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| Slideywindows Member Since: 09 Sep 2016 Location: North Essex Posts: 1283  
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Surely it is possible to keep an existing Defender going for the rest of your life, especially if you are not afflicted with "lust for new"?
A never-ending propaganda wall of "marketing" makes us think that new must be better. If we ever stop believing this, the economy will collapse. . So I'll do "content with the old Defender" on my own then..... |
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15th Oct 2017 7:57pm |
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| MGCarr Member Since: 18 Nov 2016 Location: Lancashire Posts: 59  
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Slideywindows
Count me in for the 'content with the old Defender' club  |
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15th Oct 2017 10:26pm |
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| Huttopia Member Since: 23 Feb 2016 Location: West Midlands Posts: 1972
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And me. Why agonise over what may or may not come next, it won't be closely related to the old Defender so I don't get why it is relevant?
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16th Oct 2017 7:19am |
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| Knoxy Member Since: 06 May 2013 Location: The Moon Posts: 43
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My local JLR dealer has just built a huge new plate glass showroom and as I had not been in since it opened, I swung by for a look at what was on offer. My usual contact, who has over 30 years, service selling Land Rovers and runs a Defender that he is no doubt not allowed to park in plain sight of the dealership, was not in, so a young trendy showed me around the range. I have to say, I have never been so uninspired in a car showroom since my mates dad bought a Lada in the 80s. I am not averse to a bit of 4x4 performance, engineering and luxury, running a physics defying Porsche Cayenne for the missus. Everything I saw in the RR / LR showroom, whilst undoubtedly capable, looked like a cross between a DFS interior gone wrong and the extreme bling of a badly executed Luxury hotel in Dubai. Not to mention a collection of rear ends styled after RMS Titanic (Velar & Discovery).
Now although I have owned Defenders for a long time, I am not the archetypal, bobble hat wearing, wood in my beer Defender owner who wants a new Defender to be exactly like the old Defender. I do all my own spanner swinging and have subtly but significantly upgraded my Oct 2015 90 XS Hard Top. I am pretty receptive to a worthy, modern, useable replacement which honours the essence and heritage of the Defender without the exposed spot welds and borderline sadomasochistic driving experience and would probably be at the head of the queue if they got it right. However, I fear that the current product range is so very divorced from the ethos of a Defender that I doubt JLR have any hope of producing anything close to maintaining the spirit of the marque and satisfying the Defender customer base. Meanwhile, the time elapsed has meant that a large chunk of that customer base has simply had to move on (including the Farming community, Utilities, Emergency Services etc). The young trendy reckoned he had been given a good insight into the Defender replacement during his visits to JLR Corporate and that the Defender replacement was “like a Skoda Yeti”. Now given the bewildered look of confusion and disinterest on his face when I told him I had bought the last production allocation for a Defender that his dealership had back in 2015, I’m not sure if this comparison is positive or negative, as he "loved the current range". 
Part of me believes that the Defender replacement will be allowed to quietly die on the vine, due to insufficient demand or inability to achieve the required premium price tag from the market segment. Alternatively, they will wheel out an overpriced production version of the DC100 concept now that all the WhooHaa has died down. I live in hope but fear the worst. |
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16th Oct 2017 1:55pm |
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| nidge n Member Since: 04 Feb 2012 Location: Cheshire Posts: 719 
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Alas, I’m with you Knoxy. I have two defenders, a 110and a 90Heritage. I wanted to add another LR to the family and use my 110 for lighter duties. I personally don’t think the defender will be replaced any time soon so I really wanted the new discovery to work. Gosh, that’s a child only parents could love. The Range Rover line is not aimed at me. Now I’m looking elsewhere which feels strange. But hanging on for a new defender that may just not materialise is not the answer.
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16th Oct 2017 7:26pm |
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| What puddle? Member Since: 25 Oct 2013 Location: Reading Posts: 952
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Sad state of affairs, isn't it? Personally, I would much rather that they had run with the DC100. I liked it, still do. If the new one does look like a Yeti, then that IS the DC100! Apart from the Evoque and the D4, I think LR have done a terrible job - but sales figures indicate I'm wrong, I think. I was once well within their typical-buyers segment. Now, even though I'm wealthier than I've ever been, the entire range is out of my buying league! I really am clinging on to the hope that the Ineos is the natural Defender replacement. I'm disappointed that there have been some negative comments about it here, and shocked, actually, as I would have thought that it is exactly what many who frequent this site are after. They're even asking YOU what you want it to be. Have LR asked you? Now left.
