 | Home > General & Technical (L663) > Has anyone ordered one? |
 
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| Tim in Scotland Member Since: 23 May 2007 Location: The Land that time forgot Posts: 3753  
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You could by one here for export and ship it over........... would be there faster Pangea Green D250 90 HSE with Air Suspension, Off-road Pack, Towing Pack, Black Contrast roof , rear recovery eyes, Front bash plate, Classic flaps all round, extended wheel arch kit and a few bits from PowerfulUK Expel Clear Gloss PPF to come
2020 D240 1st Edition in Pangea Green with Acorn interior. Now gone - old faithful, no mechanical issues whatsoever ever but the leaks and rattles all over the place won’t be missed! |
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19th Jun 2020 10:12am |
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| spudfan Member Since: 10 Sep 2007 Location: Co Donegal Posts: 4702 
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If it were the old days you could have bought one in the UK then driven it home.... 1982 88" 2.25 diesel
1992 110 200tdi csw -Zikali 2008 110 2.4 tdci csw-Zulu 2011 110 2.4 tdci csw-Masai |
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19th Jun 2020 5:15pm |
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| Smilesapart Member Since: 28 Sep 2013 Location: Suffolk Posts: 735 
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I’ve ordered one which should arrive at the beginning of November. For all those Nay Sayers on here slagging it off, I suggest you go and test drive the thing. It’s a SENSATIONAL 4x4. And it’s a SENSATIONAL Land Rover. End of. Even it it is more a Discovery replacement than a Defender.
But it doesn’t matter. It’s brilliant and only by test driving one will you realise just how brilliant |
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21st Jul 2020 6:26am |
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| spudfan Member Since: 10 Sep 2007 Location: Co Donegal Posts: 4702
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I don't think any one is slagging it off, they just do not think it should be named "Defender". From all accounts here it is a very capable and comfortable machine. If it had been named something other than "Defender" I do not think there would been issues raised.
It is a completely different price point to the old Defender. I could afford to buy an "old" Defender but the new version is way beyond my means. As you are no doubt aware the older Defender had a simplicity that allowed it to be adapted to various functions, some of them very messy, even internally. The newer Defender does not seem to have the adaptability of the older one and certainly the interior does not lend itself to easy cleansing if you do get it mucked up. The Range Rover was always accepted here as an extremely capable vehicle but if you had a really messy job to do that would mean spending the day jumping in and out with muddy clothes and boots the older Defender would be seen as a more sensible option than a Range Rover Vogue SE. I think it is the loss of this "work horse" versatility that has alienated people here, that and the price point. When I went from a Defender 200 tdi to a Defender Puma I could not believe the difference in comfort and drivability between the two models. I thought the Puma was the lap of luxury  but it still has the ability to be used as a workhorse and to get the interior presentable with the minimum of effort.
To any who have bought the New Defender I wish you all many happy years of motoring and that you all get the maximum enjoyment from your purchase. 1982 88" 2.25 diesel 1992 110 200tdi csw -Zikali 2008 110 2.4 tdci csw-Zulu 2011 110 2.4 tdci csw-Masai |
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21st Jul 2020 4:55pm |
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| Mike c Member Since: 11 Aug 2017 Location: Maldon, Essex Posts: 930  
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As above, totally different vehicle, the whole point of the old Defender was that it was fundamentally basic, repaired easily etc and old fashioned, once that's gone, what's the point?
So yes good luck to new owners of the new vehicle, but to be honest, you could have just bought a Discovery instead, and that option has been available for many years, I came to this conclusion myself years ago, but appreciated what the Discovery was during my ownership, it just was not for me. |
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21st Jul 2020 5:44pm |
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| familymad Member Since: 13 Dec 2011 Location: Bucks Posts: 3481 
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Well I went and test drove it. It’s got lots of lovely tech. The interior isn’t small until you get behind the rear seats and it’s poor. I liked the dash and general fit and finish. The plastic flooring is better than the pre pro set up which was easily scratched and terrible quality. I love the rubber matting system, but this ain’t no hose it out special.
