Two and a half years have now ticked by since the final Defender rolled off the production line and we’re still waiting for Land Rover to show off its successor without camouflage.
We know it’s coming — JLR has said as much and disguised mules have been spotted winter testing. But I’m beginning to wonder if the company is leaving it just a little late.
Land Rover’s 70th-anniversary celebrations came and went without an official unveiling. And, now, when it comes to retro-inspired, all-terrain options, the Defender is no longer alone.
Jeep is readying a significantly overhauled Wrangler for Europe later this year, while the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny continues to turn heads with its rugged-on-a-small-scale styling. Even some hard-to-impress staffers in the Autocar office say they’re fans.
Both cars were designed with a nod to their heritage and — on paper, at least — appear to be confident off-roaders, with ladder-frame chassis, low-range gearboxes and rigid axle suspensions.
So, basically, the two most important things for a new Defender to get right.
Land Rover might argue that its cars have the best off-road ability of any 4x4, but Jaguar Land Rover’s new MLA platform — which the Defender looks set to be one of the first in line to use — is currently unproven.
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Show Ponies......
The Defender is the go to do all utility Vehicle, rugged dependable not these show Pony Wranglers and Suzuki, the next Defender will sell to the People who trust it do the Job....
A Sadness
I have to search my soul. I still have a faint residual fondness, a memory really, for Land Rover and Jaguar of days past, but the company seems determined to alienate itself from me by slavishly following the bling road. So why should I allow myself to be seduced by talk of “DNA” and other appeals to nostalgia for qualities long abandoned?
Change and progress by all means, but please do it honestly. Bling it up to your heart’s content, but don’t try to fool us in the process.
I hope for a simple vehicle that looks good purely because of how well it suits its purpose. That is all. Anything else will be a sadness.
They are - the have an all
They are - the have an all new set up coming that will underpin EVERY car in the JLR range, and covers every possible combination of Engine, Hybrid or EV, this is currently doing the last bit of testing, ready for launch, one of teh first cars will be an all new Range Rover, EV, and then the new Ranger Rover full sized car, before spinning down through he rest of the range as each car is updated or replaced.