New Defender, observations and opinions of the available information !

G_ute

G_ute

Well-Known Member
I reckon Harry would be pretty impartial. He has been in car journalism game for a long time (founder of Evo mag) and a farmer.
Seems he may have had a lucky fault-free experience?
But quite a different ownership demographic to down under.

I enjoy his exotic car videos and more recently the farmer stuff.
 
CaptainBanana

CaptainBanana

Well-Known Member
Oh what a shit box - land rover!

On the upside it won't matter if the Wade sensors also don't work on these cars since most of them will never see anything more than a puddle at the local soccer ground.

I've still only seen two of these which is actually a bit surprising because where I live Land Rovers are incredibly common especially on weekends when the Rich city Folk come down. I wonder what the actual sales numbers are like relative to their other models.
 
B

boobook

Well-Known Member
CaptainBanana said:
SNIP I wonder what the actual sales numbers are like relative to their other models.
Click to expand...
November 2019 it looks like there were 122 Disco's sold and no Defenders obviously.

November 2020 sales.
Land Rover Defender – 58
Land Rover Discovery – 48
Land Rover Discovery Sport – 66
Land Rover Range Rover – 4
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque – 161
Land Rover Range Rover Sport – 114
Land Rover Range Rover Velar – 109
Land Rover Total – 560
 
Albynsw

Albynsw

Well-Known Member
A bit surprised at the low sales rate for the Defender being a new kid on the block.
Maybe the sales were hampered by supply issues?
 
B

boobook

Well-Known Member
Albynsw said:
A bit surprised at the low sales rate for the Defender being a new kid on the block.
Maybe the sales were hampered by supply issues?
Click to expand...
They still managed to deliver Rangies at the normal rate.

The Disco sales must be a concern. I read that Y62 sales have more than doubled and 2800 200s were sold in Dec and you can't order them any more. Last boat arrivals in March.
 
Last edited:
A

a1bert

Active Member
Saw a white one towing a Caravan in southern suburbs of Melbourne yesterday, sure hope he makes it home!
 
CaptainBanana

CaptainBanana

Well-Known Member
I'm not joking here on the Peninsula I see more Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles that I have seen any wherever it is just incredible how many make it here every weekend. With that said I've seen one new defender here and one new defender in Fitzroy that's it.
 
B

boobook

Well-Known Member
I went to Brighton Landrover this afternoon to look at one.

Here is my take on the experience.
The good
1)It looks good, no great. You can definitely see the old Landy influence up close.
2)The interior is brilliant. It really is a good mix of modern world plus practicality. It has storage everywhere plus USB slots and power outlets where they are useful. 100% job well done. This is a model for how 4wds should be inside the driving area.
3)It is very spacious inside
4)The reception girls are much better than at my Toyota dealer. Definitley worth going back.
5)The cappuccino's are really top-notch. I can see why people pay $1500 for a service now. Better than the coffee machine at Chaddy Toyota. I might suggest they charge $500 more for a service, and get new coffee machines and receptionists.

The bad
1)There are a lot of brand spanking new 'demo' cars there, it looks like they are doing the old BMW rego trick with demo cars with 8km on the clock. I would not be surprised if there is a December sales spike if all LR dealers did that.
2)The Defer I was looking at had 22" wheels, heated seats, depth wader stuff roof rack accessories ( surf board attached) and only a few other accessories. BUT the seats were manual adjustment for recline and back and forward! It was half super tech, and half old school. But the price was eye watering $144K - For manual seats!!! Sheez move over 70 series!
3)The rear cargo area looks tiny. I am sure it was about 10" shorter than mine. I didn't measure it though.
4)I asked about any troubles, the sale guy said they had none. I asked about TFL, he knew exactly what I was referring to and said you can't go by what's on the internet. HMMM......
5)He wanted to go for a quick drive around the block with me. I said no but asked if we could park one wheel on the footpath and check the suspension travel. He completely lost interest in me at that point and suggested I come back next week. ( it was 30 mins before closing)
6)I was there in my shorts and thongs. Definitely out of place with all the other "beautiful people". Staff and other customers. The whole scene was like a Toorak cocktail event and summed up everything about where the Defender is positioned. Do your self a favour and visit a dealer, it doesn't take long to feel like 4wders are not even on the target market radar.

Shees, it looks sooo nice, especially inside. It would be a perfect tourer if they can fix it. Stepping back into my 200's interior was deflating I must say.
 
Last edited:
CaptainBanana

CaptainBanana

Well-Known Member
boobook said:
I went to Brighton Landrover this afternoon to look at one.

Here is my take on the experience.
The good
1)It looks good, no great. You can definitely see the old Landy influence up close.
2)The interior is brilliant. It really is a good mix of modern world plus practicality. It has storage everywhere plus USB slots and power outlets where they are useful. 100% job well done. This is a model for how 4wds should be inside the driving area.
3)It is very spacious inside
4)The reception girls are much better than at my Toyota dealer. Definitley worth going back.
5)The cappuccino's are really top-notch. I can see why people pay $1500 for a service now. Better than the coffee machine at Chaddy Toyota. I might suggest they charge $500 more for a service, and get new coffee machines and receptionists.

