Those who don't want to believe that Land Rover still makes superior off-road vehicles to the competition won't be swayed by majestic Kazakh canyons and vistas or Moab runs or deep-wilderness African nonprofit support or Andean Road of Death excursions or hundreds of thousands of test miles. But ultimately those aren't the people Land Rover is interested in selling to anyway. They're interested in selling to people who believe in the brand and who want capability and the image that brings, and who see the proof Land Rover has been showing everyone for what it is. Some just want a vehicle that will take them where they want to go in an enjoyable manner, and some will just roll down Rodeo for the 'Grams. A few will use them as intended. But that's always been the story with any niche automobile - Jeep included.
Can you believe people are actually complaining that the C8 Corvette no longer has leaf spring suspension in the rear? You know, the same suspension that they used on Coach-and-Fours and Conestogas? These are the same kinds of people who cling to the outdated notion that live axles front and rear are the only solution for driving off-road in a serious manner, and if a feature ain't mechaincal it don't belong off-road.
I love me some air-cooled boxer engines in old Porsches, but they don't hold a candle to a modern front-drive Honda Civic Type R in the terms of performance. Hold on to your old Defenders because they are a symbol of a motoring era past, just as old CJ's and 911's and front-engined Vettes are. But don't pretend they perform better or will be any more reliable or durable off-road than something with modern engineering and technology behind it.