Hi. Has anyone had a sit in the new defender yet ? Leg room, head room and Windsor leather in the HSE. When you order, the packs are a bit of a pain to chose from but most accessories are dealer fit. It's unbelievable how many way to configure it but it's worth the patience in choosing. Has more tech than my 405 but time will tell if works. Down side is, I ordered yesterday and and will have to wait until possibly oct. The word from dealers is no discount Bec of demand but there was. I am starting to think that the reviews are correct and the discovery seems pointless if the defender proves to be a good car.

I drove one the other week... It had loads of space inside and drove nearly as well as my 405 but that's not too surprising when you look underneath and find its much the same as a FF underneath! Shares a similar under body architecture... I was very impressed... Less so with some of the trim bits, like the shelf thing! More like a hammock! and the rear fusebox cover

I noticed that craig and I wonder how long the rubber hooks on the load cover will last. If I had a dog it would definitely be as you say and make a good hammock for it. I never thought we would see adaptive cruise and matrix led lights on a defender. I went for terrain response 2 with the advanced tow assist and the comfort pack to finish the spec to a decent standard. Dealer was tight on price but I managed a grand off and the side ladder as a final bargaining point. Was surprised I had to pay the bit extra for a fridge on a HSE. All I need now is powerful uk to stock the accessories at half JLRs price.

I’ve had my P300 SE for about 2 weeks now and i’m Very impressed. I agree with Craig regarding how it drives as I previously owned an L405 SDV8 AB. It’s a very relaxing drive and super quiet. I keep finding excuses to take it for a drive I’m enjoying it so much. Love the interior and exterior but the rear parcel shelf / hammock has been stowed away in the rear under floor storage where I suspect it will remain.

It may be heresy on this site but I specced up a well equipped Defender 110 to around £70k which is not far off the discounted price of a new L405. As our L405 is mainly used to transport dogs, tow horses and drive round shoots I think I may have to look seriously at the Defender when I come to change next year.

The spec choice is incredibly vast. If you start with the HSE the only thing to do then is spec the packs and accessories. I test drove the se version and that was very impressive. I drove the 2ltr 240hp ingenium engine and couldn't believe the pull. The clear sight system is also a winner and the pivi pro infotainment is so fast compared to my 405. The defender is not trying to match the full fat but from what I saw it is gaining in popularity and I think it will cause problems for those about to buy a disco. At 55 I am in no position nor do I want to be cool or hip but despite anything else it is cool and I dont know if landrover aimed for that. I dont want to pee off die hard landrover fans and purists but after the mess they made with the clear and discovery this is the coolest vehicle they have launched for years and that's exactly the reason why I believe it will tempt some of those to change from 405s when next changing.

I think they are probally a great car but I cannot get past the name. Whatever else it is, it is NOT a Defender!!

If I ever got one I would feel duty bound to remove any name tags, but then I would remove any RR badging if I had a Sport, Velar or Evoque.  2010 Range Rover TDV8 Baltic Blue Autobiography (2011 MY) - SOLD
1960 Land Rover SII SWB SW
2020 BMW R1250 RT LE
2021 Triton ST-125 (Monkey Bike)

It is what it is and good luck to JLR, not for me at any price

@Buz1500,

Is the front bumper standard in that colour, Mark? It doesn't sit right for me. I would prefer it black, as on either side of it, or perhaps matcing body colour.

Trust you are both well. John
2008 Stornoway Grey 3.6 Tdv8 Vogue
2005 TD6 Java Black Vogue - Written off!!
GAP iiD BT
2003 Discovery TD5 Auto, Nanocom Evolution - gone to a new home!
MasseyFerguson 152 - No electronics!! - Sold

Hi John

Yes, I believe that this is the standard colour for all Defenders. I think it looks a lot better when you see it in the flesh.

We’re both well thanks. I hope that you and your wife are remaining safe and healthy during this Covid crisis. 2019 L405 SDV8 Autobiography
2023 Defender P400e HSE X-dynamic - gone
2020 Defender P300 SE - gone

2019 Jaguar F-Pace SVR - gone
2013 SDV8 Autobiography - gone
2011 L322 TDV8 Vogue SE - gone
2006 L322 3.6 Vogue Se - gone
1999 P38 4.0 se - gone
199? Classic 3.5 - gone

This is a vehicle I really wanted to like.

I've now seen a few on the roads, however I pointed one out the other day while the whole family where in the ff, and when my 13yr old daughter who knows nothing about cars says its bland, i do tend to agree, in fact whole family thought so. Remember:- amateurs built the ark
Proffesionals built the titanic

They are most definitely marmite. I hope JLR can pull their finger out on build times. I placed my order for a HSE and after I put the deposit down I was told it should be 6th oct. Today that's changed and bec I have added fridge, integrated compressor etc I'm told end of November. I dont see why factory fit accessories add time to the build.

Update on the defender. It has finally arrived. I managed to get one from Grange in South Woodford. After the poor treatment I received from guy salmon I started to think it had taken the shine off waiting for the defender. Now it's here I am happy to say that finding a decent dealer has made up for the disappointing experience of my local JLR dealer. What a machine. Great colour, looks nice with the steps and mud flaps. The spare wheel cover and deployable ladder finishes the exterior. Drives really well and plenty of power from the D240. I have read that a few people are worried that the D240 will devalue slightly Bec of the new engine. I dont really worry about that with mine as I expect to keep it for many years. As I ordered the car I commented that it will make anyone about to order a discovery to think. Now I've got it and driven it I think even more that this is a discovery killer and other JLR models. The software and technology is in very impressive. The clear sight mirrors and ground view are brilliant also. If it stays reliable i think it will do very well. It won't win over the purists but do we still light our homes with gas lamps or make calls on telephones with cords. Things move on and we move with it. I think before these cars a judged you have to drive one for an hour or two.

"Things move on and we move with it".

But we don't have to accept all of it though do we ?

A lot of the dislike of the new "Defender" is IMHO because it no longer looks the part.

The last of the "boxy" RR's "looked the part", the last of the Defenders "looked the part" - both vehicles looked the part for their intended customer base & use.

I don't see the new Defender being very popular with the likes of the utilities/farmers - they will probably go to other makes or even the Grenadier when i gets produced.

I just don't really see where the Defender sits in the line up - I can see why it's nicknamed "Pretender" though, even taking into account it's a very capable vehicle. 2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6

I think there’s a lot to like about the new Defender and don’t care whether it’s seen as a replacement for the old one or not.

I would be seriously annoyed if I’d bought a 4 pot diesel though. It would have been fine if they’d added a more expensive 300hp 6 cylinder, but not replacing the 4 so soon after it was launched. MY23 Panamera E-Hybrid
MY19 SDV8 Autobiography - Sold