New Defender Rage/Hate Thread

[gatorgrizz27]

That was LR’s plan 12 years ago.

Wish they would have stuck with it. Few other simple changes like lowering the gearing to even out with the 35’s, factory dual battery option (LR3 already has space for it), and a 20 gallon auxiliary fuel tank where the old spare sat since it should be moved to the tailgate. I’ll sell a nut/kidney/etc to fund the purchase.

While we’re at it, with the increased wheelbase there should be room for an under truck 10-12 gallon water tank as well. There’s already an air compressor so we could just add a water fill door opposite the fuel fill and pressurize the tank with a sprayer inside the tailgate. Bump up the compressor volume to 3-4 cfm and add a hose fitting to inflate tires.

Anybody else getting a stiffy and thinking we might not have needed this whole thread?

 

[Carson G]

Wish they would have stuck with it. Few other simple changes like lowering the gearing to even out with the 35’s, factory dual battery option (LR3 already has space for it), and a 20 gallon auxiliary fuel tank where the old spare sat since it should be moved to the tailgate. I’ll sell a nut/kidney/etc to fund the purchase.

While we’re at it, with the increased wheelbase there should be room for an under truck 10-12 gallon water tank as well. There’s already an air compressor so we could just add a water fill door opposite the fuel fill and pressurize the tank with a sprayer inside the tailgate. Bump up the compressor volume to 3-4 cfm and add a hose fitting to inflate tires.

Anybody else getting a stiffy and thinking we might not have needed this whole thread?

Ford took that idea and made the Bronco.

 

[Corgi_express]

I almost forgot they will have to add Apple Car play for the tech whiners, I’m ok with it.

I have never seen anyone "whining" about lack of tech in a car... they just buy a different car. The only "tech whiners" I see are the luddites in threads like this that insist their cars use janky, outdated, inefficient, old and busted systems for a modern vehicle manufactured by a high-end brand.

 

[Corgi_express]

I just picked up my Defender, and the mirrors lower slightly when I put it in reverse, to help see where the tires are going. It's absurdly unnecessary technology.

And you know what?

I love it.

I don't care if the mirrors cost me more to replace if I bust them on the trail one day. I don't care if crybabies on the internet think it's a mall crawler. I can afford it, I wanted it, and I freakin' love it. Can't take the money with me when I'm gone, and I work hard so I can enjoy it now... and I enjoy the heck out of ridiculous tech features like that. Do I need them? Of course not. I don't need an off-road vehicle at all. I bought it because it makes me happy, and the tech makes me happy. And here's a little spoiler: some of the tech is really useful too. The sensors and gizmos and gadgets that prevent crashes will keep my loved ones safer.... AND I will get to wheel it on the weekend or take an extended camping trip far off the grid. I get the best of all the worlds.



All you people filled with rage/hate need to find something that makes you happy too.

 

[Carson G]

The only real tech I need in a car is a phone audio input and a good set of speakers. My phone and iPad can take care of everything else. However wade sensing is a really cool novelty. Basically a D3/4 without carpet would be my perfect vehicle.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

I just picked up my Defender, and the mirrors lower slightly when I put it in reverse, to help see where the tires are going. It's absurdly unnecessary technology.

And you know what?

I love it.

I don't care if the mirrors cost me more to replace if I bust them on the trail one day. I don't care if crybabies on the internet think it's a mall crawler. I can afford it, I wanted it, and I freakin' love it. Can't take the money with me when I'm gone, and I work hard so I can enjoy it now... and I enjoy the heck out of ridiculous tech features like that. Do I need them? Of course not. I don't need an off-road vehicle at all. I bought it because it makes me happy, and the tech makes me happy. And here's a little spoiler: some of the tech is really useful too. The sensors and gizmos and gadgets that prevent crashes will keep my loved ones safer.... AND I will get to wheel it on the weekend or take an extended camping trip far off the grid. I get the best of all the worlds.



All you people filled with rage/hate need to find something that makes you happy too.

The wife’s Range Rover does that too, it’s 13 years old. Making my point about Land Rover not needing to develop new tech, they have enough already.

I was reading a press release about the 2021 GMC Yukon AT4. Guess what it’s getting? IRS, adjustable height air suspension, Hill Descent Control, etc.