D240SE was the one I tried. Quick enough. Refined at idle and silent at speed. Spec was good for the trim level. It feels safe and invincible when it’s going down a road. But I was cold and didn’t want one. I thought it looked better in the flesh outside than the launch event .. but still a dogs dinner. Tries too hard and fails. I was gutted to be fair. I really wanted to like it and wanted to desire one. Over 20 LR’s and mostly Defenders, i’ve wanted a D4 and wanted a FFRR. But I walked away and didn’t turn to look at it. Another competitive Eurobox with class leading off-road tech. 1951 80" S1 2.0 1995 110 300TDI 1995 90 300TDI |
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21st Jul 2020 6:31pm |
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| WCDAVE Member Since: 21 Jul 2020 Location: Chester Posts: 8 
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Here in the US the 110s are at dealers, but they are all spec'd very differently. A good mix, I suppose, but for my area all P400s. I've been on a couple of test drives, but am holding out for a 90 - or at least to see one. Am also hoping to like to P300 engine as I am dead set on the steelies. I am not sure what the split load area in the 90 is all about when the seats are folded down. Also not sure about the deployment mechanism of the front seat for accessing the back seat from the front doors. I've seen a couple of videos with the D90 at auto shows, which admittedly was a prototype, but accessing the back seat is the work of a contortionist in that version. In any event, I don't want the First Edition 90 which I guess I will have to suffer through until we can order buyer-spec'd vehicles at the dealership. In my area, there are no deals to be had yet at retail, but given the drip drip of issues with the car (that I at least think I can deal with) interest will fade here in the states with the roll out of the Bronco. Just a little frustrating as I am in the market right now.
As a former Jeep owner, I am not sure about all of this "It's not a Defender" business. No, it's not the one they made from 1983 to 2016, but it was never going to be. When Jeep came out with the Unlimited the purist derided it as un-pure. A Mall-crawler. A mini van for the hiking crowd. It was better though. In every way it was better and the 2-door that they still made was also better because of it. It would seem that if you want your Defender to be more like a base Jeep or Jimny, just buy one and save your coin The Defender really is not all that pricey though. At least you have a lot of control over it. The difference between a base Defender and the X here in the states is $50,000 to $81,000US. $50,000 is about on par with a nicely optioned Wrangler, but the Defender is light years ahead in road manners. Also the available engines are much more robust in the Defender than in the Jeep. The Defender is a more capable off-roader out of the factory. If you want a vehicle for mucking around in a field, there are side by sides, ATCs, pick-up trucks, oh and also tractors for less money. I'm pretty sure there is not a large contingent of farmers who wish there was a truck that could maybe do the things their purpose built tractor can do, but also serve as their car for heading into town. Those days are gone (if they ever really existed in the Defender era). For those guys who are unhappy about the state of the Defender legacy, it could be worse - you could be a Chevy Blazer fan. Last edited by WCDAVE on 21st Jul 2020 8:42pm. Edited 1 time in total |
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21st Jul 2020 7:32pm |
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| J77 Member Since: 04 Nov 2019 Location: Fife Posts: 3404 
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I did, had 3 Discos and one of those 5s, amongst various others. Most people will buy them because it’s more closely related to the Disco, myself included. IMO it’s always been pick of the LR range for all round use ability. |
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21st Jul 2020 7:38pm |
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| Smilesapart Member Since: 28 Sep 2013 Location: Suffolk Posts: 735
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Completely understand that. Maybe the Commercial version will more closely meet those requirements for you. |
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21st Jul 2020 10:07pm |
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| Kevantlin Member Since: 18 Jan 2020 Location: Lancaster Posts: 32
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I am placing my order today, it will be a factory build. Anyone managed to get an discounts off the dealer ? Or anything thrown in ?
