New Defender News

[Carson G]

If you have any driver aids there's labor on top to recalibrate AEB cameras.

Those windshield prices are for the ones without the HUD.

 

[T-Willy]

2020 Defender in particular seems to have suffered from quite a few teething flaws. Some of these things are expected/acceptable (Loose window trim, constant OTA updates, temperamental infotainment, etc...) whereas some of these issues are downright unacceptable (air suspension faults - I mean cmon, hasn't JLR perfected this system already? It's been two decades now). I guess it's the price you pay to be an early adopter of an entirely new vehicle and an entirely new engine line (Ingenium i6).

Not to be "that" guy and draw parallels, but Land Rover owners are very much like Tesla owners - many of us are willing to put aside a vehicle's flaws for the "charm"/ personality of the brand. I'm not blind to the issues of the platform, and frankly I don't think we should be dismissive of many of these issues as minor. It's one thing to go full "rage/hate" in here in defense of the New Defender because it's an incredibly capable machine, but I still believe we need to be honest with ourselves and the entire community. To have this many issues for a new vehicle is unacceptable, and JLR should know better. That said, I personally would still buy a New Defender despite the flaws...in 2022 once they've ironed out most of them.

Such straightforward and honest assessment from an owner is valuable contribution to this discussion. Thanks for providing it.

 

[onemanarmy]

Such straightforward and honest assessment from an owner is valuable contribution to this discussion. Thanks for providing it.

he doesn't own a new Defender yet.
It's the tried and true "I may get one"...not who JLR is targeting.

Like has been said before....if they had stuck coil springs on it and minimized the tech as much as possible, you'd have a cheaper, more dependable, more reliable, more robust, longer lasting vehicle that would better represent the spirt of the 'Defender' name.

For the life of me I can't figure out why they added cost and complexity to this vehicle when they already make half a dozen unreliable, leader of depreciation, complicated, expensive SUV/Crossovers.

 

[T-Willy]

he doesn't own a new Defender yet.
It's the tried and true "I may get one"...not who JLR is targeting.

Like has been said before....if they had stuck coil springs on it and minimized the tech as much as possible, you'd have a cheaper, more dependable, more reliable, more robust, longer lasting vehicle that would better represent the spirt of the 'Defender' name.

For the life of me I can't figure out why they added cost and complexity to this vehicle when they already make half a dozen unreliable, leader of depreciation, complicated, expensive SUV/Crossovers.

Oh. For some reason I was under an impression he had. Thanks for clarifying. And, apologies, @softrovers.

Without beating a dead horse (we've hashed and re-hashed on this and the hate thread), I agree on coils, complexity, cost, and reliability. Even so, Defender's a magic combo of payload, off-road chops and on-road comfort. It's a brilliant idea. If JLR can iron out QC and reliability (a big if) it's a very compelling touring vehicle.

 

[Blaise]

It's very compelling. Like I said before, my options now coming from an LR3 are a 2008-era toyota (4runner or GX or LX/LC), or a brand new Defender. Or a G Wagon, if you're a rapper.

 

[RoyJ]

Do we know if that 110 was cut up though to get at the driver?
The cabin looks to have held U.K. but panels seem to have been cut up and then thrown back onto the car to tidy the scene.

is there any info on what he hit?

Bingo. If we look close, there're many clean cuts / shears in the sheet metal. A crash does not shear a panel clean.

That's been cut up by jaws of life / hydraulic rescue shears.

 

[DieselRanger]

Those windshield prices are for the ones without the HUD.

Yep, I don't have the HUD, so they could be even higher. Good point.

 

[soflorovers]

he doesn't own a new Defender yet.
It's the tried and true "I may get one"...not who JLR is targeting.

Like has been said before....if they had stuck coil springs on it and minimized the tech as much as possible, you'd have a cheaper, more dependable, more reliable, more robust, longer lasting vehicle that would better represent the spirt of the 'Defender' name.

For the life of me I can't figure out why they added cost and complexity to this vehicle when they already make half a dozen unreliable, leader of depreciation, complicated, expensive SUV/Crossovers.

