New Defender Airborne

[vtlandrover]

Pretty sure "voluntary" involved a degree of coercion - not to mention, it's mandated in Europe.

NHTSA Announces Update to Historic AEB Commitment by 20 Automakers | NHTSA

www.nhtsa.gov

I rather like the traffic sign recognition, as speeds fluctuate in short distances where I live and municipal coffers are bare.

I can certainly do without lane assist!

 

[pfshoen]

Yes, I like cruise control as well yet the rest seem superfluous. JLR has recognized that their quality issues are costing them sales and money for warranty work.
"We are reducing the complexity of our vehicles massively. The result will be that fewer things going wrong because the process will not be as complex,"
Seems like this criteria was missed when developing the latest product offering. Yet if the consumer idea is leasing and dumping the vehicle after 2-3 years when the warranty has expired then it really doesn’t matter.

The quote above is one example of the consequences of giving up on the Defender concept and Land Rover product standards. I saw a Gren spokesman list their product guide, and it was all about utility, durability, reliability and related values. Oddly, sexy styling and SUV lifestyle didn't make the cut. Since JLR's leadership is wrong headed, it takes economic reality to force them to change direction. How they lost the plot is beyond me. First hand accounts eventually will be made public, and I look forward to them. If Rover aren't profitable with their 100% commitment to the "SUV lifestyle," their shareholders will def notice. If Gren is successful, it'll take sales from Rover, and really expose how wrong McGovern's been.
The one vid I saw with Sir Jim, he was wearing a sweater underneath a waxed cotton jacket. Idk how to describe the way McGovern dresses. Sometimes small details can tell a big story.

 

[FlyersFan76]

Look at it this way - Porsche 911 has established a vision in your minds eye when you say the name. It actually means something - its not a 4 door SUV and its not a fiberglass wrapped V8 - it is what it is over the years has a clear lineage of design and of purpose. When people say Ford Mustang my mind see the 1960's as well as the 1980's shit boxes of styling and performance and yet they are all Mustangs but the marquee has been diluted with the name mustang being slapped on anything just to make a buck.

That kind of lines up with the lines that I have heard people say like.

"I have wanted a Defender since I first saw one in the 90's" And then they bought a new body style one.

and

"I wanted a Hummer since I first saw a Humvee on the news." And they they bought an H2.

They are not the same. It is like buying a Camaro because you always wanted a Corvette.

I'll be happy to have a new Defender as a daily driver because I want something different but I will still name it DINO.

 

[vtlandrover]

I think the fundamental difference is that the Gren is a pet project for a person with more money than any of us can fathom. JLR is a corporation answering to a Board and investors, just like any other. The latter has to tow the line in pursuit of profit above all else, while the former has the excitement of taking a chance at a swing and a miss.

I have to keep pushing back against the "lifestyle" moniker (slam?) heaved at the Pretender... RRNA and LRNA have been pushing lifestyle since landing on this side of the pond. Just open up any sales brochure to view Barbour, full Wellingtons, and champagne flutes at polo matches. The hairstyles of the models is just as bad as McGovern's. Even before that, the 2-door grey-market Range Rovers of the early 1980s went to Orange County, not Moab (I know not just because of period journalist reviews, but because I bought one for my brother).

To be clear: I have put down a deposit on a Grenadier.

And if I didn't want to keep my low number license plate, the Newfender/Pretender/Defender would be rockin' "LR5."

 

[blueboy]

I think the fundamental difference is that the Gren is a pet project for a person with more money than any of us can fathom. JLR is a corporation answering to a Board and investors, just like any other. The latter has to tow the line in pursuit of profit above all else, while the former has the excitement of taking a chance at a swing and a miss.

I have to keep pushing back against the "lifestyle" moniker (slam?) heaved at the Pretender... RRNA and LRNA have been pushing lifestyle since landing on this side of the pond. Just open up any sales brochure to view Barbour, full Wellingtons, and champagne flutes at polo matches. The hairstyles of the models is just as bad as McGovern's. Even before that, the 2-door grey-market Range Rovers of the early 1980s went to Orange County, not Moab (I know not just because of period journalist reviews, but because I bought one for my brother).

To be clear: I have put down a deposit on a Grenadier.

And if I didn't want to keep my low number license plate, the Newfender/Pretender/Defender would be rockin' "LR5.

Not always. The ad campaign for the early Rangies were very cool.

 

[blueboy]

And one of the most classic for a RRC:

 

[blueboy]

Although we have used our RRC in “lifestyle” fun. Swiss Alps:

 

[vtlandrover]

I don't disagree! They were really funny. Even when they were making fun of themselves... per Bill Baker, the average RRC owner in 1988 earned $200,000.00 and sought out the model for its "prestige."

Range Rovers in Southern California: An Uncommon Market

Next week, their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York will make several Los Angeles appearances in which their elegant backdrop will be a ruck of Range Rovers built for moor and motorway.

www.latimes.com

 

[vtlandrover]

Although we have used our RRC in “lifestyle” fun. Swiss Alps: View attachment 23170

Love this pic!!

 

[erover82]

I think the fundamental difference is that the Gren is a pet project for a person with more money than any of us can fathom. JLR is a corporation answering to a Board and investors, just like any other. The latter has to tow the line in pursuit of profit above all else, while the former has the excitement of taking a chance at a swing and a miss.

That's the circumstance that gave us the original. People are excited and feel heard by a company that appears to be listening to an abandoned market.

 

[blueboy]

I don't disagree! They were really funny. Even when they were making fun of themselves... per Bill Baker, the average RRC owner in 1988 earned $200,000.00 and sought out the model for its "prestige."

Range Rovers in Southern California: An Uncommon Market

Next week, their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York will make several Los Angeles appearances in which their elegant backdrop will be a ruck of Range Rovers built for moor and motorway.

www.latimes.com

Over the years cut out the RRC ads from various magazines, etc. One of these days will get them in a frame to hang in the garage.

Nice article btw.

 

[pfshoen]

The RR was a big move upscale for Rover from the get-go, although many were used seriously off pavement and even on expeditions.
Today, not so much. By the time it got luxurious, it didn't make that much diff one way or the other, because there was the option of the Defender. Now all Rovers are in the same bag as SUV's and not 'trucks.' From a business management point of view, forfeiting domination of an entire market by shelving the Def doesn't look like a smart play. It also used to provide a halo effect of trail cred for the entire line up. Now it's just another Rover model in a sea of street-biased SUV brands. I don't expect to ever again see Rover involved with anything like Camel Trophy competitions or the Darien Gap expedition for promo purposes, to say nothing of military use.
Legends and icons are not created by marketing departments in air-conditioned studios.

 

[blueboy]

The RR was a big move upscale for Rover from the get-go, although many were used seriously off pavement and even on expeditions.
Today, not so much. By the time it got luxurious, it didn't make that much diff one way or the other, because there was the option of the Defender. Now all Rovers are in the same bag as SUV's and not 'trucks.' From a business management point of view, forfeiting domination of an entire market by shelving the Def doesn't look like a smart play. It also used to provide a halo effect of trail cred for the entire line up. Now it's just another Rover model in a sea of street-biased SUV brands. I don't expect to ever again see Rover involved with anything like Camel Trophy competitions or the Darien Gap expedition for promo purposes, to say nothing of military use.
Legends and icons are not created by marketing departments in air-conditioned studios.

Agreed. Other than a notable Charity event this was an effort.