New Defender Concept

[Antichrist]

With a sweet front bumper and some accessories, I bet it will look the part.

But look the part of what? That's the question.
Certainly doesn't look the part of anything I'd be even remotely interested in.

It reminds me of an H3 and is about as appealing.
Like all Land Rovers for the past number of years I'm sure it will be all form and no substance, incorporating all the features that are opposite of what an off-road/work/expedition vehicle should have.

I don't really understand Land Rover's fear of building a truck. It's not like they don't have any experience.

 

[Mack73]

horrible. Just horrible.

 

[LtFuzz]

I don't hate it.

 

[Dave Bennett]

Looks like IFS and unibody... we'll see.

When this thing hits, either you identify yourself as owning an early NAS Defender or be associated with a stink bomb look-alike vehicle.

This reminds me of the buzz surrounding early pics of the FJ "Cruiser"...

 

[4xdog]

Awful. Maybe I'm showing my age, but more and more I have to ask what was so wrong with the old one when some weird new version of familiar things is introduced.

It looks delicate, disposable, and dilettante.

It sure doesn't do it for me! (Of course, I'm getting ready to put my 50 year old Triumph TR3B back on the road, so I have a soft spot for traditional English iron).

Don

 

[Desert Dan]

Gadds
What will the SAS use?

 

[Dave Bennett]

Gadds
What will the SAS use?

They'll have to buy Jeep J8's...

 

[dcwhybrew]

Clearly Land Rover is looking for a whole new class of owners. Being a low volume automobile producer they can't continue to sustain themselves with previous volumes and decreasing profit margins (among the industry). That is most likely why Land Rover is developing more mainstream (i.e. RR Evoque) vs utilitarian vehicles, so they can significantly increase their volumes. Trying to appeal to more buyers is the goal, to hell with their past. I'd bet money that the LR4 is the last "utilitarianesque" vehicle they produce, and LR will go the way of the Evoque and this DC100 concept. With the brand differentiation taking place between RR and LR, I wonder if LR will go away and the vehicles will all be known as RRs? Good luck to them. I'll keep my LR3 as long as I can and hope the LR4s are built to last (because it will be about 10 years before I own one LOL).

 

[nwoods]

Darn. I was really hoping for something more like the Bronco concept from a couple of years ago:
http://www.diseno-art.com/encyclopedia/concept_cars/ford_bronco.html

 

[proper4wd]

Could be worse. This has been inevitable for the last 10+ years. You wont find a bigger Defender fan than me and even I am surprised that the Defender in current guise has lasted this long. There will always be "real" Defenders out there for the rest of us. They're not going anywhere.

 

[DNTL740]

I see it this way, the SQUARE Defenders just became classics. Now is the time to buy

one.

 

[forsakenfuture]

No! No! No!

 

[onewhippedpuppy]

Why must all new concept vehicles use 28" wheels with rubber bands? There's nothing that looks stupider than big wheels, rubber band street tires, and a winch bumper. Really? On a Defender it's just sacrilege. It's a shame that LR decided to follow the crowd and build just another SUV, last time I checked Jeep still sells plenty of Wranglers.

 

[ssssnake529]

Why must all new concept vehicles use 28" wheels with rubber bands? There's nothing that looks stupider than big wheels, rubber band street tires, and a winch bumper. Really? On a Defender it's just sacrilege. It's a shame that LR decided to follow the crowd and build just another SUV, last time I checked Jeep still sells plenty of Wranglers.

Yes. First thing I noticed is the "pimp my ride" wheel/tire combination.

 

[haven]

First, remember that this is a styling exercise, not a production design. Lots of automakers produce styling exercises that don't look too much like the production model.

Second, the mechanicals are more likely to be what goes into production in a couple of years. So Scott's right, the details about the chassis will show the direction Land Rover is taking.

Third, Land Rover sold about 20,000 Defenders last year. They need to find ways to sell more, even if it means updating a 60 year old design.