![[ Auto Express ]](http://photos.autoexpress.co.uk/front_website/images/ae_website_logo.gif){kind=logo}
Auto Express Car Reviews
We create the new Defender!
Land Rover redesigned... with our help as bosses consider pick-up, SW for production
Text: Ken Gibson / Photos: The Sun
05th March 2010
One of motoring’s greatest challenges has begun – and Auto Express has joined me in the action! Together, we have teamed up with Land Rover to help redesign the legendary Defender.
Alongside the original Mini and VW Beetle, the Defender is one of the most recognised vehicles on the planet, having barely changed since it was launched back in 1948.
However, while new versions of the MINI and Beetle have been launched, Land Rover’s workhorse has remained virtually unaltered – until now! The company’s advanced design expert, Olli LeGrice, and fellow stylist Florian Dobe turned our ideas for an all-new Defender into the computerised images you see on this page.
Top priority was to make sure that the car appealed to as many people as the current model. As I live in Herefordshire, along with many traditional Defender drivers, I wanted a pick-up version for farmers.
A model for owners who wouldn’t often go off-road was also a priority. The stylists loved the challenge. “Any car designer would die for the chance to recreate a classic like the Defender,” said Olli.
Our design is one of at least seven competing for the green light for production, as boss Carl Peter Forster makes replacing the 4x4 a priority. “The Defender is a key part of the Land Rover DNA,” he said. “We have to capture its essence in a modern day-version.”
The man with the daunting task of assessing what that means is company design chief Gerry McGovern. Speaking at the Geneva show, he told Auto Express: “Replacing the Defender is one of the ultimate design challenges. We are dealing with one of the few authentic icons. It stirs up incredible passion.
“We will have to take some traditional customers out of their comfort zone, remove the nostalgia from the issue and focus on what a new-generation Defender is all about.”
He continued: “There is no point recreating an antique. This has to be a modern, relevant vehicle. It doesn’t have to look anything like the current model!”
What Next
For more breaking car news and reviews, subscribe to Auto Express magazine. We'll give you six issues for £1 and a free toolkit!
60 Comments
New Defender
You must be joking! That is not a defender, that's an offender (pictured). Essentially you have designed a Freelander 3. Design FAIL! Defenders are tough and easy to maintain, as well as being unstoppable OFFROAD!
The formula works, that is why it endures. The boxy shape also helps to negotiate tight bush land. A little add some "tough" please sir.
Seems to me you have completely missed the point here.
Easy to replace flat bolt on panels. Strong steel wheels with High profile/grip tyres. Good solid bumpers not forming 80% of the front of the car.....ABS wheel arch extensions to take the knocks.
You have come up with another Chelsea tractor..Freelander 3.
i would like it to look a bit like the discovery. sqaared slab faced and a bit of a brute off roader. with something like the defender i think aero dynamics are out of the question so it can look more rough around the edges that that. that design looks like something that barbie doll would use as a off roader. Not nice :(
OH DEAR!
Although I uderstand the need for a new design due to safety issues (needing airbags etc) and emissions problems for acceptance outside the EU.
I cant see why LR should move so far away from the original boxshape body and ladder chassis design.
Innovation is fine but its got to appeal to the people who are currently using the vehicle and LR needs to remember what this vehicle is, a workhorse that is simple to repair.
Gary
Allmakes Ltd.
This looks like a Tonka toy re-drawn by a 18 year old art student. Remember that some of the biggest customers are world wide military, for whom practicality matters above all. Same for farmers, builders, cable linemen etc. They are not looking for a fashion object like you have designed. Sorry guys - 100% fail.
Please don't
“We have to capture its essence in a modern day-version", granted but this isn't the way, it doesn't have to resemble any of the other LR models, it's a one-off and should remain so.
Jeremy
Rodent
It looks awful, the whole point of the Defender is its tough, take that toy through thick African Acacia forest and there would not be much left after the first mile. Definitely looks like a grotesque Freelander 3 and its not even April 1st yet.
No no no no!