I'd argue that I'm EXACTLY who Land Rover is targeting. You're misinformed if you don't think I'm the core demographic. This isn't a matter of "I may get one..." as you state. I'm also far from the dinosaurs you see on this forum who insist a proper Land Rover has to be coil sprung and on an independent chassis; @Carson G will be more than happy to confirm that I'm an air suspension evangelist and I've owned (2) LR3's and an L494 Range Rover V8 Supercharged. The only reasons I haven't pursued a new Defender are as follows : 1) Inflated pricing at the moment due to low supply/high demand; 2) Severe teething problems; & 3) Currently leasing a Jaguar F-Type. If comments from people such as myself are invalid, then who is allowed to critique?

To address your other points: You can get the 90 with coil springs. Tech doesn't make a vehicle worse - again, have owned multiple modern LRs and now I have a D2; the D2 has far more charm but is a far worse vehicle than the other's I've owned in terms of on-road and off-road manners. Say whatever you like, it's a worse overall package. Full stop. Depreciation on these vehicles is directly correlated to perceived reliability. People such as yourself do nothing to help that stigma, and the reality is that there are plenty of LR3's on this forum with over 300k miles. "bUT ItS a FoRddd DeSIgN". Guess what, I'm seeing plenty of Tata L405's on auto trader right now with 150k+ miles on them and that car only came out in 2013. Any car will have it's flaws (and that's my beef with the New Defender), but to call these unreliable is an unfair assessment - stop promoting that stigma.

As a final point, what old Defender have you been looking at that you can (with a straight face) call robust and reliable? I've got a friend with an NAS90 with under 10k miles and that thing still needed a brand new transfer case, door latches, and top end gaskets. They're agricultural, primitive, unsophisticated, uncivilized, expensive to maintain and downright unpleasant to drive above 50 mph. They're great cars when you consider they can trace their roots back to the 40's (realistically 80's with the introduction of the coil sprung 110), but they get absolutely destroyed in every measurable category when compared with their modern successor and rivals. I'll never understand people that insisted Land Rover continue making a 40 year old design. Get with the times...the ND is a proper 21's century successor to the original Defender.

 

[DieselRanger]

he doesn't own a new Defender yet.
It's the tried and true "I may get one"...not who JLR is targeting.

Like has been said before....if they had stuck coil springs on it and minimized the tech as much as possible, you'd have a cheaper, more dependable, more reliable, more robust, longer lasting vehicle that would better represent the spirt of the 'Defender' name.

For the life of me I can't figure out why they added cost and complexity to this vehicle when they already make half a dozen unreliable, leader of depreciation, complicated, expensive SUV/Crossovers.

So in six months, the New Defender in the US outsold the original across its ENTIRE three-year presence in the US. During a global pandemic, with disruptions in its production because of it.

It's not for you, don't buy it. It's clearly for many others. If they bring the D300 to the US, it will absolutely be for me.

 

[JackW]

"I'm also far from the dinosaurs you see on this forum who insist a proper Land Rover has to be coil sprung and on an independent chassis."

Actually a proper Land Rover has leaf springs, a metal dash and no gearbox synchros on first or second - those later model pretenders with coil springs and disc brakes? - Not so much.

Although the new Defender is really nice and I'm enjoying the hell out of mine.

Real Land Rover - this one only has around 450,000 miles on it.



Pretender 90 - a mere child with 150,000 miles



New daily driver - only 2700 miles so far - the suspension really works on FS roads.

 

[2025 deleted member]

TFL Off Road video showing the Defender vs the FJ; of note I have in the past wondered about the terrain TFL uses as "off road" — I’ve critiqued it for being ‘too easy’ — but a jeep Cherokee comes along in this vid and shows that the track is not as easy as the camera makes it look. I stand at least partially corrected.

In the beginning Tommy peeked underneath, Roman asks what he's doing...."checking for leaks".... ?

 

[TexasTJ]

Actually a proper Land Rover has leaf springs, a metal dash and no gearbox synchros on first or second - those later model pretenders with coil springs and disc brakes? - Not so much.

Real Land Rover - this one only has around 450,000 miles on it.

? THIS

 

[soflorovers]

If they bring the D300 to the US, it will absolutely be for me.

That makes two of us. It's the perfect powertrain for this style of vehicle. Superior torque and gas mileage than the current P300 offering. Furthermore, you can put 18"s on it.

 

[DieselRanger]

In the beginning Tommy peeked underneath, Roman asks what he's doing...."checking for leaks".... ?

"Inflated Kia Soul" -- sick burn, bro.

 

[JeepColorado]

Really good review of the traction control off-road- the section at 23:00 minutes is a good representation of a hill climb over tough terrain- Defender walks up it- nice