New Defender - yah or nah?

pjdarcy · 20-09-2019 1:52pm

Reminds me of the Nissan Cube

Old diesel · 20-09-2019 2:05pm

road_high wrote: »

How was the Nissan Navara a Renault in a frock?? Renault didn’t even make an SUV at that time, Nissan had all the expertise. Their spin doctors seem intent on blaming all their quality woos on Renault rather than focusing on the actual problem which was their own penny pinching and crap designs.

The Navara WASNT a Renault in a Nissan frock - that's my point.

Nissans failures were self inflicted because Renault were actually setting off on a journey of huge improvement in their own rangw at the same time .

Navara was Nissans own design that they messed up all by themselves.

Ditto all those Almera N16 timing chains etc

20-09-2019 2:11pm

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

If there is no pickup version then it's a huge fail. The whole point of them was to take cargo, few bales, an animal, can's of oils, firewood, what ever.

Pickup versions of the old defender are pretty rare in Ireland anyway, mostly commercial ones but not pick ups.

That being said I think the defender 90 in pickup guise is very cool looking, possibly the best looking of all the models.

John_Rambo · 20-09-2019 8:22pm

TheBoyConor wrote: »

And even at that you'll be going well too avoid breaking down.

Land Rover are notoriously unreliable. And then crucifyingly expensive to get repaired.

I'm on my second one and haven't had anything disastrous. I do service it and look after it though. It spends a lot of time on beaches and salty environments... Actually, you've probably jinxed it now, it will turn in to a clown vehicle tomorrow and the wheels and doors will fall off.

road_high · 20-09-2019 9:44pm

John_Rambo wrote: »

I'm on my second one and haven't had anything disastrous. I do service it and look after it though. It spends a lot of time on beaches and salty environments... Actually, you've probably jinxed it now, it will turn in to a clown vehicle tomorrow and the wheels and doors will fall off.

What model do you have? Land Rover is a great brand with a great image- if the substance was matched by the vehicles they’d clean up

John_Rambo · 20-09-2019 10:25pm

road_high wrote: »

What model do you have? Land Rover is a great brand with a great image- if the substance was matched by the vehicles they’d clean up

Yeah, fair enough on the branding. LR have great marketing and we see a lot of people using serious 4x4 LR cars for school runs!! I see where you're coming from.

We're on our second "baby' Freelander Road_high. Not the "image" based model that people would normally go for!

Our family lifestyle called for 4x4 and the second hand Freelander II was an affordable option. It's very basic, low-tech and utilitarian but it can deal with everything we throw at it which includes soft sand, wet sand & muddy fields loaded with gear in, and on top of it. It also frequently pulls our friends beached cars out of trouble. It's our family car, so it's got motorway and regular weekend use too. (we use public transport and bikes daily)

Both Freelanders performed amazingly well in snow, I was really amazed how it managed large snow drifts and ice where there were abandoned 90k cars on the roads. (it was great fun too) The one we have now has high mileage (from the previous owner) but it's pulling like a train and isn't giving us any grief. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Again, and importantly, as an previous Alfa owner I'm fussy about servicing, timing belts, oil changes and maintenance.

Would consider a Disco next.

rd1izb7lvpuksx · 20-09-2019 10:41pm

Lofidelity wrote: »

Does this mean the Wrangler has the hardcore off road market to itself?
Theres a new shape one driving around Dublin 2 and its really growing on me. Matte grey and wide wheels.

Bluefoam wrote: »

Some of the critera for traditional offroaders:

Ladder Chassis or similar. Easy to weld, fix, change

Flat body panels as much as possible. Easy to fix, weld, change

Simple bumper with end caps. Change for different style where necessary, broken ends can be taken off, or replaced. Winches etc.

Round headlights. Can be changed anywhere, by anyone, anywhere in the world (universal part). The ones I put on my Jeep JK were from Harley Davidson

Small wheels, big tyres. Surface area is king. Note the new Dender has 20" wheels and low profile tyres... Not made to go off the N11

Simple Access... I did allot of mods to my FJ & JK myself... wiring was relitively easy, as was access under floors etc. How would you wire a set of rooftop lights on the new defender & how would you fix additional buttons and switches to the dash?

On body towing points. These should be chassis mounted, or you'll rip your bumper off. This is not for towing, but for removing a vehicle from deep mud or sand... this is done under massive force and resistance using kenetic ropes that produce massive energy... threaded tow points are not adviseable, nore are bumer mounted points, or you're liable to lose a bumper.

