2020 Defender

SCSL

Well-known member
Apr 27, 2005
4,144
152
I decided to go with the four cylinder because its so much more mechanically and electrically simpler than the P400 as well as much less money . I think its the sweet spot in the range - I got to drive one and was very satisfied with the power
Let me know how you like that four. I was extremely skeptical but have been surprisingly happy with it.
 

mgreenspan

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2005
4,723
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Briggs's Back Yard
The ones making the most money are doing it with warranty work. Sure, they do a ton of customer pay work just based on the volume of cars they work on in a day. They aren’t scamming customers if that’s what you’re thinking.
No. Was thinking the company pays them shitloads to keep their products on the road. Why not just make them more reliable for their price tag rather than up charge to buyer to cover the cost of inevitable warranty work?
 

mgreenspan

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2005
4,723
130
Briggs's Back Yard
Great shot. This capture is exactly what I hate about the LR lineup. All of their current vehicles have one angle that looks great. It makes me want it then immediately question why when I see other angles. You achieved similar with your D5 shots, as well!

I’m sure it’s a delight to drive; however, I see no reason to buy this over the new Land Cruiser offered in the UK when my wife decides she’s done driving the Evoque or my current Land Cruiser (LC90). Stateside, I see no reason for me to buy it to replace the GX470 or pick it up over the Bronco I intend to buy. I just can’t get over the looks no matter how nice it may be.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
No. Was thinking the company pays them shitloads to keep their products on the road. Why not just make them more reliable for their price tag rather than up charge to buyer to cover the cost of inevitable warranty work?

The technology on these cars make it nec. To hire only the smartest techs. Then when you have some 30 something kid who's willing to work way harder than most people, and he's smart enough to blow thru problem cars, he will be a gold mine for anybody associated with him.
I think Jymmiejams noted blowing thru big volume of cars. The guys making that kind of money are a special breed. And they work harder than most of us are willing to.
At 56 I am no longer one of those. My job is to do problem cars that are slowing those type guys down. I get paid a salary, which is the ultimate prize for an old man.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
Let me know how you like that four. I was extremely skeptical but have been surprisingly happy with it.
What's not to like about that 4 cyl. ? It makes close to 300 hp.
All that power comes from the variable valve lift system mostly.
The cam opens the intake valve, oil pressure keeps it open till the ECM lets it close. You couldn't make a camshaft that would keep the valve open that long.
You should make sure your engine and trans software gets updated. There was a problem with the cooling fan running full blast when it wasn't necessary, then the trans software gets updated so it plays nice with the new engine software. I'm sure Jack got the new software already.
 
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discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
I don't care about the lovebirds who've been courting in the previous posts but I'm driving a new Defender. I've got some studying to do with the owners manual....

View attachment 59724
Yeah sorry about that.

This is a great way to set this truck up. You didn't pay the 700 or whatever for any color than white. On the 90 alloy wheels are a $3700 option. I figure some wheels will come along eventually. I might still change my mind on white. The other thing that I think is a cool option is that ballistic wrap for like 3 grand. It all looks different from the customer side of the portal, but I saw 2 choices on the offroad packs. I chose the lesser of the 2, no Terrain Response/2. But a locking diff and different tires.
 

Howski

Well-known member
Oct 19, 2009
1,483
209
Alabama
I do hope they get rid of that floating pillar. Almost makes you need to buy that goofy saddle bag just to give it something to do.
It’s an option to eliminate it on the 90 and a few folks have already made vinyl ‘blackouts’ for the 110 which is an improvement. If they just made the pillar connect to the roof and body, and a bit thinner it wouldn’t be so awful as shown in my terrible edit53214A72-061B-4063-ACB1-A6BF521A216D.jpeg
 
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DiscoHasBeen

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2016
1,171
262
Indy
I don't care about the lovebirds who've been courting in the previous posts but I'm driving a new Defender.

Yeah sorry about that.

I just don't get you. This guy says he's tired of the BS and you say sorry about that. But I give you an out by saying let's let this go and you are like "no way". On the other hand, to be fair, I do remember saying you had the last word, but here I am. My bad. I'll fix that starting now.
 

