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

[Perc]

I stopped watching John Cadogan when he grabbed a glass dildo, held it to his ear and pretended to be a news anchor getting breaking news from the control room.

 

[Blind_Io]

I don't watch him, someone sent me the video. His delivery is grating, to say the least, and he's failing at being funny or entertaining - but I couldn't find any other place with that particular story.

 

[Matt2000]

You couldn't make it up. MotorTrend also gave the Defender an award. All I hoped for was a competent 4x4.

 

[Blind_Io]

MotorTrend is in the pocket of automakers, they rarely say anything bad about a vehicle - and when they do, it's a minor "niggle" complaint to give the article an air of authenticity.

 

[jack_christie]

Another one -

Car Stories: I’ve Had A ‘Headache Of An Experience’ With The New Land Rover Defender — What Should I Do?

This car story comes from Enrico, who writes in to tell us his experience buying a brand new Land Rover Defender.

tflcar.com

 

[gaasc]

This is the bit that gets me

This was my 9th Land Rover so the “idiosyncrasies” of the brand in the realm of reliability was a reality I was all too familiar with.

How many vehicles in should you get before deciding a manufacturer selling you sumptuously appointed, nice sounding, expensive-feeling crap is crap and that perhaps sacrificing some of its uniquess at the altar or durability and reliability is worth it?

 

[jack_christie]

The saga stumbles on -

We Take 3 Iconic Off-Road SUVs Up A Mountain In a Snowstorm: What Can Go Wrong? (Video)

In this video, three iconic off-road SUVs take on a Colorado snowstorm: the Land Rover Defender, Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Armada.

tflcar.com

 

[Blind_Io]

JLR promises to fix "unacceptable" quality issues.

Jaguar Land Rover Promises to Fix ‘Unacceptable’ Quality Issues

Maybe JLR's planned shift to EVs over the coming decade will help it shed its image of less-than-stellar dependability.

www.thedrive.com

 

[Crazyjeeper]

I've been seeing tons of them on the road around here. Perfect for the urban jungle.

 

[Matt2000]

JLR promises to fix "unacceptable" quality issues.

I'll believe it when I see it!

I've seen a few, I'd still certainly pick it over the current Discovery if I had a gun to my head.

 

[Blind_Io]

The way I've heard it described is "the best Discovery they've built in years". The major complaint about the current Defender is that it doesn't fill the role of the old one, it's just another "Meh"-sized luxury SUV, just like three-quarters of the Land Rover/Range Rover lineup.

 

[93Flareside]

I'll believe it when I see it!

I've seen a few, I'd still certainly pick it over the current Discovery if I had a gun to my head.

Give Keith a chance!

 

[gaasc]

I am giving him a chance. Mostly because the first thing he did after getting his bearings was fire their design chief and then their sales and marketing boss.

He's making all the right noises at the very least, which is more than it can be said for some of his precursors.

 

[captain_70s]

The way I've heard it described is "the best Discovery they've built in years". The major complaint about the current Defender is that it doesn't fill the role of the old one, it's just another "Meh"-sized luxury SUV, just like three-quarters of the Land Rover/Range Rover lineup.

I've seen a couple in the wild, certainly not being driven by the Clyde Tunnel maintenance team or farmers like the old Defenders were!

I say that, but to be honest most of the Series/OG Defenders I see are either being driven by the hardcore off-road guys or hipsters... Most folk needing a practical 4x4 go for a Japanese pickup, the old Defender was just too basic and too expensive. I imagine the new Defender will sell quite well to people wanting to stand out on the school run, despite JLR's best efforts to make it hideously unreliable.

 

[Blind_Io]

Spoiler: The Land Rover made it less than a minute past the first obstacle before they abandoned it.

 

[Blind_Io]

They had to borrow a set of wheels and tires from Land Rover to go get it down. That boulder obstacle is pretty hairy, but it's not what ultimately stopped the Defender.