22900013A wrote:

I can't imagine anyone is publicly running any kind of test bed right now, at least not that could be identified as such. They may well have the running gear and chassis hidden under an old van body or something as happened with the Freelander/Maestro van vehicles.

The company I work for was one of the biggest buyers of Defenders so if anyone was going to get any to test I am sure they would have. At this stage though I can't see it, we have not heard a peep out of JLR yet, I would imagine road-going prototypes anywhere close to the finished product are a long way off.

With all due respect to you, and your friend, we do hear a number of these kind of stories,a guy I work with has a brother who works for JLR and apparently he gets told little snippets of info now and then. For now I think it is just wait and see.

walfy wrote:

Speaking to a good friend who works for JLR. And is a Defender nut. I was in a meeting with him about other business and we got onto the subject of the new Defender. He spoke of more variants than the outgoing model. When pressed on keeping the chassis with bolt on bodys rather than monocoque he stopped that line of questioning with a smile. Apparently there are test beds running around but they are painted in UK military style of paint.
So could there be a set of test vehicles running out there being pushed to their limits, by a prospective client?

Make what you will of this but he is in a position of authority within JLR and I have no doubt to his genuineness.

JOW240725 wrote:

I also spent the weekend with an old college friend who is heavily involved in the new Defender project at JLR, having plied him with plenty of alcohol in the hopes he might let something slip.... nothing as you would expect! All he did say is it's a long way off yet and they don't have prototypes being driven yet.