DiscoHasBeen

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2016
1,171
262
Indy
Pretty happy with the six miles I've put on it so far... may take it for a little spin to the north Georgia mountains tomorrow.

Its already been "off road"

View attachment 59725View attachment 59726View attachment 59727View attachment 59728View attachment 59729View attachment 59730View attachment 59731

So what do you see yourself doing with this rig? DD, trail rig, get away for the weekend pulling a trailer? Or just because you are a LR enthusiast and it has the Defender badge? All things being equal if it were a BMW would you have bought it?
 

JackW

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2005
675
69
The Discovery 5 that the Defender replaced was our daily driver, long trip car, grocery getter, tow vehicle, and general all around transportation appliance.
The Defender will fill all of those roles with a much better chance of getting off road than the Discovery as well. I always felt the Discovery was a bit too fat and soft for stuff more challenging than the dirt roads but I did take it on a fairly ambitious trail and it surprised me at how easily it walked up it. It did have the rear locker but I was always overly cautious about dinging it up because I knew I would be trading it on the new Defender when I purchased it.

I've owned about ten different BMW's (a lot of 2002's, E-30's and a few other models) and I'm a BMW enthusiast but they have gotten overly complex along with Mercedes in my opinion. I know you're going to ask that the Defender isn't? but I deliberately chose the least complex model available with all of the good off road options and a few comfort items that the Discovery 5 provided. I'm a retired Lockheed engineer and third generation gearhead who has been rebuilding, modifying and generally screwing around with cars for 54 years. I've bought cars for the dumb reasons of "I've never owned one of those" and "none of my friends has one of these" which in the days before the internet was a very risky strategy. But one universal guiding light since I was around 12 years old was an abiding attraction for Land Rovers - - I saw a 109" Series II wagon in marine blue at a Dairy Queen in Clayton, GA and thought it was the coolest car I'd ever seen. Almost sixty years later I still feel that way - so yes I was going to buy a new Defender.

We took an hour long drive in the 110 today, around the downtown Roswell area, out into the surrounding countryside and even down a potholed dirt road and I can tell the new Defender feels taught, more solid and smaller than the D5. My wife thinks the seat fits her better and after adjusting my seat and the mirrors I really like the driving position. Time will tell if its as nice a long distance car as the Discovery 5 is - odds are that the Disco will have the edge here - but the four cylinder has plenty of power and makes neat noises when asked but is VERY quiet running errands. The suspension feels firm and very well controlled and the Meridian sound system is outstanding as is the bluetooth cell phone quality. A friend called while we were running down the dirt road and he was very impressed with the conversation he could have with both of us - he has an LR3 and said the phone quality at his end was outstanding - much better than his car.

My long range plans with this truck will be to travel down a bunch of the BDR routes - starting in the east but ideally exploring the western BDR's as well as the TAT. We did about 100 miles of the Mid-Atlantic BDR in Northern Pennsylvania and I've done about 50 miles of the NEBDR (it starts in my wife's home town of Hancock, NY) in the Discovery 5 and that was fun. I have two Series IIA's and a very well equipped D90 for my designated trail rig so the new Defender will be our main car. I also have a Miata for when I need to hit some twisty paved roads. The Defender will be the perfect tow vehicle for my vintage Eriba Puck travel trailer. I need to finish the total restoration of my 1967 Series IIA 88" pickup - its at the rolling chassis stage and I need to start painting body panels. Only a real enthusiast would own four Land Rovers - but I know one guy who has over 30 so I figure I'm only mildly obsessed.

This Land Rover is #20 for me - the twentieth Land Rover I've owned since I bought my first Series II in 1972.


IMG_20191105_113235872.jpg

D90&Puck2.jpgIMG_20190425_141023836.jpg67PU-1.jpg

109&Miata.jpg

Defender-19.jpg

Defender-20.jpg
 
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discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
Great shot. This capture is exactly what I hate about the LR lineup. All of their current vehicles have one angle that looks great. It makes me want it then immediately question why when I see other angles. You achieved similar with your D5 shots, as well!

I’m sure it’s a delight to drive; however, I see no reason to buy this over the new Land Cruiser offered in the UK when my wife decides she’s done driving the Evoque or my current Land Cruiser (LC90). Stateside, I see no reason for me to buy it to replace the GX470 or pick it up over the Bronco I intend to buy. I just can’t get over the looks no matter how nice it may be.