I agree with all of the above. To start with just stop all the bits that go rusty on the current model from corroding.
Mistake
You can't compare it with the Mini or Beetle - they had gone and were brought back. Also, when they were brought back, they were designed to look like the originals, but in a modern way.
To completely re-design/replace the Defender is a mistake - it says the Defender is an authentic icon, totally replace it with this thing and it would lose its iconic status and become just another modern 4x4. This would upset/lose alot of fans/customers. I say keep the Defender closer to its original state, they've got the other models for modernists including the proposed LRX.
Too Girly
Nope. Fail. Looks like some little Japanese softroader. The defender has to be a guys vehicle and it has to be basically unbustable, be able to get full of mud, water and dirt, be excellent off road. Most people here buy them for off road. It has to compete with Toyota land-cruisers and Jeep Rubicons and its old self. No good making something which is only a shadow of its former self. Other companies have succeeded with the retro look and kept the ethos but updated certain things that make sense to make it new a better without losing the good from the old.
Stick to what your paid for.
.Boys please stick to reporting. You are not designers. I can understand you may want to be BUT.....
I'm afraid you just don't have the talent. Like all media reporters and regulators you think you know best but actually you can only be negative and find things to criticise in others work.
Please leave it to those with insight, innovative ideas and talent. You can then smugly report what they got wrong.
back to the drawing board, please
totally agree with all of the above.... i bought my defender to look as cool as possible among the X5s and other nasties here in hong kong. sort of two fingers to the lot of 'em. i've lost count of the number of compliments i've received from people who are unfamiliar with the landie's heritage, origins.... they, like me think its totally right for this day and age.... hope the new defender is nothing like these renditions...
Lets Remember
It is primarily a work vehicle used by farmers, military etc. If someone wants a pretty soft shaped vehicle then there are lots to choose from. Better to build on what is there. Why not start with galvanised chassis and bulkhead, perhaps composite doors and bonnet. Sort out the build quality and reliability. If Iveco can maake a better Defender then Im sure Land Rover can as well.
Starting Point
The designer of this has obviously never been near a Defender, or driven off-road in a serious way.
To design a new Defender one must start with the chassis/engine/suspension/running gear, then cover all the working parts with easy and cheap to replace panels - ABS is fine. A removable hardtop and tilt option is another feature that should be retained if you want to sell it world-wide and appeal to a wide range of users.
The exercise undertaken here is yet another trainee designer's coffee break sketch.
It's a Joke
The Defender is a working tool, not just a car! You seem to have forgotten that it is used by farmers to carry bales and feed as well as livestock, construction teams to haul equipment and numerous other off road or site users for carrying bulky and awkward loads in rough conditions. It should not be yet another slick style machine for the urban poser or it will lose it's market share! It must have exterior bumpers to protect the bodywork and a robust load carrying capacity as well as being simple to maintain and repair. Try again and don't lose site of the Defender's essential market.
Needs to swapable body panels
The new Defender needs to be easily repaired and easily made in different body styles. Why not make body panels from recycled plastic that are bolted on and changeable, like the Smart cars were. It should have removable roof and doors like a new Jeep Wrangler. In fact, that is what they should look at closely. Jeep have kept the Wranger DNA, but created a modern and comfortable car that is capable both on and off-road, but geared more for the mud. I think the new Defender could take a lot of styling clues from the Toyota FJ Cruiser too.
Change is good.
Change is good but it has to be appropriate. Good job this is just a concept car. I don't think anyone in their right mind is gonna produce a vehicle like that. It goes beyond the scope of the defender in the first place. Some one once told me "the beauty of the defender is that you can get under it with a lump hammer and fix it". It had already gone beyond that when fitting a TD5 engine to it....not that the TD5 is a bad engine, the electronics in it take it away from the lump hammer quote.
"Back to the drawing board" please and come up with something serious shall we?
No no no no no
wrong, design fail!
I wholeheartedly agree with most of the above.
it should have a seperate chassis that is simple to repair, a exosketal frame with swapable panels and easy change body configuations
Bmw have not changed from rear drive, so why should LR change the format of the defender?