TrailerBob wrote: »

With the defender going the route it has, the 70 series is the last proper ladder frame multi-purpose truck out there. Of course, not many people here need that level of over engineering either

The truth is that the only truly modern, hardcore off-roader is the 2019 Suzuki Jimny. It hits all of Bluefoam's criteria, easily repairable and customisable, and soundly out-performs all soft-roaders and almost all off-roaders once actually off road. The two downsides (as long as you consider being small and light a pro) is that it's a pig on motorways and it's not for sale in Ireland.

road_high · 20-09-2019 11:58pm

Why is the little Jimny not sold here anymore? The past model was always pretty popular especially as a cheap country/hill runaround

Bluefoam · 21-09-2019 10:10am

road_high wrote: »

Why is the little Jimny not sold here anymore? The past model was always pretty popular especially as a cheap country/hill runaround

I believe it's because it doesn't fit easily into our emissions brackets for a car of the size.

Wailin · 21-09-2019 10:31am

There's two for sale in Donegal. Deadly little yokes.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-jimny-sz5-4x4-3dr-allgrip/22755663

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-jimny-sz5-4x4-auto-3dr-allgrip/22754613

The Jimny is a true off roader and can compete with the big boys easily, especially when modified.

Here's my one, with 2" body lift, 1" suspension lift and upgraded 1.6 L engine. It's a little beast off road!

rd1izb7lvpuksx · 21-09-2019 12:19pm

Wailin wrote: »

There's two for sale in Donegal. Deadly little yokes.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-jimny-sz5-4x4-3dr-allgrip/22755663

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-jimny-sz5-4x4-auto-3dr-allgrip/22754613

The Jimny is a true off roader and can compete with the big boys easily, especially when modified.

Here's my one, with 2" body lift, 1" suspension lift and upgraded 1.6 L engine. It's a little beast off road!

Nice - how have you found NCT'ing and insuring it with the modifications, especially the 1.6 (Ignis Sport?) engine?

Wailin · 21-09-2019 12:36pm

Abby Sweet Cameraman wrote: »

Nice - how have you found NCT'ing and insuring it with the modifications, especially the 1.6 (Ignis Sport?) engine?

Suzuki Liana engine. Passed NCT there recently without a bother.

BorneTobyWilde · 21-09-2019 12:56pm

Lukas Prehistoric Sushi wrote: »

Pickup versions of the old defender are pretty rare in Ireland anyway, mostly commercial ones but not pick ups.

That being said I think the defender 90 in pickup guise is very cool looking, possibly the best looking of all the models.

I love the 130 Pickup
Best of both worlds, large bed, and a clean crew cab interior. All the dirt belongs in the bed.

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media.jpg?id=69a9736af3c7460db9597a1bcd55b6fa&width=1024&height=768

Bluefoam · 21-09-2019 2:00pm

Wailin wrote: »

There's two for sale in Donegal. Deadly little yokes.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-jimny-sz5-4x4-3dr-allgrip/22755663

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-jimny-sz5-4x4-auto-3dr-allgrip/22754613

The Jimny is a true off roader and can compete with the big boys easily, especially when modified.

Here's my one, with 2" body lift, 1" suspension lift and upgraded 1.6 L engine. It's a little beast off road!

Ever had any trouble with NCT & having tyres extending beyound fender flares?

Love it BTW... Savage yokes!

road_high · 21-09-2019 2:20pm

Gas the love for the Jimny 20 years after launch - they were fairly cheap and easily available here for a long time but sounds like they’ve gone up in value

rd1izb7lvpuksx · 21-09-2019 4:46pm

Wailin wrote: »

Suzuki Liana engine. Passed NCT there recently without a bother.

I'd love a Jimny with a suspension lift and winch, but I was under the impression it'd be impossible to insure.

Wailin · 21-09-2019 5:02pm

Bluefoam wrote: »

Ever had any trouble with NCT & having tyres extending beyound fender flares?

Love it BTW... Savage yokes!

It was NCT'd with different wheels. Same size tyres but zero offset so they didn't protrude beyond wheel arches. I still have them in case it fails next NCT on that issue next yr.

Del2005 · 21-09-2019 7:51pm

Wailin wrote: »

It was NCT'd with different wheels. Same size tyres but zero offset so they didn't protrude beyond wheel arches. I still have them in case it fails next NCT on that issue next yr.

Have you informed your insurance company of the modifications?