I bet you're going to start seeing some 90's soon. Half the world was able to start ordering them a couple weeks ago.
 

mgreenspan

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2005
4,723
130
Briggs's Back Yard
I bet you're going to start seeing some 90's soon. Half the world was able to start ordering them a couple weeks ago.
Nah. I am starting a new airplane in Memphis on 8 October. I’ll have to wait a while to see them... I’ll see what my wife thinks of them if/as they appear.

Oddly enough I have seen more new Defenders in the US than I have in the UK. Anecdotally, there has been an increase in original Defenders seen by myself in the Norfolk countryside and on the north Norfolk coast. It makes me happy to see them everywhere, but sad that I probably won’t buy one over there until we move to a bigger place with more land and storage in 5 years. The current house is full with wife’s Evoque, Land Cruiser, car trailer, and uncle’s BMW race car.
 
Jan 3, 2005
11,745
70
On Kennith's private island
I dig the newer Miata, I have had a couple of older ones. It is on my list.

Fitting.

 

JackW

Well-known member
Mar 17, 2005
675
69
Jack, I wanna buy that yellow series pick-up.

No freaking way - that one is very special to me - and I'm currently restoring it to Porsche quality standards so it will be better than new when I finish it.
I bought that one - the first time - in 1973 and it was my daily driver for five years - lots of great times in that truck.
Then in 1978 I was going to Europe for the summer and intended to bring a 109" back so I left it with my parents with the instructions to sell it - but not for less than $2000. When I got back in the fall, dad handed me $1400 and said here's the money for your Land Rover. I had been outbid for all of the 109's that I'd tried to buy at a military vehicle auction in Nottingham so I was without a Land Rover for a few months until I found my 1966 109" in Chattanooga and bought that in 1979.

But every guy has one car they wished they had never sold and I'd tried to track that one down several times to buy it back. Then in 1996 a friend of mine spotted it at a repair shop near his house and called me. I dropped everything that minute and drove there and it was my old truck (the botched repair to the right rear quarter panel was all mine). The shop owner said the owner wasn't interested in selling it and he turned away 3 -4 people a week stopping in to ask about it. I convinced him to give me the owners number and over the course of almost a year I wore him down until he finally agreed to sell it to me in 1996.

So after 18 years I got my little yellow truck back - and since the brake lines were completely rusted out so I had to immediately disassemble it when I got it home. Then life happens and it sat in pieces in my basement until after I retired and it was time to start the restoration. Since I have a very deep emotional attachment to this beast I'm doing it absolutely right - no cutting corners. I'm at the point where I need to start painting body panels with the goal of having it running and driving next Spring. This is a very special truck - one of 50 1967 Series IIA's bought by the State of Florida Department of Roads to replace some old Willys Jeeps that towed PTO driven mower decks on the shoulders of I-95 near Jacksonville. But the aluminum housing on the PTO wasn't durable enough for the constant use that they were subjected too and the Land Rover representative for the Southeast at that time said they pretty much used up the worldwide supply of rear PTO units in six months. The Willys had a cast iron case so the were more durable. All 50 trucks were painted bright yellow - a color also used to paint Land Rovers for the Wimpey Construction Company in Great Britain. I've seen three other trucks from this 50 over the years but this one is mine and will stay that way. Those two days - separated by 23 years - that I brought it home are two of the happiest in my life.

1976 - stripping a rather horrible dark metallic green paint off the 88 in my parents driveway before repainting it back to the original yellow.

67SIIA-4.jpg

Corvairs, Volvos, Ford truck - the 67 SIIA in full open mode.

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p m

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Apr 19, 2004
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What's not to like about that 4 cyl. ? It makes close to 300 hp.
Lack of engine braking, Stew.
Turbo doesn't spool when the throttle's closed, so all engine braking for a 5500-lb vehicle you get comes from a 2-liter 4-banger.

I made a honest effort to sell my wife the new 110. Even got her to sit in the driver's seat - in a very favorable location, on a 12k-ft mountain pass.
She said it sucks so bad.
Then we compared interior volume and cargo compartment size with the LR4.
One's a truck, another has room for three golf bags.

 
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