 years old, before the Discovery came around in '89 the cars were simply referred to as 90/110/127 depending on the wheelbase. Furthermore the Defender is not available in the States currently and has only been on sale for a couple of years in the early/mid 90's. Everyone I've spoken to at Land Rover insists that if they make it comply with the Euro VI emission regulations it will remain on sale relatively unchanged in Europe long beyond 2013. And for the '83 bodywork: much of the bodypanels can be traced back to the Series II/III of the fifties and sixties actually.
I think they will keep producing the Defender because without it the brand is going to loose a serious amount of appeal, there are plenty of people who buy a Range/Disco simply because they get drawn to the whole lifestyle/image the Defender embodies. But ironically enough the Disco 3/4 are superior offroad vehicles to the Defender so my guess is that Tata will pressure them to come up with a new utilitarian vehicle based on the T5 platform (Disco and Range Sport underpinnings) and some sort of bullet proof engine. With this new vehicle they can cater to the market lost to Japanese 4x4's in the 80's while retaining the Defender as brand icon.
A Land Rover engineer put it this way: The Defender is our anchor; it's the cork on which Land Rover floats but at the same time it holds us back as well.
Which pretty much nails it IMO. This is the exact same dilemma Porsche is facing with the 911, it's such an iconic product that it is the reason for a huge following who are extremely loyal to the brand. But on the flipside; break their hearts by screwing up their beloved car and they'll never forgive you.
A testament to just how strong these feelings are among Land Rover buyers: when back in 2004 production was finally ceased of the Disco II (which to this day is an immensely popular model among enthusiasts) sales of the car shot up over 50% in the UK. Sales volume throughout the lifetime of the model had never been so high as during those last three months because people were absolutely terrified Land Rover would bugger up the new car (Disco 3).
The Autoblog article sucks btw: the Defender name is not 60 years old, before the Discovery came around in '89 the cars were simply referred to as 90/110/127 depending on the wheelbase. Furthermore the Defender is not available in the States currently and has only been on sale for a couple of years in the early/mid 90's. Everyone I've spoken to at Land Rover insists that if they make it comply with the Euro VI emission regulations it will remain on sale relatively unchanged in Europe long beyond 2013. And for the '83 bodywork: much of the bodypanels can be traced back to the Series II/III of the fifties and sixties actually.
I think they will keep producing the Defender because without it the brand is going to loose a serious amount of appeal, there are plenty of people who buy a Range/Disco simply because they get drawn to the whole lifestyle/image the Defender embodies. But ironically enough the Disco 3/4 are superior offroad vehicles to the Defender so my guess is that Tata will pressure them to come up with a new utilitarian vehicle based on the T5 platform (Disco and Range Sport underpinnings) and some sort of bullet proof engine. With this new vehicle they can cater to the market lost to Japanese 4x4's in the 80's while retaining the Defender as brand icon.
A Land Rover engineer put it this way: The Defender is our anchor; it's the cork on which Land Rover floats but at the same time it holds us back as well.
Which pretty much nails it IMO. This is the exact same dilemma Porsche is facing with the 911, it's such an iconic product that it is the reason for a huge following who are extremely loyal to the brand. But on the flipside; break their hearts by screwing up their beloved car and they'll never forgive you.
A testament to just how strong these feelings are among Land Rover buyers: when back in 2004 production was finally ceased of the Disco II (which to this day is an immensely popular model among enthusiasts) sales of the car shot up over 50% in the UK. Sales volume throughout the lifetime of the model had never been so high as during those last three months because people were absolutely terrified Land Rover would bugger up the new car (Disco 3).
Last edited by 4Wheels; Oct 23, 2009 at 07:23 AM.
Oct 24, 2009 | 04:53 PM
#20
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,076
From: 51.933° N, 4.583° E
That's the Ice version of the Fire & Ice special editions. Basically they stuck a SVX grille and lightcluster on the front, put the SVX alloys on and painted them in white or orange.
Regular Defender still looks very much like the old ones, most noticeable is the 'hump' on the bonnet.
Regular Defender still looks very much like the old ones, most noticeable is the 'hump' on the bonnet.