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Thoughts and musings on the new defender


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To be fair, this is not a model that will sell high numbers - it’s a rich man’s toy for those who are willing to pay for the biggest, the best, the most powerful and who will likely change it after a few years. Same as the SVR Range Rovers, it’s pointlessness is precisely its attraction in a sense. 

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1 hour ago, Bowie69 said:

Thinking about this, the P400, as its name suggests, has 400 hp, is the V8 such an upgrade?

In 110 form it has a 0-60 of 6.4s, so assume the 90 would edge close to, if not under 6 seconds, the V8 just a bit faster than that, but you are paying 20-30K more for it, and massive, massive tax and fuel bills to add to that.

I guess what I am saying, is what is the point?

But then personally, I guess that is how I feel about most modern cars, but more so with the Pretender.

 

0.4s sounds too big a difference between a 90 and 110. Do we know the weight difference? I'm guessing not huge.

And sadly 0-60mph doesn't really mean much these days. The difference in performance will be the 0-100mph and the 20-100mph times or 30-120mph.

You can see how this difference pans out in this vid. 4.2 s/c RRS vs 5.0 s/c RRS. On paper the 0-60mph times are probably pretty close. But real world the difference is huge.

 

 

Also worthy of note. The 4.2 s/c./ is still substantially quicker than a 4.4 TDV8 L322 and the new V8 Defender is quicker than the 5.0 s/c L320. I don't know about the P400. I would image it is nearer the 4.2 s/c

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2 hours ago, elbekko said:

You mean exactly like the FJ Cruiser that came behind it?

No. The FJ went two front wheels down a bit quickly and lacked control (easy to be an armchair critic on this :D ). Basically it was on a different line, dropping both wheels at the same time while sliding. The Defender was driven much slower and more controlled but on a different line and angle it dropped the left front wheel down first. This is when it lifted the rear right. I think had the FJ done the same with the front wheel, it wouldn’t have lifted a wheel. 

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On 2/25/2021 at 10:51 AM, Naks said:

 

 

" ... Land Rover has stuck its tried and tested 5.0-litre supercharged V8 in the new Defender. Available as either a two-door short-wheelbase ‘90’ or four-door long-wheelbase ‘110’, the V8 Defender makes 518bhp, accelerates to 60mph in a shade under five seconds and tops out at 149mph. Fuel economy is predictably shocking – just 19.5mpg and 327g/km of CO2.

Happily the Defender’s chassis and suspension have been beefed-up to cope with the added power, though not, says Land Rover, to the detriment of its off-road ability. Larger diameter solid anti-roll bars aim to reduce, erm, roll. Then there’s the new “Electronic Active Rear Differential”, the stiffer suspension bushes, bespoke spring and damper rates and new ‘Dynamic’ mode for the Terrain Response system that helps drivers “exploit the more dynamic character” of the V8 “on tarmac and loose surfaces”. ..."

pMore proof of the idiocy of Land Rover and their new buyers.  Anyone buying such a vehicle has no comprehension of what they should really be used for or of how horribly compromised these overpowered versions are.  The off road videos show how hamstrung the vehicle is with its independent suspension, wobbling around on three wheels as soon as it has to pass a fallen twig or a puddle - imagine that instability with a heavy load in the back.

LR need to either get back to reality or stop pretending to make off road vehicles and become just another Chelsea Truck company, which seems their desire.

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What ‘should’ they be used for? Who are you or anyone else to tell someone how to use their vehicle?

Series LRs and Defenders are, and have been for decades, whatever people want to make of them. They stopped being purely commercial vehicles a long time ago and people have been using them for leisure longer still. They’re used as daily drivers, weekend runarounds, garage queens, competition vehicles, long distance tourers, modified playthings, working tools. There is no “Land Rovers should only be used for X” and to suggest as such is disingenuous at best.

Having a high performance road-oriented version in the lineup (and extracting some good profit from people with more money than sense) doesn’t stop people buying them for normal family 4x4 or commercial purposes.

People are acting like this is the first performance-biased version of a vehicle Land Rover has ever made. What about the 50th anniversary models?

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Was the 50th really "High Performance"? 

Personally I have no issues with this V8 one. I like the RRS and SVR models. And it arguably suits where LR are pitching this new model. There is also a huge market and trend for high performance SUVs, something that didn't really exist in the 1990s. But is pretty much expected in 2021. It might not be 'traditional Defender', but then neither is this new vehicle on other levels either.

