Top 3 Land Rover Defender Reviews (Video Reviews)
The embargo has been lifted, reviews of the new Land Rover Defender are spawning faster than Vettel’s penalty tally. Here are our top 3 Land Rover Defender reviews, as of today.
First off, DriveTribe and Richard Hammond. No driving in this video, basically a run down of the spec sheet.
Impressions
Apparently Land Rover have worked hard to respect the shape of the orginal defender and they have failed totally.
As someone mentioned in the video comments, “this car is a Freelander not a Defender”. Could not agree more.
This car looks nothing like an offroad vehicle and bears no relationship to the original defender. To see how it could have been brought up to date we only have to look at the new G-Wagon. That is a design that pays homage to the original.
The original Defender was a utilitarian vehicle, the bar minimum to get the job done, this new vehicle has all the toys you would expect in a Discovery with a price to match. air suspension and electronics have no place on a Defender, if a customer wants it, they can get it fitted as an option either by Land Rover or an aftermarket tuner of Land Rovers.
The new Defender is too expensive and too complicated.
Like the commenter said, again, it’s a great car if it were called a Freelander. But it not.
Carfection Land Rover Defender Review
Land Rover have not even moved the cars between DriveTribe’s review and Carfection. Oh my goodness, they have not even allowed anyone drive it
Catchpole is again reaching to think of things that make it look like the original Defender. It doesn’t.
The New Defender looks like a toy and no farmer (or very few) is going to buy it. Farmers want simplicity, if they want a luxury Land Rover, Land Rover already makes a car for this segment, it’s called the Evoque and the Evoque’s base price is actually cheaper
Where exactly is the Defender supposed to fit in in relation to the Evoque?
Surely this car was original intended as the replacement to the Freelander.
Top Gear Land Rover Defender Review
Land Rover could not even move the cars to a difference position for Top Gear.
The imagination is low with the press department.
And if the vehicles have not moved, then is it safe to say that journalists did not drive the car on the launch?
Again, the review is a run down of the spec sheet and the journalist trying to justify why the car looks like what it does as opposed to reminding people of the original Defender.
What should the new Defender look like?
Much closer to the shape of the original car. Again, looking to the new G-Wagon as inspiration.
Base model should be just that. Base. Have a comprehensive spec list and let people go cray there if they want a luxury “Defender” For example do people want air suspension on their Defender or would they prefer coil springs?
The price needs to be less. Base price of 25 grand. Keep stripping toys out until you get down to this price.
These are the big things. Looks and price.
Call me a luddite if you want but I am not the one making a new car which respects a vehicle first released in 1983.
AGAIN. If Land Rover were releasing this car as the new Freelander, rave reviews all round.
Unfortunately Land Rover is prostituting a respected/legendary name to sell a new vehicle which is nothing like the original and this is mildly insulting to the fans of the original car.
For the Defender to be a true Defender there is one simple measure.
Will people be trading in their old Defenders to upgrade to the new Defender?
Let me know what you think
