New Defender Concept

[overlander]

Well, I try not to call it "love" with an inanimate object, though at times I've been convinced my Land Rovers are possessed.

So... the only time I haven't loved! my dash vents is many years ago when a bumble bee came through one, in spite of the screen, and was blown up the leg of my shorts. :Wow1:
Luckily for me the impact with something in the dash had killed it.

How the hell did a bee make it through the vent screen intact? You using chain link fence? Must have been the littlest bee ever.

 

[Antichrist]

How the hell did a bee make it through the vent screen intact? You using chain link fence? Must have been the littlest bee ever.

I think it must have come through were the vent handle went through the screen. There's a larger gap there.

 

[overlander]

I'll remember that when Africanized bees make it to NC!

 

[JackW]

A friend of mine whose girlfriend was very amply endowed had a close encounter with a June bug that came through his unscreened vent in his SIIA. The bug bounced off her upper chest and down into her low cut blouse where it proceeded to thrash around. Much screaming and bouncing around ensued along with some very entertaining attempts to remove the two inch bug from her brassiere. My buddy was laughing so hard and attempting to observe the extraction that he almost wrecked the Land Rover.

 

[mbybee]

Man, this is a shame. I had missed this initially - and I guess it just cements the iconic old Landrover Defender in my mind.
I always wanted one (despite being more of a Jeep guy), but not this one. This one looks like a DUB parody version.

 

[xCSx]

Some updated news:



http://automotivediscovery.com/land-rover-is-confident-about-new-defender/9212400/

The new Defender is under the production for 2014 to 2015, it is derived from the DC100’s concept, and the company promised that if it will succeed to be the bestselling model, they will price it with the lowest cost as possible.

John Edwards, the brand boss stated that, “we’re being encouraged to look at it as a 20-year plan with global potential, a family of vehicles offered on different wheelbases with different bodies.”

Pickup truck, crew-cab, and a versatile utility SUV are included to the family, all are in separate chassis.

Edwards hears the reactions about the DC100 concept and he is very encouraged to have a lower price as possible. He says, “its $30,000-40,000 in reality”, the designers and the engineers are working hard to catch up the expectations of people.

 

[overlander]

That author clearly didn't write that article in his native language.

 

[Antichrist]

I didn't read the article, but at the Atlanta Auto show one of the Land Rover booth people asked what I thought of the DC100 and I gave her my honest opinion. She replied she was disappointed in it also and when it was unveiled by Land Rover they got a lot of negative feedback.

 

[xCSx]

Some more news:
http://gulfnews.com/life-style/motoring/test-drives/driven-land-rover-dc100-concept-1.1000907

Seems it will be a capable vehicle, and they care about the off roadability...

 

[nwoods]

Some more news:
http://gulfnews.com/life-style/motoring/test-drives/driven-land-rover-dc100-concept-1.1000907

Seems it will be a capable vehicle, and they care about the off roadability...

some pullquotes:

For Land Rover today, there is no compromise made between form and function. Mike tells us that the functionality of the vehicle must bea given, so the next Defender, no matter what it looks like, no matter how much technology it can be fitted with, must be at least as competent as the car it replaces. That must be the case in the most basic version of the new model, as it is forthe most tech-laden variant. For seriousoff-roading that means minimal overhangs front and rear plus substantial ground clearance. We've been assured that the new Defender will set a benchmark for all those things.

While moving forward, Land Rover is all too aware that its current Defender is used in a wide variety of situations, from on safari in Africa to maintaining electricity supply in the far reaches of Scotland and so the replacement must be versatile. Because of that we're told not to read too much into the design or layout of the DC100 concept, as there's a lot of work to do before the next Defender is launched in 2015.

 

[haven]

The DC100 concept vehicle has appeared at the NY Auto Show, this time in "expedition" form

Lots more photos, including an interior shot, on Autoblog
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/05/land-rover-brings-expedition-minded-dc100-concept-and-lr4-specia/

Let's face it, if this were a Suzuki concept, we'd be gaga over the possibilities. Is it better for LR to produce a vehicle like this, or just stop producing the Defender altogether?

 

[JeffRRC]

If it was a Suzuki we would be happy because another manufacturer produced something to battle Wranglers and FJCs.

 

[Mbogo]

I have always admired Land Rovers, especially the Defender 110. This looks like another "cute ute," barely capable of traversing speed bumps at the mall and little else. Defenders were highly capable and a bit quirky. However, owners gladly suffered those quirks to have one of the most iconic and capable passenger vehicles on the planet. It seems a focus group somewhere reached the conclusion that those quirks would be completely unacceptable these days. So the design is toned down to appeal to the public at large. However, by definition, one cannot sell a car to the public at large that has a high degree of cachet of ownership. They have taken away our Asolo mountaineering boots and given us comfy, fuzzy slippers instead.

 

[xCSx]

It obviously is not going to be like the original one, but will it be capable off road? Reliable? Solid axles with locking differentials? We will see... the design is not finalized, and it seems they want to make it available in a variety of styles. Will it be nice to be able to take a defender at 80 MPH down the highway? I am sure it will... I am sort of warming up to it, I am not a hardcore overlander by any means, we will see how it goes though... this may be a future purchase.

 

[I Leak Oil]

Let's face it, if this were a Suzuki concept, we'd be gaga over the possibilities. Is it better for LR to produce a vehicle like this, or just stop producing the Defender altogether?

Who's this we? I think Land Rover should just call it a day on the Defender. Call it something else but it really has nothing to do with the traditional utility vehicle who's basic, iconic design has been round since 1948.