New Defender News

Blaise

Well-known member
Not that hard to get around it. Nothing crazy though:

The Defender retains its boxy proportions despite switching from a ladder-frame chassis to a unibody platform based on that used by its larger sibling, the Land Rover Discovery.

The new Defender, which Land Rover calls its "most capable vehicle ever," had to overcome an unexpected hurdle during its launch process: the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unveiled at the 2019 Frankfurt auto show last September, the second-generation Defender was supposed to go on sale in March, starting with the 110 five-door model followed by the three-door 90 variant in the second half of this year.

The pandemic forced Land Rover – as well as most other automakers worldwide – to stop production for about two months. Jaguar Land Rover's plant in Nitra, Slovakia, which builds the Defender, was closed from March 20 until May 18. Production was restarted on a single shift, with a second shift added starting in early June.

"Overall, we believe Land Rover will ship about 40,000 new Defenders this year, down from the 50,000 that was forecast in the pre-COVID environment," said Denis Schemoul, associate director in charge of Europe light vehicle production forecasting at IHS Markit.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
To be among the first to get stories like this, subscribe to Automotive News Europe's new targeted digital products by clicking here.

European and U.S. sales of the new Defender 110 started between late June and early July, about three months later than planned. The delay did not dampen demand, as Land Rover said its order book is at 22,000 units and rising.

The Defender 90 is scheduled to go into production by the end of this year, with sales set to start in early 2021.

IHS's Schemoul predicts that Defender production will remain steady at 55,000 in 2021, despite an expected decline in global vehicle sales next year.

Land Rover has transformed the new Defender into a more luxurious, roomier, high-tech vehicle and has significantly increased the SUV's starting price compared with its predecessor, which was discontinued in 2016.

In Germany, the 90 starts at 48,447 euros, about twice the price of an entry Defender model in the early 2000s. The 110 starts at 54,198 euros, but that price ranges from 68,040 euros to 72,817 euros in fully loaded First Edition versions.

FAST FACTS
Old naming, new sizes: The Defender's 90, 110 and 130 naming system originally referred to the wheelbase lengths of the SUVs in inches. Land Rover kept the numbers, although the models now have much longer wheelbases.

New 90: The three-door Defender is closer in length to the previous generation five-door 110. The new 90 is 4583 mm long (including the spare tire on the tailgate), 1996 mm wide and 1974 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2587 mm (101 inches). The previous generation was 3894 mm long, 1476 mm wide and 2079 mm tall and had a 2360 mm wheelbase.

New 110: The five-door 110 has grown by almost half a meter to 5018 mm in length and has a 3022 mm (118-inch) wheelbase.

New 130: The Defender 130 is expected to measure 5300 mm with its spare tire. Basically, it is a 110 with lengthened rear overhang to house a third row of seats, taking total capacity to seven or eight passengers. The new 130 is expected to launch in early 2022. Previously, the Defender 130 was sold only as a double-cab pickup, but no pickup version of the new Defender is planned.

Strong heritage, new positioning
Land Rover has included plenty of references to the original model, which launched the brand and had few changes during its 67-year production run, during which about two million units were built.

Despite switching from a ladder-frame chassis to a unibody platform based on the platform used by the larger Land Rover Discovery, the new Defender retains its boxy proportions.

Land Rover envisages that owners of the new Defender will use it for off-road adventures, which is why it comes with a spare tire mounted on the back and has a special rubberized floor mat that can be cleaned with a mop.

Like the original, the new Defender comes with a side-hinged door to the cargo area and is available with a folding third seat located between the driver and passenger that doubles as a storage compartment.

A folding fabric roof will available on the 110 to enable a "safari experience," while other optional extras include an "expedition" roof rack with access ladder, roof tent and a waterproof storage box that can be mounted on the side of the car.


Land Rover transformed the Defender into a more luxurious, roomier, high-tech vehicle.

Despite the more refined look and luxurious interior, the new Defender has its predecessor's off-road capabilities, including the ability to be driven through water up to 900 mm deep. The Defender can also tow up to 3,500 kg.

THE BASICS
Launch date: June
Base price: 48,447 euros (Germany)
Platform: D7x (an adapted version of the Discovery's aluminum D7u platform)
Where built: Nitra, Slovakia
Lowest CO2 emissions: 199 g/km under NEDC (249 g/km under WLTP) for the 90 diesel
Main competitors: Mercedes G-Class, Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Land Cruiser

4- and 6-cylinder engines
The new Defender comes with 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines that deliver 200 hp and 240 hp (diesel) up to 300 hp (gasoline).

The top of the range Defender comes with a 3.0-liter 400-hp inline six-cylinder gasoline unit coupled to a 48-volt mild hybrid.

