blackrangie wrote:

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Bluest wrote:

The trouble is that those calling for a basic utility version (me included) are in a vanishingly small minority. I just can't see it being worth LR's time selling something in that category, as much as I would love them too. Toyota launched their commercial Land Cruiser in the UK last year and I don't think I've seen a single one on the road. Be interesting to see the sales figures. The Japanese pick ups have already got the professional users for a much lower price and technically more basic vehicle than JLR would want to be associated with.

Where the new Defender might be of interest, but at a much higher price, is they might want a piece of the recreational 4x4 market in the US. That has really boomed with the Toyota TRD Pros, Wrangler Rubicon, Ford Raptor etc. Imagine a Defender SVR aimed to compete with those? Could be tremendously impressive.

Mcfly1985 wrote:

Take a closer look. Really zoom in and look at the contours, lines, headlights on this specific photo (not any of the test mule photos). Go back and look at the Lego leak. They are remarkably the same. I think LR has been very crafty here with all the publicized photo shoots to date, Tusk, Red Cross, even what they personally showed Prince Harry. When I zoom in on this photo, I don’t see headlamp covers (for example). I think LEGO is closer than what people believe (Technic have been incredibly detailed in other auto reproductions using bricks).
I by no means infer that you should not like what you see. Having followed several “new Defender” forums, I feel a lot of people ( again, not you personally) are simply upset with their perceived notion of what it will look like. It really comes down to looks, looks and looks for them. Given all the glossy evidence put out by LR to date, why wouldn’t they think it’s going to look pretty much like the camouflaged defenders running around? I have a suspicion this is not the case. I also feel a lot of people actually do not want the new Defender to look like the old, it almost seems like it worries them (resale value in their current lot?). We’ll see. But Lego, Infotainment, and this specific photo here are aligning.

seriesonenut wrote:

I wonder if back in 1982/3 had there been a tinternet and a forum like this the chat might have something like.........and they are going to fit coil springs when leaf (cart springs) have worked for hundreds of years, who needs permanent four wheel drive in any case?

I am absolutely sure itmwould, and I remember similar criticisms every time a new engine etc was introduced. Diesel, it'll never catch on. Turbo? Ridiculous on a Landrover. Td5, it's electonic, you wait it'll never work! Transit engine, the brand is doomed. It's always been like this.

I am sure when full-time 4wd was first dropped, in 1948, in favour of part-time 4wd, that some would have said it was the beginning of the end!

The difference is that this time it really is the end!

blackrangie wrote:

Bruce, this is just gold

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Buzzsaw wrote:

I have a Land Cruiser commercial (awesome bit of kit by the way!), I believe there has been/is strong demand for the commercial version but supply is very poor from Toyota and the company in the UK that does the commercial conversion, 6+ month waiting list to order new.