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16th Oct 2017 8:00pm |
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| Knoxy Member Since: 06 May 2013 Location: The Moon Posts: 43
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I know where you are coming from Nidge. My 90 is a car I drive for fun, so for me needs to be used in the right circumstances and context for it to be so. I just cannot stomach it as a daily driver in rush hour traffic etc, as its shortcomings drive me nuts , so its saved for circumstances when my head and heart is up for it. I dont want to seem pretentious
 but I am in the fortunate position to have a few cars to choose from, my dailly driver is one of the last 6 cylinder Cayman’s I bought last spring, which I wont run in the winter. I ran the 90 every day last winter and for me it was a toil, therefore I had hoped the new Defender might be available for this year but no. There is nothing in the RR / LR range that I could see myself driving, apart from maybe an outgoing model full size Rangie and to be honest, my head and past experience tells me not to spend that kind of money on a JLR product, even if I could, as it would surely end in aftersales / dealer induced dissapointment.
As such I’m also left looking elsewhere for a winter driver, believe it or not I am flirting with a pre registered Fiat Panda Cross, relatively cheap, capabale, reliable and easy to get out of, if a decent Defender replacement does materialise in the next year or two. Maybe I’ll feel different when the medication wears off.  |
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16th Oct 2017 8:31pm |
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| apt100 Member Since: 05 Mar 2015 Location: Derbyshire Posts: 1547 
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Yes. On a postcard during the Defender production tour. Of course, a cynic might think they all went straight in the bin |
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16th Oct 2017 8:35pm |
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| Knoxy Member Since: 06 May 2013 Location: The Moon Posts: 43
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After the recent treatment I received from my Main Dealer and JLR which lead to me immediately selling my 2015 Defender, I dont give a Flying Feck what the next Defender will be like as it will be a Cold Day in Hell before JLR gets another penny of my hard earned cash.
End of Rant! |
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14th Nov 2017 3:14pm |
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| Panda Member Since: 29 May 2015 Location: Essex Posts: 432 
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Sorry to here that Knoxy. Happy motoring whatever you choose
Monty-2015 2.2 110 XS Puma Station Wagon
Yoda Disco 3-Sold Larry Disco 1-Sold Muddly XS 90 TDCI-Sold Pearl Disco 2-Sold Larry Disco 1-didn't want too but sold |
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14th Nov 2017 3:56pm |
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| What puddle? Member Since: 25 Oct 2013 Location: Reading Posts: 952
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I hear you, Knoxy. Trouble is, bad service (if that's what you got) is everywhere - everywhere! Me and Mrs Puddle are getting really fed up with terrible service from big name companies. And no, not just British ones, but Italian ones (Smeg) too. Been without a dishwasher (under warranty) for three weeks now. Now left.
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14th Nov 2017 5:18pm |
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| Knoxy Member Since: 06 May 2013 Location: The Moon Posts: 43
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Very true. Its as though the rush towards Globalisation, Low Cost Manufacturing and consumers expectation of ever cheaper stuff, resulting in a lack of customer loyalty has caused companies to devalue the service they offer.
There are some exceptions but they are very rare, typically customer service is in the  .
Off topic but on white goods I’m a big fan of Miele, their aproach is still to design and build bombproof quality that does not break and so no customer service required. Properly expensive though. |
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14th Nov 2017 5:42pm |
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| What puddle? Member Since: 25 Oct 2013 Location: Reading Posts: 952
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We're thoroughly sick of it - B&M, B&Q, Smeg, Pop Telecom, Workwear Express - just one rotten experience after another. It just makes you not want to buy anything, because you know it'll go titsup. Just had another today: Bought a cordless circular saw from Screwfix (usually good) and got it home to find no blade included, no carry-case(!), and the battery on the other (same make) tools doesn't fit. Fed up
 Now left. |
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14th Nov 2017 6:01pm |
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| Morepower Member Since: 08 Jan 2013 Location: Fife, Scotland Posts: 630 
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TBH.... This is where I think we're heading....
 Click image to enlarge Enjoy Tim It doesn't matter how bad it is, It can always get worse... 2013 Bowler 110 (Sold) 2016 Bowler 90 Rally Spec (Sold) |
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19th Nov 2017 4:47pm |
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