Dreadful!
The Defender and its predecessors were/are workhorses first and foremost. they need to accommodate plant, machinery, bails of hay etc. The design shown show little understanding of that. The massive alloys and low profile tyres are the outstanding feature on how much the designer has misunderstood the vehicles role. If this were a design exercise by a student presenting the work to me I would give a fail as the primary brief was not met. The 20% is for the pretty picture only.
kfr
I like the look. Very similar to the old Suzuki X9 and what a roaring success that was. LR will need to consider carefully its existing customer base and arrive at a design that is recognisable as a defender possibly with the same angular lines.
What a mistake
All the posters have noted why this design is totally wrong. The other big mistake is that your credibility Ken is shot to pieces!
No, No, No! It's back to rehab for you.
Lol - oops.
Oh dear. Have to say I agree with all the previous posts, and I'll be surprised to see any positive ones about this design. Seems like the point wasn't just missed - probably it was never understood or even acknowledged.
I have got one thing to say to LR - if it's not broken, don't fix it. I love the defender as it is....
If you have to change something, make it more relevant to today - e.g. more fuel efficient, less CO2 output, but do not compromise the ethos that is defender - or it's ability on and off road.
The clue is in the name...
The reason it's called a Defender is that it is 'The Defender of the Realm'...A civvy version of a military vehicle. Any replacement has to fulfil the criteria of a military general purpose vehicle first.
What it will look like is therefore totally dependent on the balance of the various roles the Army's vehicle is expected to fulfil. More like a Hummer than a hairdressers posing pouch.
However, on the above design's plus side, send our boys out in that and the enemy would die laughing....it's a bit gay...
What are you thinking ?
Insane, totally insane.
The Defender is a modern classic leave it alone. That said, a bit of rust protection to the underside at the factory wouldn't go amiss.
Okay, its old fashioned, heavy, slow and overpriced but we love them.
This looks more like a cross between a children's plastic Hummer and a Freelander.
Land Cruiser for me next if the new Defender looks anything like this.
Practical & Rugged, not a cute ute
Earlier comments on the real pro's of the current defender design are key to where any new design MUST go, rugged, capable of handling serious off road & heavy duty tasks and being adaptable for all the tasks the military, utilities and people needing a real 4x4 workhorse demand. My experience suggests the main need for change is in improving the driver & front passenger comfort and safety and anything that can be done to improve fuel efficiency and minimise environmental impact.
Practical & Rugged, not a cute ute
Earlier comments on the real pro's of the current defender design are key to where any new design MUST go, rugged, capable of handling serious off road & heavy duty tasks and being adaptable for all the tasks the military, utilities and people needing a real 4x4 workhorse demand. My experience suggests the main need for change is in improving the driver & front passenger comfort and safety and anything that can be done to improve fuel efficiency and minimise environmental impact.
Wrong publication date
April Fool's Day is still three weeks away
Autocars Ideas Too
I am confused as I purchased Autocar last night. And they too have been working with the same designers from LandRover.
Not saying theirs was any better.(Though a little more refined) The above comments all seem to point a more utility vehicle.
Thats why it was so brilliant in the first place is was a great piece of simple design.
Piffle
Firsty I have no respect for car artists as they are just the foolish products of modern education for all (where everyone is a chief and there are no indians).
Safety regulations are the huge stumbling block, a specialist vehicle like a defender should have some opt outs. That solid front bumper is needed.
Low profile tyres are useless on every single vehicle (inc. sports cars), and dramatically increase noise. They are simply emotional bling.
Just civilianise a military version and keep corporate people away from the process. Make a pickup version of the freelander to employ the stylists.
Jheff
This is not unattractive but it does not answer the brief. Can you see the utility companies buying this cutsie pie soft roader for their various jobs in the hardship landscapes of the undeveloped world. Gerry- just re-engineed
a 2012 version with repairable architecture and a more up to date cruising
performance. One more thing - I think you lost an opportunity by adapting that boring corporate grille across the range- the painted grille was far more interesting .
