Like I said, a British Jeep Wrangler. Thoroughly modern and tractable (at least as much as something with front and rear live axles can be), but still... reasonably cheap and utilitarian. Ford is doing it even better with the new Bronco, with having everything from rubberised hose-down interiors up to the latest luxury goods as optional extras. JLR has made some boneheaded decisions as of late, but the way they massacred the Defender really takes the cake. The target market for the Defender isn’t “rich housewives who want to brag they could traverse subsaharan Africa”, it’s the people that are actually trying to do that. And what they need is rugged simplicity. All the tech makes it great off road, but you’d never want to be more than a few miles away from the dealership because there’s no way to fix it if one of the dozens of computer systems ***** itself.They should have done what Mercedes did with the G-wagon (and perhaps Suzuki with the Jimny) and make something that looks almost identical to the original model but make it so it isn't an absolute pig to drive on road (compared to more contemporary stuff) whilst keeping it's off-road abilities. But unlike the G-wagon, keep it as cheap as they possibly could. That way it wouldn't be treading on the Discovery's toes the way it currently does. A base 110 is only about £2.5k less than a base Discovery, which is the Discovery S. A Defender 110 S (the 'S' trim level looks to be similar for both - ie pretty basic) is actually more than a Discovery S. I just can't see the logic.
It's been a complete flop, at least here. May well have had the same off road prowess as the old one (as they claimed) but it was about so much more than that.
Firstly it's ugly and looks nothing like a Defender (the styling cues are way too light) and secondly it's a too expensive for the target market which isn't the luxury one JLR seem to think it is. The Ineos Grenadier is what they should have made.
(and perhaps Suzuki with the Jimny)
A new Baby Defender is on the cards for 2022, initially being offered with FWD with an AWD variant following shortly afterwards. Power will be sourced from a 1.5L Turbo 3-cylinder and prices are expected to start from ÂŁ25,000 for a very basic, stripped out model.
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Maybe someone will come out with a body kit that makes it look like the pics above. Hey, if Mitsuoka can make a retro Chevy, surely a JimRover is doable.I maintain that, given the Jimny is around the same size as the original SWB Series Land Rovers, LR should've done a rebadge deal with Suzuki and called it the Series 4. The waiting list would be measured in years.
Further proof than Land Rover is incapable of making a base model off-road version. I still have yet to see anybody besides The Fast Lane buy or try to buy a pure base model but when they tried to order one LR failed miserably. They don't exist. LR can't do it. This thing is an embarrassment to its heritage. It's a luxury barge and nothing more. Look what they've done to my boy!
Further proof than Land Rover is incapable of making a base model off-road version. I still have yet to see anybody besides The Fast Lane buy or try to buy a pure base model but when they tried to order one LR failed miserably. They don't exist. LR can't do it. This thing is an embarrassment to its heritage. It's a luxury barge and nothing more. Look what they've done to my boy!
Further proof than Land Rover is incapable of making a base model off-road version. I still have yet to see anybody besides The Fast Lane buy or try to buy a pure base model but when they tried to order one LR failed miserably. They don't exist. LR can't do it. This thing is an embarrassment to its heritage. It's a luxury barge and nothing more. Look what they've done to my boy!
Fair point, but who the heck is going to buy a vehicle smaller than a Defender when the goal is to explore millions of square miles of the American West? It's not really possible to expedition with 1000 pounds of gear inside and on the roof of a vehicle smaller than a Toyota 4Runner. The price point isn't really my point here - my point is that they do allow you to order an off-road oriented Defender that only costs $55,000 which isn't much more than a TRD 4Runner (which sells as fast as they can make them in the US). Problem is, LR doesn't stock them. Anywhere. They don't exist. You can order it and wait three months for them to build it like TFL did but you can't actually show up and buy one.Perhaps the full-size Defender is moving further upmarket so that there is space for the smaller model that was announced November last year. I believe the Baby Defender is intended to be used as a commercial vehicle, hence the much lower price point.
Precisely. And that thing is equipped with the comfort and convenience pack, metallic paint, black roof, and black badges...none of which are necessary and they combine to nearly $4,000 Canadian. That's on top of the S model package which is a step above the base model and has the 19 inch wheels instead of 18 inch steelies. It also includes none of the off-road options like the locking rear diff.The cheapest new Defender I could find on autotrader is 74k CAD, 10k more than a TRD Pro 4Runner. Ouch.
They've got the ZR2 but that's about it. And I've seen a few of them around but I've seen way more Blazers unfortunately. ZR2s are a lot more popular in regions where you can actually use them, and they're nowhere near as popular as Raptors despite being considerably cheaper. Methinks the lack of power doesn't help although they are good trucks.I have to say though, where the hell is GM in this segment? The Blazer was an enormous mistake and missed opportunity.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: the rugged classic simplicity of the Jeep Wrangler combined the cheap deliberately modular utility of the F150, then wrapped in a Union Jack and powered by gritty warm brown beer is the solution~Further proof than Land Rover is incapable of making a base model off-road version. I still have yet to see anybody besides The Fast Lane buy or try to buy a pure base model but when they tried to order one LR failed miserably. They don't exist. LR can't do it. This thing is an embarrassment to its heritage. It's a luxury barge and nothing more. Look what they've done to my boy!
It seems that this new luxury barge seems to be very capable and even better than the 2014 Defender. Is it as exciting with all the electronics and driving aids?
EDIT: little mistake on my part. It was not about what the new Defender is capable of but the fact that there is no basic Defender. I get it now.
So the Grenadier, then.the rugged classic simplicity of the Jeep Wrangler combined the cheap deliberately modular utility of the F150, then wrapped in a Union Jack and powered by gritty warm brown beer is the solution~
So the Grenadier, then.
I can't wait until the Grenadier hits American shelves so people will stop talking about the Defender like it's either capable or competent. It is neither. It is a luxury wagon for country club members. The best Britain has to offer, lol. Perhaps it can drive "off-road" on the UK's sodden grass but that ain't proving much.