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Thoughts and musings on the new defender


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2 minutes ago, FridgeFreezer said:

I would argue that the V8 in the classic Range Rover was done for the same reason America was using V8s in their land yachts - they just waft effortlessly and quietly along.

Also, they had it already from the P5, and what other engine would you put in an RRC? The 6 cylinder? Probably would have compromised interior space or approach too much, and weighs about twice as much.

The V8 was a great choice.

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On 7/4/2024 at 12:20 PM, Chicken Drumstick said:

I can think of no scenarios where DSC would be useful when in Low Range.

It would keep some check on numpties trying to do donuts in low range in some parking lot. Until they find the button that is.

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  • 1 month later...

Personally, I think they look out of place on a new Defender too.  I cannot fathom why you would hang a box where it creates drag, blocks your mirror and screams "take me" to folk with nefarious intent!

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A lot of the new Defenders we saw while on holiday in the Lake District last week, the owners had obviously ticked every box on the options list.

Side box

Snorkel

Roof bars and rack

Roof mounted lights 

Rear spoiler

Wheels off a Lamborghini 

Blacked out windows 

Personally l don't like the blinged up ones. I think they look best (or as good as they are going to look) in basic trim with no options and the steel wheels.

lf you want bling, you're better off with a new Range Rover (or "Range" as owners seem to call them)

Plenty of those around Windermere as well.

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Sadly, the way society works, you dress less for function and more to present an image to those around you - and that extends to cars these days as well.  A Rangie (as we used to call them) is a softer image and that won't do for some people.  JLR know that full well, which is why they make the things instead of what the more self-confident amongst us want!

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Talking about "image", as we were, I was intrigued by a pointed little segment I saw this week on telly.  It was a locally made B-grade crime show and the heroine, masquerading as a race horse buyer, needed to rent a vehicle to complete the image.  It shouldn't have been a surprise to see a brand new and very shiny Defender taking the place of a Range Rover but it was.  More surprising, to me, was how bold a statement it really made.  I believe a Range Rover would have looked bland in the scene (well, to be fair, the new ones are just on the ugly side of bland!).  I think the JLR design team would have been well chuffed - if they happened to be watching a fair to middling NZ crime series, ahem...

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15 hours ago, deep said:

Talking about "image", as we were, I was intrigued by a pointed little segment I saw this week on telly.  It was a locally made B-grade crime show and the heroine, masquerading as a race horse buyer, needed to rent a vehicle to complete the image.  It shouldn't have been a surprise to see a brand new and very shiny Defender taking the place of a Range Rover but it was.  More surprising, to me, was how bold a statement it really made.  I believe a Range Rover would have looked bland in the scene (well, to be fair, the new ones are just on the ugly side of bland!).  I think the JLR design team would have been well chuffed - if they happened to be watching a fair to middling NZ crime series, ahem...

The whole LR product range is aimed at criminals, be they drug gangs, gun runners or worse - footballers.  Then there was my previous habitat…. That’s not to say every owner fits those demographics, but it is the target.  That’s why the overwhelming majority are in black paint, with black wheels and windows, just like the bad guys in any formulaic film or TV series.  It’s part of why I so hate the modern stuff.  I’ll stick to their classics - they’re so much more discerning.

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9 hours ago, Peaklander said:

You haven’t sold that very well 😝 but it’s nice to hear that the Defender looked well.

Great filming, decent enough acting (headed by Lucy Lawless, once famous as Xena, Warrior Princess), well chosen locations ... and storylines as believable as something written by the Brother Grimm!  "My Life is Murder" - you can probably find it on line somewhere.

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7 hours ago, Snagger said:

The whole LR product range is aimed at criminals, be they drug gangs, gun runners or worse - footballers.  Then there was my previous habitat…. That’s not to say every owner fits those demographics, but it is the target.  That’s why the overwhelming majority are in black paint, with black wheels and windows, just like the bad guys in any formulaic film or TV series.  It’s part of why I so hate the modern stuff.  I’ll stick to their classics - they’re so much more discerning.

Haha!  Maybe more the kind of criminal who wears a suit and tie to work and masquerades as a "respectable citizen", while studiously removing money from anyone he can?  Actually, this one was a fairly fetching bronzy colour, a massive improvement on the tedious, unimaginative "black everything" look you refer to.

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On 9/7/2024 at 12:54 PM, Snagger said:

The whole LR product range is aimed at criminals, be they drug gangs, gun runners or worse - footballers.  Then there was my previous habitat…. That’s not to say every owner fits those demographics, but it is the target.  That’s why the overwhelming majority are in black paint, with black wheels and windows, just like the bad guys in any formulaic film or TV series.  It’s part of why I so hate the modern stuff.  I’ll stick to their classics - they’re so much more discerning.

What utter tosh. I must have missed that bit at the dealership.

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On 9/8/2024 at 9:04 AM, Lightning said:

Mine's blue with white steel wheels. 

IMG_2239.thumb.jpeg.dad80aa741ef9cd2ef708fd7bab4ea7c.jpeg

That's pretty much the colour scheme I want to use on my Series 3!  Looks better than pretty much any other new Defender in my eyes.

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We did get followed by an erratically driven all Black Modern Defender, with all the bling and tinted windows. Followed us for miles.

Turned out it was driven by two smiley Indian Hindu women who wanted to tell us our dog was cute. 
 

*illustration of the said dog’s driving position:

image.jpeg.f4d23f15570ea8d08dfeee3bbcdf6263.jpeg

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9 hours ago, Anderzander said:

We did get followed by an erratically driven all Black Modern Defender, with all the bling and tinted windows. Followed us for miles.

Turned out it was driven by two smiley Indian Hindu women who wanted to tell us our dog was cute. 
 

*illustration of the said dog’s driving position:

image.jpeg.f4d23f15570ea8d08dfeee3bbcdf6263.jpeg

Lovely looking Defender 90 in the best colour 

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14 hours ago, Lightning said:

New one definitely looks best in the basic trim with no extras. Still rather have the old model! I may even swap back one day, l keep looking at late model 110 Puma's.

IMG_3591.thumb.jpeg.c59ad5abfbd31ed175921287724ca9cb.jpeg

They do look far better without the adornments, as you said.  The extras seem much like the project khan additions to the old Defender.

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