2020 Land Rover Defender - or why I don't trust sensors off road


I don't speak German, but this failure is exactly what I predicted. The electronics controlling the air suspension failed and the vehicle failed into road settings.
 
I'm actually more surprised that people are trying to use this like a real Defender, given that it clearly isn't. Not sure if it's false advertising or people being naive and thinking that this thing would actually be reliable or at least easy to repair.
 
I'm actually more surprised that people are trying to use this like a real Defender, given that it clearly isn't. Not sure if it's false advertising or people being naive and thinking that this thing would actually be reliable or at least easy to repair.
*shrug*

Perhaps the same person who would take a Jeep Patriot off-road. Has the name on it, why wouldn't it be able to do it?
 
The Patriot wasn't sold as "The new Wrangler Rubicon." The people taking the Defender off road are more about having the shinier toy than the next guy, not off road ability. It's a shallow "for the 'Gram" mentality.

Reportedly, the Defender is good off road, when it works. Ronny Dahl demonstrated that, and Andrew St. Pierre White agrees - both are independent, like TFL.
 
The price would be crazy if it just did what it needed to, with all the tech it doesn't surprise me. People spending that much money on a Land Rover to take off road does surprise me.

I didn't realise how expensive Wranglers are now. There's a competition that I keep seeing that was for £70,000 and a Jeep, with a total prize value of £120k. I thought that must be bollocks so looked up the price of a 4 door and nearly fell off my chair.

1606414426458.png


What the... what? That's the lowest price too for a poverty spec 2 litre petrol. When did these become so crazy expensive? I've seen people slithering around off road sites in these.
 
It's pretty easy to build a $67,000 Wrangler.
 

TFL has gone from the most affordable*, most off-road trim possible to just another posh luxo-barge hauling a payload of electronic farkles around on 20" alloys. Tommy seemed more excited about the Lego Defender than the real thing.

Also, was that a bit of foreshadowing at 12:20?

I've gone from being mildly interested in this project to landing somewhere between "don't give a shit" and "making popcorn to watch the Hindenburg land"
 
I am enjoying it very much and will follow it with interest. This is, like, the pinnacle of fanboying over a car.

Wait, no, this is the pinnacle of fanboying over a car

 
Can't blame them for taking the V6.

Their patience is running thin...

The LR I mentioned before with problems, has got to the point of them offering a new car the next time it goes wrong...
 

TFL has gone from the most affordable*, most off-road trim possible to just another posh luxo-barge hauling a payload of electronic farkles around on 20" alloys. Tommy seemed more excited about the Lego Defender than the real thing.

Also, was that a bit of foreshadowing at 12:20?

I've gone from being mildly interested in this project to landing somewhere between "don't give a shit" and "making popcorn to watch the Hindenburg land"
It didn't even leave the parking lot before throwing a fault? Geez...
 
I've gone from being mildly interested in this project to landing somewhere between "don't give a shit" and "making popcorn to watch the Hindenburg land"
It's the latter for me, I just wish these disasters actually had an impact on the company rather than them still selling like toilet paper in 2020 and getting glowing reviews. One of my friends in an off road club had pretty much the same experience with a new Discovery Sport 4 or 5 years ago, repaired multiple times and ultimately replaced. The replacement was also a dud so he eventually rejected it and bought a used Disco 4, which was perfect. They lost the plot in the last 10 years.

We still need a facepalm reaction for these posts.
 
If I ever won the lottery I would pick up the phone and order myself a Range Rover with all the toppings and extra onions. Probably an SDV8 because I would need to get myself a diesel V8 while someone still makes them.

It would be a lease, of course.
 
You know like many people I flip between which "Off-Roader" I would have on my garage. Especially since I wouldn't really use it for off-roading beyond "dirt road". It used to be that it was either a Land Cruiser or one of the LWB GM Full-Sizers, but two things have happened on that one. First, the new gen of Suburban/Yukon/Escalade has left me cold. The interior seems slightly overwrought and the exterior like they tried to make the design more fluid and then half-assed it. The second is that the Nissan Patrol/Armada has finally grown on me after staring at it for a literal decade. There hasn't been any major revisions because it doesn't really need them. It kinda reminds me of the last gens of Panther cars in that respect.

And then Toyota will sell you the Bloaty Sequoia with different suspension and a weird mil-green color and "TOYOTA"-legend grill.

maxresdefault.jpg


It does it for me in a very specific way. It would only get more difficult if Nissan decided to import the Terra to this continent.
 
If I ever won the lottery I would pick up the phone and order myself a Range Rover with all the toppings and extra onions. Probably an SDV8 because I would need to get myself a diesel V8 while someone still makes them.

It would be a lease, of course.
I'd do exactly the same given the money, I'd buy it outright though because I'd definitely abuse it off road. They do seem to be put together better as you'd expect for that kind of money. I'd probably buy several if I won a lot of money actually and have a VW V10 TDI put in one and another converted to full electric.

I've never really liked any Japanese off roaders or SUVs apart from the old Suzuki SJ and the new Jimny. They just don't do anything for me.
 
The Sequoia would be my vehicle of choice for overland touring, but it's too bulky for many trails I like.
 
I'd do exactly the same given the money, I'd buy it outright though because I'd definitely abuse it off road.

I would just use mine to drive to the shops, in utter comfort and with the knowledge that there is a terrain response system and 700 metric torques on tap in case I happen to encounter a badly plowed street. I'm that sort of person and I'm not ashamed of it. :D

Edit: You can tell that the L405 is getting old though. I played around in the configurator a bit. They offer a range of iPad mounts that don't fit any iPad still used by anyone, and the SDV8 is thwarted by the V6 diesel hybrid. I would still have the V8 though because V8.
 
Last edited:

What happens when you don't own a media company.
 
Last edited:
Top