Badger_Boom
Veteran
- Location
- York
New Defender
- Thread starter Richard A Thackeray
- Start date
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DRM
Guru
- Location
- West Yorks
My point entirely, the wrong car, at the wrong time, too long to get in to production, wrong design.
GilesM
Legendary Member
- Location
- East Lothian
Finally got a delivery date for my Defender, 3rd Dec, should be fun.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Chap round the corner, fellow labrador owner, is a Landie man. He has a new Defender, and his wife one of these LR custom shop Rangie Sports with the carbon bits.
A couple of days ago he stopped to make a fuss of Bruce and I asked him how the Defender was doing. "Don't ask", was his reply. In again, this time something to do with the dashboard going blank and the car shutting down randomly, thus causing soiling of Y fronts. He thinks its related to the cabin water leaks that he'd suffered earlier, and opined that hes beginning to wish hed kept his old G Wagen. A browse of the owners forums this morning doesn't look good, seems Gus is not alone, and JD Power had the model pegged firmly at the bottom.
Didn't have the heart to tell him my 13 year old XC90 had never suffered so much as a blown bulb, and was still on its original battery and exhaust...
So it seems little change. LR are continuing to make supremely capable vehicles, but assembling them with pritt stik. Unless Ineos drops a serious clanger, whichs seems pretty unlikely now (BMW power, Steyr drivetrain, ZF suspension, Bosch electrics, all top drawer stuff assembled by experienced workers in a factory used to making cars to MB standards) the Grenadier is going to steal the Defenders lunch. Indeed, they're selling so few Defenders, well under projection, that theyre struggling to turn a profit on the model (my BiL is a senior engineer at JLR so I get the goss) and when sales drop even further one wonders how much longer they'll continue with this vanity project?
Coversely, the equally woeful (in reliability terms) RR chelsea tractor range continues to sell like hot cakes, and they continue to be able to shift easily all they can build, with many going abroad. That export market has failed to materialise for the Defender further hampering its long term viability, and the domestic utility market has long since moved on to cheaper, better built far eastern pick ups, so one wonders what sector of the market JLR thought would be queueing to buy the model? As Badger Boom observes above, its 20 years to late and the world, the market, and customer expectations have moved on.
As for me? I don't really want a new car, have no need for a car at all, but once the Grenadier is out ill be seeking out a test drive and buying one for damn sure. My heart tells me that I'd love a Defender, but my head tells me that I wouldn't touch one with yours.
A couple of days ago he stopped to make a fuss of Bruce and I asked him how the Defender was doing. "Don't ask", was his reply. In again, this time something to do with the dashboard going blank and the car shutting down randomly, thus causing soiling of Y fronts. He thinks its related to the cabin water leaks that he'd suffered earlier, and opined that hes beginning to wish hed kept his old G Wagen. A browse of the owners forums this morning doesn't look good, seems Gus is not alone, and JD Power had the model pegged firmly at the bottom.
Didn't have the heart to tell him my 13 year old XC90 had never suffered so much as a blown bulb, and was still on its original battery and exhaust...
So it seems little change. LR are continuing to make supremely capable vehicles, but assembling them with pritt stik. Unless Ineos drops a serious clanger, whichs seems pretty unlikely now (BMW power, Steyr drivetrain, ZF suspension, Bosch electrics, all top drawer stuff assembled by experienced workers in a factory used to making cars to MB standards) the Grenadier is going to steal the Defenders lunch. Indeed, they're selling so few Defenders, well under projection, that theyre struggling to turn a profit on the model (my BiL is a senior engineer at JLR so I get the goss) and when sales drop even further one wonders how much longer they'll continue with this vanity project?
Coversely, the equally woeful (in reliability terms) RR chelsea tractor range continues to sell like hot cakes, and they continue to be able to shift easily all they can build, with many going abroad. That export market has failed to materialise for the Defender further hampering its long term viability, and the domestic utility market has long since moved on to cheaper, better built far eastern pick ups, so one wonders what sector of the market JLR thought would be queueing to buy the model? As Badger Boom observes above, its 20 years to late and the world, the market, and customer expectations have moved on.