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22nd Jul 2020 6:41am |
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| Tim in Scotland Member Since: 23 May 2007 Location: The Land that time forgot Posts: 3753
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I suspect you won’t get a discount on a factory order, but I’m sure that dealers with cars in stock will be wanting to shift those and will be prepared to negotiate but it’s a new model so you will have to bargain hard even to get discounts on accessories - it isn’t impossible though
 Pangea Green D250 90 HSE with Air Suspension, Off-road Pack, Towing Pack, Black Contrast roof , rear recovery eyes, Front bash plate, Classic flaps all round, extended wheel arch kit and a few bits from PowerfulUK Expel Clear Gloss PPF to come
2020 D240 1st Edition in Pangea Green with Acorn interior. Now gone - old faithful, no mechanical issues whatsoever ever but the leaks and rattles all over the place won’t be missed! |
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22nd Jul 2020 6:47am |
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| Ads90 Member Since: 16 Jun 2008 Location: Cots-on-the-Wolds Posts: 812 
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I agree with all that, but I think nearly all enthusiast's expectations for the new Defender lay somewhere between what has now been embodied by the Grenadier & Bronco (depending on your use for it i.e. work, or leisure/fun). So still disappointing that LR failed to produce something that appeals directly to either of those markets, preferring instead to target some of their own existing customers that are already catered for by Discovery. The fact it disappoints Defender purists is maybe not a real concern for LR, but I'm not at all sure it will prove a good business decision either (long term, when the new new-model novelty has worn off)! That is unless LR have another vehicle up their sleeve... but I'm not hopeful. |
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22nd Jul 2020 9:45am |
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| Tim in Scotland Member Since: 23 May 2007 Location: The Land that time forgot Posts: 3753
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Might not be what the purists wanted, and I’m one of those too but had the guts to go and test drive a new one then buy it, but is is bringing new customers to LR as a brand. The old one was selling >15000 a year, it appealed to those who didn’t want to buy a brand new one, it is crude, uncomfortable and you get wet inside it on a rainy day (at least that is my finding with my 1996 90). It’s great fun, it is my 2nd car (I don’t use it for anything other than what it was designed to do) I love it and it would be like ripping my heart out to sell it but purists need to remove their rose tinted glasses - it couldn’t sell in 90% of overseas markets purely on DRiVER and passenger safety grounds,let alone pedestrian safety.
It costs a lot to engineer and design a new car to meet those requirements and I don’t see with the tiny volume that will sell to “purists”, how the Grenadier will sell even in stripped down, most basic form for less than £55000 a pop with the volume of buyers it will have going by this forum. Maybe, just maybe it will sell 10,000 a year but I suspect far fewer and that will not be economic for Ineos. If it is to sell well to the agricultural people then there will also need to be dealer/servicing back up in every country/ market town in the country and I don’t see BMW dealerships wanting folks with cow dung on their wellies traipsing through their clinic like showrooms if Ineos is to utilise the BMW dealership network. You might be able to modify it to your own requirements and it appears that Ineos is engineering that in BUT that costs and I doubt that many on this forum will be prepared to pay that much for a new car. I suspect Grenadiers will be even more rare on the roads than a New Defender is at the moment. Pangea Green D250 90 HSE with Air Suspension, Off-road Pack, Towing Pack, Black Contrast roof , rear recovery eyes, Front bash plate, Classic flaps all round, extended wheel arch kit and a few bits from PowerfulUK Expel Clear Gloss PPF to come 2020 D240 1st Edition in Pangea Green with Acorn interior. Now gone - old faithful, no mechanical issues whatsoever ever but the leaks and rattles all over the place won’t be missed! |
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22nd Jul 2020 10:00am |
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| WCDAVE Member Since: 21 Jul 2020 Location: Chester Posts: 8
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Buying a car is always a compromise since the way we use them can differ day to day. My VW Golf serves me well for my 1 mile trip to the office, my Audi (which is looking to get replaced with a Defender) serves as our road trip and longer haul car and my wife has a Boxster that sees little use, but she loves it so it stays. None of them, however, are good for the camping weekends we are now missing more and more in the Covid era. That Audi replacement though needs adaptive cruise and the other tech that make highway driving so much more enjoyable. It also needs a nice cabin that's pleasant to be in for 5-6 hours at a time (or longer). I know that driving a vehicle with 35s and 37s on the highway is its own adventure - that no longer interests me. I like the look, but know the daily reality.
Speaking with a Jeep buddy who still daily drives his lifted JK, he was lamenting the new Defender as he wanted it to provide an improved daily experience, but still have the off road capability since he now has the means to update/upgrade his Jeep. I didn't really understand the complaint because as I see it, that's exactly what the Defender does and is. So I asked how he would make it different and the response was "more rugged". SO more civilized, but more rugged(?) OK, I think I see the dilemma in designing a car in this segment. People are forever making their "rugged" vehicles more rugged and I am sure there will be aftermarket bumpers and cladding for this vehicle if that's your thing. Even the old Defenders were modified and upgrades to be "more rugged" or better suit the individual owner's needs. It may take until someone lifts a conventionally sprung 90 and adds aggressive steel front and rear bumpers to get the point across, but I think the new Defender is well executed (assuming that all the tech works and the doors stay quietly attached). Now its all about the wait.  |
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22nd Jul 2020 12:56pm |
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