I find the lowering mirrors maddening when backing a trailer.

 

[Corgi_express]

The wife’s Range Rover does that too, it’s 13 years old. Making my point about Land Rover not needing to develop new tech, they have enough already.

That's a silly argument. Land Rover has been a leader in introducing new and innovative tech throughout most of their tenure as a company. To stop now would be to let others get ahead of them in one of the areas that has always set them apart. People whine about pretty much any tech on the Defender, so the fact that this feature was on the high end luxury model a decade ago does not really make your point at all. In fact, it just demonstrates how silly and ridiculous haters are being, when they complain about anything that has been introduced since roughly the 60's being used on a new, highly hyped car.

I find the lowering mirrors maddening when backing a trailer.

So turn the feature off? Or is the option to disable it new with the Pivi Pro?

 

[mpinco]

Land Rover intro's features on the Range Rover at high margin and over time moves them down into the rest of the product line in volume, over many years. Some tech is useful, some is not. YMMV.

Mirror dipping when selecting reverse has been around for a decade? It can be disabled. RYFM

 

[gatorgrizz27]

I know it can be disabled, but it’s her DD, not mine. It’s not as simple as hitting a button, I believe it’s some sort of programming sequence.

Agree with mpinco, that’s the issue with the Defender. New stuff should be for the flagship models, leaving the lower ones more utilitarian, benefiting from trickle down tech at a lower cost once the R&D has been paid for.

Again, I’m not one of the guys shouting “It’s not a Defender, it doesn’t have solid axles!”, but I think some of their choices were bad moved given the target audience.

 

[TexasTJ]

I just picked up my Defender, and the mirrors lower slightly when I put it in reverse, to help see where the tires are going. It's absurdly unnecessary technology.

And you know what?

I love it.

All you people filled with rage/hate need to find something that makes you happy too.

it make me happy that you Love your new truck. Enjoy

 

[Corgi_express]

I think some of their choices were bad moved given the target audience.

Maybe you mis-understood the target audience. Was the target audience "people who purchased the original Defender"? Because that audience was buying a few thousand a year. Was the audience "people who buy Jeeps"? Because that has not been the market Land Rover has played in for a long time.

I think I am going to go with my gut here and say that JLR did a bit more market research to identify their target audience than "some dude on a forum" has done.

it’s her DD, not mine.

The configurable profiles in the new tech (gasp) of the Pivi Pro are pretty nifty. I'm not sure if they remember every single setting, like the mirror dipping, on a per-user basis, but I am glad they introduced this new Pivi Pro system on the Defender, because the menus and setup are pretty intuitive. Since this is my first JLR vehicle, I have nothing to compare against - but I understand the older systems are not very well loved. I hadn't even considered it, but I think you just inspired me to set up a "towing" and an "off road" profile that have a bunch of things changed compared to my normal commuting profile.

 

[Corgi_express]

it make me happy that you Love your new truck. Enjoy

Thanks! I mean, it's a Land Rover, so I think I'm contractually obligated to complain loudly the first time some ECU somewhere has a fault or there is a slight cosmetic blemish on the inside of the glove box, but I will hopefully be grinning and cracking jokes about it instead of shooting steam out my ears.

 

[mpinco]

Defender's "target audience" is LR3/4/Discovery5/Evoque owners. Growing beyond that audience will be difficult given the competition of Bronco/Jeep/Grenadier. Question is, where did the traditional "Discovery" customer go after the D5 was less than well received by the market? Will they come back?

 

[Carson G]

Defender's "target audience" is LR3/4/Discovery5/Evoque owners. Growing beyond that audience will be difficult given the competition of Bronco/Jeep/Grenadier. Question is, where did the traditional "Discovery" customer go after the D5 was less than well received by the market? Will they come back?

I doubt they really went anywhere the last D4 was a 2016 that isn’t that old. I know of a few personally that went from early D4’s and D3’s to LC200’s but honestly not that many most have held onto their current trucks.

 

[TexasTJ]

I’ll be going form an LR3 to a Bronco. I was all onboard for a 90 but I can’t get over how sexy the new Bronco is and I’m wanting to get back on some more Technical trail.