ReplacementReplacing the Defender with a new model has been in the planning stages for many years. The current design is over 20 years old in its current form and, in many ways, only slightly updated from the Land Rovers of the 1950s. As modern private and commercial vehicles offer increasing levels of performance, comfort and refinement, the Defender is again in competition with Japanese products. These offer less off-road ability but are much more comfortable. The Defender's excellent off-road performance is rarely used to its limits by commercial users, and build-quality issues have led to many switching to foreign competition.Replacement was due for 2007, but recently new methods of building the Defender have made the model profitable again (since the 1990s, the hand-built vehicle had been made at a loss), and so its replacement has been less of a priority. For the 2007 model year (2006 in calender years), the Defender will receive a new 4-cylinder diesel engine- probably a 2.7-litre version of the DuraTorq units used in the Ford Transit. Total replacement will be needed by 2012, when new regulations regarding crash safety for pedestrians will render the current design obsolete. Land Rover is keen to sell the Defender in the huge USA 4x4 market. The Defender does not reach the safety requirement for the USA, and only small batches of specially modified (and very expensive) vehicles have been sold there in the past. A replacement vehicle will almost certainly be designed to be legal in America.The replacement of the Defender is a controversial issue, especially amongst the many enthusiasts for the vehicles. Some are worried that the replacement will be a Defender only in name, sacrificing the off-road ability required by a few for the on-road comfort and refinement liked by many. Others worry that, given Land Rover's recent 'high tech' models such as the Range Rover and Discovery 3, the next Defender will use electronic rather than mechanical off-road systems,...

"Doorbell" wroteI took my 130 Td5 to Germany, having removed the pick-up tray and second rowof seats, to have Tischer build a camper body on the back.They loaned me a Jap 4x4 pickup. MPG same. Style looked rubbish. A bitmore luxury in extras, but was glad to get my Landy back.Alan

Defender replacement. Got this from wikipedia. Any further developments??

Mar 10, 2006 43 Replies

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beamendsltd 20 years ago

I was saying that to from low to 2wd high, say comming of a track onto tarmac, all you need to do is push the red knob, no need to use the yellow knob (I've only ever used that when driving on snow).

Surely to go from 4wd High to 2wd High, just press the clutch, pull red lever back, yellow knob jumps up, push red lover formard and off you go.

Undoubtedly - I suspect that Series motors never regained full-time FWD until the Stage I simply due to Leyland's financial woes. Your diff lock shouldn't go bang - just push the lever away from you and it's engaged, and vice-versa - as long as you don't change ratios you can do that at any speed.

Richard

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Alan Morris 20 years ago

Actually, I was referring to one of these:-

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I understand they cost a few hundred thousand each.

When being checked out for driving them across country I was on a training course and told to 'put my foot down'. I'd already been checked out on Land Rovers, so accelerated to a similar speed. The command was repeated, "I said, put your foot DOWN".

So I did and was told a third time. Their off-road speed needs to be experienced to be believed.

I drove one on normal roads, but never had the chance to go at top speed, but acceleration was much better than my own 130 Td5.

Much better acceleration and probably top speed than the 130 Pulse Ambulances, which I regularly drove long distances and off-road.

Alan

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Ian Rawlings 20 years ago

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That's a pinzgauer ambulance, you can get the previous generation for £8000 these days, the only real difference in the base vehicle being that the engine is a petrol air-cooled unit developing a little over half the power of the diesel, no power steering and drum brakes instead of discs.

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Ian Rawlings 20 years ago

Forgot to mention (and being as we're following up our own posts anyway ;-) ) the new ones for a bare machine with no special mods cost something in the region of £70K at least, that was the last quote I saw in a 4x4 mag somewhere, and I suspect that's for the four-wheeled version not the six. So I'd say your estimate of a few hundred thousand for a fully kitted out ambulance is likely to be bang on.

If you've driven the new ones, you can probably imagine why £8K for the previous generation of six-wheelers seems such a bargain!

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