Land Rover Owner November 2019

The main topic of conversation at the LRO Show (after how fantastic the show was, of course) was the New Defender – and the disappointment that Land Rover hadn’t brought one along for everyone to see. It had its world premiere just a few days before, so it would have been the perfect time to get it in front of thousands of loyal enthusiasts. But Land Rover couldn’t spare one, so all we had were photos. Most people I spoke to really like what they’ve seen in pictures and I reckon they would have really been wowed by seeing it in the flesh. Some already had deposits down and others wanted to see it so they could make a final decision. I’m disappointed it wasn’t there too. I tried my hardest to get one…

1st prize BEN DUNCAN WINS A SEALEY WELDING HELMET ‘A great use of light from Ben in capturing this attention-grabbing shot of his 90 and his wife Lee on the Isle of Mull.’ NEIL WATTERSON, EDITOR 2nd prize CLIFFORD LILBURN WINS A SEALEY ½IN SQUARE DRIVE EXTENDABLE BREAKER BAR ‘Clifford clearly used a fast shutter speed for this dramatic shot of his D2 on an estate road in Caithness, with grandson Peter Maze at the wheel.’ NEIL WATTERSON, EDITOR…

with the names of anyone in it. Please send the biggest image file sizes you have. This issue, it’s well done to first-placed Ben Duncan, who wins For a chance to see one of your photos in print, send it to wolr@ LRO.com. Include a description of the vehicle and where the photo was taken, along an auto-darkening welding helmet from our friends at Sealey. Second prize, a Sealey 1/2in square drive extendable breaker bar, goes to Clifford Lilburn. 1st PRIZE Sealey heavy duty tyre inflator with twin push-on connector (SA39) LIST PRICE £87.54 2nd PRIZE Sealey automatic brake & clutch bleeder (VS0205) LIST PRICE £37.74…

Okay, it’s a new vehicle. Does it look like the old model? If you squint, maybe a little. There are loads of what are called ‘design cues’ built into the architecture, but arguably if you have to look for them, they don’t work. So, rather than comparing this vehicle to the original, look at it as an evolution. Take the Ford Escort. The MkI grew squarer with the MkII. By the time the MkV came along just 25 years after the first shape ended, you’d struggle to see the MkI’s DNA at all. Now replace the Escort with the Series I and David Bache’s work for the Series II, a body style that ran to the end of ‘old’ Defender – almost 60 years. That’s only two stages for the Escort’s five,…

Charles Fawcett, Twisted/LR Motors The New Defender is like the new kid on the block with a super-successful big brother and a chip on its shoulder. It shouts really loudly how good it is at everything. The classic Defender (big brother) keeps quiet, carries on its daily task and says nothing. What JLR have created is an amazing new vehicle; the mistake was to try to mirror/ take design elements/infer a link to the old one. It should just be an amazing new car that doesn’t have to shout at all. Martin Domoney LRO’s workshop editor I like the new Defender’s interior. Well, I like the way it looks – the dashboard is an blatant nod to the original, and the high centre console (when no centre seat is fitted, anyway) reminds me…

Drawing heavily on existing components, the running gear is based on the tried and tested D7u platform, used on the Discovery 5, Range Rover and Sport, but it has been beefed up to D7x (for extreme) – tougher than the other models. 90 models can be had with coil-sprung suspension and air, while the 110 is air only – as most of the ‘full-fat’ Land Rovers and Range Rovers have been for a decade now. It’s independent all around, following the route the Range Rover went in 2001 and the Discovery chose in 2004. Some may moan that beam axles have been ditched but there will be few buyers at this price-point who would prefer the older technology. Beam axles have their place – they have a constant ground clearance, while…