A six-cylinder diesel is coming later. So far no specifications for that unit have been given.

A plug-in hybrid variant joins the range later, JLR said without providing further details.
 

catmann

Active member
Sorry I was not aware it would do that, but you actually don't need a subscription (I do not have one), you just have to block all cookies from the website...But this is what is says...

EDIT: Sorry Blaise already posted it
 

DieselRanger

Well-known member
So 22,000 pre orders so far, during COVID, and 50K units expected per year worldwide. Not bad. I placed my order for my D5 in May of 2017 when only the pre production models were out. I got chassis number 29,700ish when it was delivered in late August. Sounds like pre orders are strong, but there are a number of "off the lot" sales as well, which does indicate higher production than they could muster out of Solihull on the D5...it was pre orders only in 2017 until about November of that year in my market.
 

Corgi_express

Well-known member
I canceled my order because I was so far in the build order they couldn't even tell me when I would get out of the holding pool... and then bought one off a different dealer's lot earlier than my local dealer would have even gotten around to placing the order. The stock was not great, and it took a lot of searching and manually looking up VINs on Topix to find the a car with both the towing package and the locking rear diff, but it was definitely better than waiting until the end of the year to get my wheels.
 

Blaise

Well-known member
I canceled my order because I was so far in the build order they couldn't even tell me when I would get out of the holding pool... and then bought one off a different dealer's lot earlier than my local dealer would have even gotten around to placing the order. The stock was not great, and it took a lot of searching and manually looking up VINs on Topix to find the a car with both the towing package and the locking rear diff, but it was definitely better than waiting until the end of the year to get my wheels.

How hard was it to source one with the diff? I got SUPER lucky with my LR3 and the first one I looked at had one (owner had never even left pavement with it). Haven't seen one for sale since.
 

Corgi_express

Well-known member
How hard was it to source one with the diff? I got SUPER lucky with my LR3 and the first one I looked at had one (owner had never even left pavement with it). Haven't seen one for sale since.

It was a huge pain. I signed up for a topix account so I could look up VINs, and then manually entered every VIN within a hundred miles of my home. Basically none of the dealers advertise a detailed list of equipped features and options, so I made my own chart of what options were equipped on which car. My requirements were: locking diff, towing package (not just the hitch), and no useless rear seats. There was basically one car in the area that matched that spec, so I ended up with Windsor Leather seats, the body protection kit, gimmicky interior lighting, a fridge, a roof rack, and a bunch of other stuff that I would not have bothered to order. The worst part of the build was that I had to pay out of my own pocket to replace the stock Michelin Latitude tires with something better off road, because they ordered the rear locker with street tires for some reason.

However, I now really enjoy basically all of those features. I have parked next to a Defender without the rubbery checker plate on it, and I like the look of mine better. The leather is very nice and the memory feature is well worth the cost. The fridge is always stocked with a few bottles of water and having a cold drink after a hike is fantastic, and I am starting to strap crap on to the overpriced expedition roof rack. I got my car right away, have been able to hit the trails now instead of months from now, and I got rid of my old janky busted car for something that brings me great joy.

The gimmicky color changing interior lights are still stupid, though.
 

naks

Well-known member
chaps, we finally took a New Defender out this past weekend.

The driver is a novice on modern LRs, as you will see, and we were coaching him on which modes, gears, etc., to use.

It could be just me, but somehow I don't think the TR on this model is as good as the one on my RRS... if you look at what happens in the video from around 6:00 onwards, and compare that to how my RRS handled that same section two months ago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvqnliHlIKc).

Ok, we have to allow for the massive rains we've had in the region, and driver skills but still, I thought the Defender with 18" BFG ATs (deflated to 2.0 bar IIRC) would walk this obstacle...

 

Blaise

Well-known member
Is the D2 on lift rods? Hard to tell but looks way extended... I'm also surprised and even more so that those tires are allegedly down at 2 bar, barely see any flex at all.

rodsquestionmark.JPG

l4i6l4jb3yl912saqxna.jpg


liftrodsq.JPG
 
Last edited:

naks

Well-known member
Is the D2 on lift rods? Hard to tell but looks way extended... I'm also surprised and even more so that those tires are allegedly down at 2 bar, barely see any flex at all.


No, it is standard, and was in off-road mode only. We only learnt later on that you can manually force the car into Extended Mode - had he done this at the obstacle, he would have cleared it without the additional rocks.

Yep, the tyres were at 2 bar, or maybe 1.8.
 

Carson G

Well-known member
No, it is standard, and was in off-road mode only. We only learnt later on that you can manually force the car into Extended Mode - had he done this at the obstacle, he would have cleared it without the additional rocks.

Yep, the tyres were at 2 bar, or maybe 1.8.
Did it have the locking rear diff?
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,540
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top