As for me? I don't really want a new car, have no need for a car at all, but once the Grenadier is out ill be seeking out a test drive and buying one for damn sure. My heart tells me that I'd love a Defender, but my head tells me that I wouldn't touch one with yours.
GilesM
Legendary Member
- Location
- East Lothian
If we all followed our head when it comes to buying stuff it would be a pretty dull world, life really is too short to buy a car based on a JD Power survey.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
I'd love a 101. Still just about affordable, but only practical for me once we move to somewhere I can park it (and mend it) off road
My ex-Mrs had a 110 and it was pretty good to be fair. She had it a good while, and it wasn't in best nick when we got it. Stuff needed doing from time to time of course but it was basically sound
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Until you need the damn thing to start at 7am. They are notoriously unreliable. Life is too short to put up with a crap car that's cost you ££££'s. I'd take my 20 year old Nissan over any JRL car - mine starts every time and doesn't throw electrical wobbles.
Wouldn't tough any JRL cars - bags of poo. Work colleague knew the mechanics at the garage by first name. Bloody good job really as the dealership was across from the office.
The only Land Rover to get is the old one - at least you can spanner on them. I had a company Alfa 147 Selespeed. OK for a company car but it spent too much time in the garage. Had it been mine it would be sold.
PS did you go for the silly external storage boxes so they look 'cool' ahem
GilesM
Legendary Member
- Location
- East Lothian
My Evoque has started every morning for the last 5 years, and no electrical wobbles, but that's not the point, more important is that I spend my money on things I really like. I'm sure I will enjoy it, and if I have to wait for a yellow taxi, it will be a comfortable place to wait. As for the old Land Rover, I love them, but I don't really fancy a 6 hour motorway journey in one, I have a 2002 Lotus Elise for unpleasant motorway trips.
PS did you go for the silly external storage boxes so they look 'cool' ahem
No, IMHO, having seen them in the flesh, they look alright (ish) on the 110, but a wee bit silly on the 90.
gbb
Squire
- Location
- Peterborough
Tis true. I love the looks of the new Defender.
Interestingly i watched a YouTube video discussing the least reliable SUV offerings at that time. JLR vehicles came up at or near the top, no surprise there, it seems generally accepted.
But...lets say 30% of new vehicles had problems (i cant remember the exact percentage) , it quoted the average repair bill was blah blah, X amount were covered by warranty etc etc....and consequently repaired. The big question is, do they continue to be unreliable or is that fix...the fix.
Genuine questions....itll be interesting how the Defender is widely...or isn't, accepted.
I bought one brand new back in 1996, I still regret selling it.
gbb
Squire
- Location
- Peterborough
The Range Rover thing i get,, i have a family member who had an 07 plate Range Rover then a 07 plate X5. Mechanically almost identical, he enjoyed having both for different reasons, the RR was a nicer drive by far but a tad troublesome. The X5 was relaible but nowhere near as nice to drive, probably because if the low profile tyres, in his opinion.
Ironically a former colleague brought his childhood dream, a Range Rover...but was a bit disappointed with it once he had it a while.
I always enjoyed driving the original Land Rovers (circa 1976, 3.5 litre petrol),..but you could break them, we were all year round surveying, cross country, farmland,....and we were young and stupid
Ironically a former colleague brought his childhood dream, a Range Rover...but was a bit disappointed with it once he had it a while.
I always enjoyed driving the original Land Rovers (circa 1976, 3.5 litre petrol),..but you could break them, we were all year round surveying, cross country, farmland,....and we were young and stupid
GilesM
Legendary Member
- Location
- East Lothian
I bought mine new, it's been off the road for while, but I'll keep it, I'm very attached to it.
GilesM
Legendary Member
- Location
- East Lothian
As rental it would be a perfect opportunity to try one.