John_Rambo · 21-09-2019 8:31pm

Del2005 wrote: »

Have you informed your insurance company of the modifications?

I'd say that's Wailin's business. What do you think of the new Defender Del2005?

Del2005 · 21-09-2019 8:50pm

John_Rambo wrote: »

I'd say that's Wailin's business. What do you think of the new Defender Del2005?

It's everyone's buisness if they've driving uninsured. Why do you think our insurance is so expensive.

Not my cup of tea.

TrailerBob · 21-09-2019 11:07pm

Abby Sweet Cameraman wrote: »

The truth is that the only truly modern, hardcore off-roader is the 2019 Suzuki Jimny. It hits all of Bluefoam's criteria, easily repairable and customisable, and soundly out-performs all soft-roaders and almost all off-roaders once actually off road. The two downsides (as long as you consider being small and light a pro) is that it's a pig on motorways and it's not for sale in Ireland.

I think we're talking about different things.. the jimny is a great little off road machine, very capable indeed..

The landcruiser 70 is in a different league altogether. Off road ability, plus power, plus towing, plus versatility, plus endless customisation, plus zombie apocalypse survival etc... The Jimny was never made to do what a defender did. The Toyota was... And ultimately did it better..

Sadly both have the lack of availability new in Ireland in common..

Wailin · 22-09-2019 12:07am

Del2005 wrote: »

Have you informed your insurance company of the modifications?

Just had a quick look at some of your previous posts. Mary Whitehouse comes to mind.

John_Rambo · 22-09-2019 12:19am

Del2005 wrote: »

It's everyone's buisness if they've driving uninsured. Why do you think our insurance is so expensive.

It's expensive because of fraudulent claims and the insurers paying out without investigating them properly. Certainly not from someone's standard stock tyres being large.

Del2005 wrote: »

Not my cup of tea.

This is a discussion about the new Defender, what do you not like about it? Have you driven the previous model? I have and I found it very utilitarian, noisy and very "hard work" driven, but amazing for rough work and off-road stuff. Are you interested in the new one, it's tech and obvious marketing and nod towards regular drivers interested in a capable off roader that's capable and comfortable on motorways and everyday driving?

rd1izb7lvpuksx · 22-09-2019 11:37am

TrailerBob wrote: »

I think we're talking about different things.. the jimny is a great little off road machine, very capable indeed..

The landcruiser 70 is in a different league altogether. Off road ability, plus power, plus towing, plus versatility, plus endless customisation, plus zombie apocalypse survival etc... The Jimny was never made to do what a defender did. The Toyota was... And ultimately did it better..

Sadly both have the lack of availability new in Ireland in common..

The Jimny is simply too small to be a utilitarian workhorse, but it truly eclipses the old Defender in off-road ability and customisability. The old Defender was always more bark than bite off tarmac - whereas you find Jimnys in the same dire places around the world that you Hiluxes, Land Cruisers, and old Patrols. Reliable, simple, capable 4x4s that didn't spend their working lives with the bonnet open.

22-09-2019 2:57pm

Del2005 wrote: »

It's everyone's buisness if they've driving uninsured. Why do you think our insurance is so expensive.

Not my cup of tea.

He isn’t uninsured. Even if he has undeclared mods the company are still obliged to pay third party claims when he has a contract of insurance with them.

rivegauche · 22-09-2019 8:02pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO51yz360zE

Jimny test against a Landcruiser on proper off-road track.

peasant · 22-09-2019 9:40pm

On topic:

I for one can't warm to the looks of the new Defender, actually I think the Lego model looks better.

rd1izb7lvpuksx · 22-09-2019 9:58pm

peasant wrote: »

On topic:

I for one can't warm to the looks of the new Defender, actually I think the Lego model looks better.

The truth is that the only truly modern, hardcore Lego off-roader is the 2019 Suzuki Jimny. It hits all of Bluefoam's criteria, easily repairable and customisable, and soundly out-performs all soft-roaders and almost all off-roaders once actually off road. The two downsides (as long as you consider being small and light a pro) is that it's a pig on motorways and it's not for sale in Ireland.
1200-9.jpg?w=1200&h=800&imflag=true

Wailin · 22-09-2019 10:54pm

Lol ^^^^

Now I know what's on my xmas list

peasant · 29-09-2019 10:07am

Here's an opinion on the new Defender from someone who knows what he's talking about (and he does talk..nearly half an hour

)

New Defender - yah or nah?

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