The bad
1)There are a lot of brand spanking new 'demo' cars there, it looks like they are doing the old BMW rego trick with demo cars with 8km on the clock. I would not be surprised if there is a December sales spike if all LR dealers did that.
2)The Defer I was looking at had 22" wheels, heated seats, depth wader stuff roof rack accessories ( surf board attached) and only a few other accessories. BUT the seats were manual adjustment for back and forward! It was half super tech, and half old school. But the price was eye watering $144K - For manual seats!!!
3)The rear cargo area looks tiny. I am sure it was about 10" shorter than mine. I didn't measure it though.
4)I asked about any troubles, the sale guy said they had none. I asked about TFL, he knew exactly what I was referring to and said you can't go by what's on the internet. HMMM......
5)He wanted to go for a quick drive around the block with me. I said no but asked if we could park one wheel on the footpath and check the suspension travel. He completely lost interest in me at that point and suggested I come back next week. ( it was 30 mins before closing)
6)I was there in my shorts and thongs. Definitely out of place with all the other "beautiful people". Staff and other customers. The whole scene was like a toorak art show, and summed up everything about where the Defender is positioned.

Shees, it looks sooo nice, especially inside. It would be a perfect tourer if they can fix it. Stepping back into my 200's interior was deflating I must say.
Click to expand...

Don't forget that inflexible brick suspension is rock hard at extended heights when the cars unloaded. Wait until you have 4 passengers, luggage and loaded roof rack and those airbags inflate another 30 or 40 percent and then worry about wheel lift and lack of flex.

On a side note if I was shopping for a pretend 4x4 at 144k I'd be visiting porsche not land rover, just saying.
 
Last edited:
shanegtr

shanegtr

Well-Known Member
CaptainBanana said:
Don't forget that inflexible brick suspension is rock hard at extended heights when the cars unloaded. Wait until you have 4 passengers, luggage and loaded roof rack and those airbags inflate another 30 or 40 percent and then worry about wheel lift and lack of flex.

On a side note if I was shopping for a pretend 4x4 at 144k I'd be visiting porsche not land rover, just saying.
Click to expand...
From what I understand the suspension shouldn't be firmer at off road height as the height adjustable part is it's own dedicated airbag separate to the main unit. From the videos I've seen the rear seems to travel and work well, the front not so much...
 
CaptainBanana

CaptainBanana

Well-Known Member
shanegtr said:
From what I understand the suspension shouldn't be firmer at off road height as the height adjustable part is it's own dedicated airbag separate to the main unit. From the videos I've seen the rear seems to travel and work well, the front not so much...
Click to expand...
The guys who own them are complaining of them being stiffer at extended Heights. I also read about their miracle 2 part airbag, apparently In the theory it's a solution but in practice it's one more failure point but no more comfortable than coils on an FJ Cruiser for example.

Also in those videos where the back is moving at the front is not I can't help but feel that's the case because of the extra weight on the front potentially means the front bags are inflated more. What would be nice is to see one with passengers and luggage in the back to see if the rear loses it's Flex.
 
rob_macca67

rob_macca67

Well-Known Member
boobook said:
I went to Brighton Landrover this afternoon to look at one.

Here is my take on the experience.
The good
1)It looks good, no great. You can definitely see the old Landy influence up close.
2)The interior is brilliant. It really is a good mix of modern world plus practicality. It has storage everywhere plus USB slots and power outlets where they are useful. 100% job well done. This is a model for how 4wds should be inside the driving area.
3)It is very spacious inside
4)The reception girls are much better than at my Toyota dealer. Definitley worth going back.
5)The cappuccino's are really top-notch. I can see why people pay $1500 for a service now. Better than the coffee machine at Chaddy Toyota. I might suggest they charge $500 more for a service, and get new coffee machines and receptionists.

The bad
1)There are a lot of brand spanking new 'demo' cars there, it looks like they are doing the old BMW rego trick with demo cars with 8km on the clock. I would not be surprised if there is a December sales spike if all LR dealers did that.
2)The Defer I was looking at had 22" wheels, heated seats, depth wader stuff roof rack accessories ( surf board attached) and only a few other accessories. BUT the seats were manual adjustment for recline and back and forward! It was half super tech, and half old school. But the price was eye watering $144K - For manual seats!!! Sheez move over 70 series!
3)The rear cargo area looks tiny. I am sure it was about 10" shorter than mine. I didn't measure it though.
4)I asked about any troubles, the sale guy said they had none. I asked about TFL, he knew exactly what I was referring to and said you can't go by what's on the internet. HMMM......
5)He wanted to go for a quick drive around the block with me. I said no but asked if we could park one wheel on the footpath and check the suspension travel. He completely lost interest in me at that point and suggested I come back next week. ( it was 30 mins before closing)
6)I was there in my shorts and thongs. Definitely out of place with all the other "beautiful people". Staff and other customers. The whole scene was like a Toorak cocktail event and summed up everything about where the Defender is positioned. Do your self a favour and visit a dealer, it doesn't take long to feel like 4wders are not even on the target market radar.

Shees, it looks sooo nice, especially inside. It would be a perfect tourer if they can fix it. Stepping back into my 200's interior was deflating I must say.
Click to expand...
I work next door to the LR Dealership, so during my lunch break I walked over to check one out...

My conclusion:
#Yes, it may appear big on the outside but looking at the purpose that I would use it for (Touring/offroading) I found the cargo area to be small when compared to what I have now (trusty old school defender)
# Looked underneath to see if there is an area for increased fuel capacity - NONE that I could see...
# Wheel/Tyre combo - Forget it for what I want to use it for...
# The common aftermarket options (ie: Bullbar; Roofrack; Snorkel) - I don't see any aftermarket manufacturer racing to develop anything for it...
# PRICE !!! - U got to be kidding - PASS.
# I now know for sure that LR is not serious when it comes to offroading/touring anymore - unless u wear a suit and have a big bank balance, they are just not interested in the average person anymore...


Read an article the other day whereby a bloke had bought one of the last Defender Hertiages for $70K - Drove it for a few years over and around Australia & across the Desert - then with 100,000kms sold it for $100K - can't see that happening with this new Defender...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top