2007 Defender latest.

Can it be run with a hammer a spanner and a plastique to heat up a bent steering rod ? Bet it can't. Going the way of all SUV's OK in Chelsea usless in the bush, lost its way.

Hmmm speculation had it ( blame me why dont you ) that Ford would raid the parts bin for a suitable engine odd tho the new Transit 2.4 common rail has various outputs though not 120 bhp as quoted the 6 speed gearbox looks a dammed fine idea that should slow down the onset of deafness in motorway users.

Derek

seeing is believing, belief is everything, therefore that what I can't see cannot exist so thats a lot of daytime TV written off for a start

"Hirsty's" wrote after

The only real change to the mechanics of the vehicle is the engine/gearbox, and it's not the first time thats happened. We all wait to see if the new engine/gearbox is an improvement. However 120bhp and 265ftlb sounds OK especially as 235ftlb is available at

1500revs, so it's got some low down grunt which is a change over the TD5. Lets hope the pedal is tuned properly. Should also have a more relaxed cruising gait with that high 6th gear.

Don't have to have the 2007 model for that. Bloke in WA had to cut short his trip and have his Defender shipped (at Landrover expense under warranty) to the nearest dealer over 1000km away as no local mechanic would even look at it due to all the electronics. Ruined his trip - took about two weeks to get the Defender plus trailer back due to problems finding a carrier that could take it. The problem? Faulty throttle potentiometer.

Problem is already there, made worse by the lack of dealers. No wonder Toyota has most of the market. JD

engine/gearbox,

I see the tail end "The new Defender goes on sale in the first half of next year, with prices "slightly increased" from those of the old model." is the usual sounds we hear in this country (UK) from anyone who wants to put their hands a lot further into our wallets. Strange how you never hear "We've been able to include the design enhancements alongside innovative cost reduction methodology and advanced production through to delivery techniques which has resulted in us being to offer the vehicle with prices considerably reduced from those of the old model" .... meaning, of course, "We've put a different style badge on it and made most of it from plastic. In China."

Steve

Another reason why I'm going to drive my old 200Tdi till she's dead. Being an electronics engineer, I know how 1 component worth 2 cents can bring down thousands of dollars worth of equipment. I love my Land Rovers, but it's going to be a long long time before I "drive by wire". I don't fancy my chances of rebuilding an accelerator potentiomenter or a throttle servo with a handful of Spinefex and some fencing wire while parked on the edge of the Gunbarrel highway.

--Craig.

Actually, the throttle potentiometer could probably be fixed at least temporarily by the roadside - problem was diagnosing it without a test book

- symptoms apparently appeared to be fuel related. JD

We're *always* hearing about moving manfacturing abroad as it will reduce cost and how production improvements are going to significantly reduce overheads - but despite sacrificing our jobs prices *never* drop. That's why I'll never buy a Dyson - all those poor sods in Malmsbury who sweated bood for him.......

Richard

On or around Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:38:31 GMT, "Derek" enlightened us thusly:

they've probably tweaked the tuning a bit. It's quite close to the top spec transit version though. I don't know if they've tweaked it for more torque lower in the rev range...

Once they're available I'll have to go over to Like's and try and blag a test drive :-)

How true - Toyota employ engineers, not "designers".

Richard

I'm not in the US - WA = Western Australia. USED to be almost 100% Landrover, now almost 100% Toyota. JD

You mean no more "Dad, the sheepdogs have been sat in the front again all covered in mud". "Never mind son, just put the hose on it and leave the doors open for half an hour".

Ah yes sorry, I was forgetting. The target customer isn't the hard-working man and his 'tools' any more. I wonder how that dash will stand up to "squaddification" or whether a military version will appear without all the Chelsea hairdresser add-ons?

Steve

Reports in the press a while back (early this year, IIRC) were that if Ford bid for the MoD contract for replacement of the current Land-Rovers then they were going to do so with a Ranger derivative, not with any version of the Defender.

If I'm remembering the article right, the Army was reported as much preferring the Pinzgauer to anything else. It looks now as if they're going to get some of them.

I doubt there will be a military version as such - press reports (for what they are worth) indicate the British Army is intent on severing it's links with LR. If there were a military version, it would certainly be of more interest to me (and a lot of our customers I suspect) than the Chelsea Tractor version pictured though - minus any expensive EMP protection of course!

Richard

Excellent - so now we fight everyone eles's war, using everyone else's equipment! I don't think I'm very keen on that.

I can feel a rant about spending the money on the health service instead, or charging for our services......... hummmm better shut up I think!

Richard

On or around Thu, 24 Aug 2006 18:39:20 +1000, JD enlightened us thusly:

oops, mea culpa. But the comments about the US are still valid.

And let's not forget that Santana has gained the approval to participate in the UK MoD tenders for new vehicles.

Take care Pantelis (not living in the UK but reading a lot about Landies)

hard-working

They are plastic crap anyway that won't last more than a couple of years and they don't do a proper job anyway. Buy a Kirby (about £1,000 now if you haggle), had one for 18 years and it still beats a Dyson hands down on performance, and how many plastic Dysons would you have to buy in that time, so it's also cheaper in the long run too.

What about the front flappy vents? Looks like they have gone? I love those on my 90.

Richard