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Not really no, but the point was more that it was a version of the model aimed well away from the ‘working vehicle’ roots with a V8 and an automatic gearbox. Same principle with the others that came later on - such as those ones with the horrible silver front which I’ve forgotten the name of.

As for this version of the L663 I do like the lunacy of it and I wouldn’t mind a go in one. Despite everything else, a  500hp V8 is still a 500hp V8 :ph34r:

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1 hour ago, Retroanaconda said:

Not really no, but the point was more that it was a version of the model aimed well away from the ‘working vehicle’ roots with a V8 and an automatic gearbox. Same principle with the others that came later on - such as those ones with the horrible silver front which I’ve forgotten the name of.

As for this version of the L663 I do like the lunacy of it and I wouldn’t mind a go in one. Despite everything else, a  500hp V8 is still a 500hp V8 :ph34r:

SVX? the 60th Anniversary ones? 

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On 2/26/2021 at 9:39 AM, elbekko said:

You mean exactly like the FJ Cruiser that came behind it?

That Toyota was lucky the metalwork at the back spared the exhaust.  It crunched badly.  I guess it's not really aimed as much at the off-road driver though.  Flip, they are ugly things, aren't they!?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was bored and had the time, so I went to the local franchise and had a close look at a 400SE 110 today.  I didn’t test drive it because they won’t take it into the dunes at all, just up and down the highway and the local industrial area’s roads.

The interior is generally OK.  Lots of charging points, more than necessary, but too many is better than too few, and it does allow for some flexibility.  The windows are all very small.  The front seats had comfortable backs but I was surprised at how flat and unsupportive the bases are.  The fabric doesn’t seem to be lasting well, though - 1300km and some major puckering already on both front seats.  The rear seats are too flat in all directions and don’t offer much support at all.  Plenty of tie down points in the boot were good to see, and it had what looked like an integrated air pump for tyre inflation, which would be very useful.

It had the optional exterior box on one side, which seems pointless, but the couple who’d just test driven it said they didn’t hear any wind noise from it when I asked.  But 15 minutes after their drive, I couldn’t hold my hand on the bonnet, it was so hot.  The front wing tops were equally hot.  It’s only about 25 degrees out this morning, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens with these in the summer.  I did notice a fair bit of poor panel alignment, including the driver’s side front mud flap and sill cover, which popper straight back out when I tried to clip it in, the left side “chequer plate” bonnet panel was about 2mm proud of the bonnet and wing while the right side panel was recessed by a similar amount, the rear bumper lower trim was bowed with a gap and there were a few other oddities, so it looks like original Defender build quality has been retained.  
 

It was the first time I had seen how deep the doors go, covering almost the entire sills.  I don’t understand the reason for this, as it makes the doors much more vulnerable to damage when opening them, especially in off road conditions, where they’re likely to hit rocks or stumps.  I was also very surprised to see that those two heat exchangers in front of the front wheels, oil coolers I think, have no protection from stones or debris that enters their intakes, and they’re low enough that wading in mud is going to clog or damage them pretty quickly.

Definitely a road car.

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41 minutes ago, Snagger said:

It was the first time I had seen how deep the doors go, covering almost the entire sills.  I don’t understand the reason for this

So your trousers don't get covered in muck when you get out after taking a muddy path.

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6 minutes ago, elbekko said:

So your trousers don't get covered in muck when you get out after taking a muddy path.

Precisely, Harry's Garage made comment on what a good feature it was, especially compared to the X5, which has stuck on plastic sill 'skirts' which muddied his trousers every time.

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Ok, interesting idea and if that’s the reason, then it’s a good justification.  You’d need to be careful opening them, though.  Maybe that’s why the wing mirrors have downward pointing parking sensors.

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1 minute ago, Snagger said:

Ok, interesting idea and if that’s the reason, then it’s a good justification.  You’d need to be careful opening them, though.  Maybe that’s why the wing mirrors have downward pointing parking sensors.

They’re cameras, any car that has 360 view has them. 

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1 minute ago, SteveG said:

They’re cameras, any car that has 360 view has them. 

They had cameras and what look identical to parking sensors.  The cameras were very identifiable, along with one in the front grille, one in the rear bumper, one in the top of the front screen and one in the shark fin.

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