Grenadier wrote:

Personally (and, before anyone wants to shoot me down, I mean personally), I no longer care about these reviews, because they’re not reviewing a worthy successor to the 75 year history of the Defender. It is not a Defender. And this is entirely separate to its looks, which I really dislike. This is about the essence of the Defender that so many of us understand and appreciate. An affordable, practical, modifiable, utilitarian and self-serviceable multi-platform vehicle which also (in the right hands) excels of road. All this could have been included in the new Defender, with added reliability, and improved comfort and ergonomics, but without going completely OTT as the current incarnation has. They have created a ‘ruggedised‘ luxury, expensive SUV. NOT a Defender in the ‘real’ sense.

So whether or not it is any good off road is immaterial as the vast majority (not all) will never be used in the extreme environments to which it pretends. The target owner, (who will likely also own 1000€ Arc’teryx jacket that may not have even skied a couloir in the French Alps, let alone been brutalised climbing a multi-pitch route in the high Himalaya), will never use it in testing off road environments. The people to whom it should have been targeted will also never use it as it is (primarily) too expensive, but also doesn’t offer the same benefits as I highlighted above.

So, personally, reviews are of no real interest, likewise its capabilities off road; at least not as a Defender. As a large, robust, family SUV, maybe. But that’s not what interests me, nor is it what maintains my passion for the current Defender. And dare I speak for others, that’s not what this site is about either. If you look at the various sections Martin has created on this forum, how many relate to the new Defender? Arguably, all of them, so flip it around and ask how many new owners will relate to the sections? Maintenance and Modifications, In-Car Electronics, Camping, Overlanding, Series, V8, Spotted, Pictures etc. I’d suggest very, very few new owners will be interested in any of those subjects, whether they’re on this site or a dedicated New Defender site. Which, I feel highlights by just how much McGovern has missed what the point of the Defender was, at least until it stopped being built 2016. Such a shame

Hwalker164 wrote:

lyes lets see how the defender withstands roads in Australia from punishing corrugations which test vehicles to their limits , i still cant believe they did no testing in Australia which is one of the biggest markets for their competitors , i don't believe the suspension design will withstand Australian conditions.

spudfan wrote:

As I posted earlier my daughter got her first car some months ago. It is a 1999 300 tdi 7 seat station wagon. In the future how many daughters will get a current 21 year old Defender as their first car? Says it all...

Naks wrote:

And how safe is a 21-year old Defender for its occupants in the event of a crash?

zilch wrote:

i will however be adding additional armor to the under body when my Defender turns up

Naks wrote:

And how safe is a 21-year old Defender for its occupants in the event of a crash?

walfy wrote:

Plus the undertrays don't look very substantial. Metal will always be better from a protection point of view.

I'm wondering if something along the lines of what they do for SXS would work:

HMWPE skid plate protection kit


Click image to enlarge

There might be a trade off on thickness for weight.