Gerry Crazy
He has not a clue what he is doing.
Land Rovers are simple to repair and can take a lot of grind/ abuse without having problems. These are some of the reasons people who buy Defenders buy them and continue to do so.
Leave the Defender alone it does not need airbags. Airbags are only a gimmick they kill lots of people.
Defender buys are an sensible group who do not like too much technology.
It appeals to Rory
My 6-year old thinks it's 'really cool'. Congratulations, you've managed to design a car that a Power Rangers fan would really go for.
Next week: Ken tries his hand at orthopaedic surgery. "How hard can it be?", he says.
Defender
The Defender needs the old front flaps back ac is over rated.
Think sustainable development. Defenders LAST A LONG TIME this is GOOD. This is why people buy them. They are easy to change from truck cab to van buy buy a few parts and bolt on.
No rocket science required. VW is failing because they do not use the air cooled engine. It is simple. What ever happened to simple and easy to repair. Modern car companies do not leave enough room in the engine bay for mechanics to work on the engine inside the engine bay. This makes the cost of repair very high. LISTEN LAND ROVER MANAGEMENT.
Defenders are Robust
The New Defender needs to look like the current one. The current design WORKS.
If you want to water down the Discovery and Range Rover well fine I guess but leave the Land Rover Defender as a ROBUST vehicle that is SIMPLE to REPAIR and cannot say this enough.
GALVANIZE the CHASSIS on the new DEFENDER that would be good. WE do not want a GIRLIE vehicle.
DHP
Great Idea, why not have intechangeable rear ends, that can be easily clipped on, to change it to an estate , a car, or a coupe.
Three cars in one.
Defender
Put a a big engine bay on the new Defender so a straight 6 4 litre diesel can fit. It could be turbo charged and there could be a normally aspirated version. There could be other engine options too.
It should be simple to fix.
Body made of Aluminum as usual. Strong ladder chassis. Live axle all round. Do not follow L200 front suspension on that type of pretend truck weak. Most people do not know this.
Peter
If LR designer Gerry McGovern means what he says - that we should drop nostalgia and get traditional customers out of their comfort zones - then we may as well give up immediately because it is precisely those qualities that matter to me. I am expecting a Defender look-alike on the Discovery platform, upgraded interior, superior off-road performance, better engines (more power & torque), perhaps a hybrid, etc. In fact, talking visuals only, you could take the present body and simply stretch it to fit the T5 chassis and I'll be delighted - it would be perfection itself. Point is, if McGovern doesn't understand the legend, he should be replaced with someone who does. I'm waiting to place an order, but if LR gets it wrong, I'm sure Chrysler (Wrangler) or Iveco (Massif) or even MB (Gelaendewagon) will relish my cheque. LR - you've got a responsibility for an ICON, so don't screw it up. Peter Smith.
MegaBlocks
My 2 year old son has this!! It's in my back garden just now full of brightly coloured plastic bricks. It can hurtle down chutes with impunity and ca transport vast quantities of sand from his sand pit to other parts of the garden. It's sturdy, reliable and only cost me £15 if memory serves me right..well done chaps, that's a bargain.
Too Gay to be a Defender!
WTF is that monstrosity - not even close to aping the Defender. Autocar - really??? This looks like it was designed by some gay freak that needs to get out of his CR-V and get into a G55 first.
I thought what Subara did to the Impreza was bad but this takes it to a whole new level.
WTF is up with those rims? You wouldn't want to go up a curb in those!
Why change the current model? Is it really selling that badly?
I thought what Subara did to the Impreza was bad but this takes it to a whole new level.
WTF is up with those rims? You wouldn't want to go up a curb in those!
Why change the current model? Is it really selling that badly?
MegaBlocks
My 2 year old son has this!! It's in my back garden just now full of brightly coloured plastic bricks. It can hurtle down chutes with impunity and ca transport vast quantities of sand from his sand pit to other parts of the garden. It's sturdy, reliable and only cost me £15 if memory serves me right..well done chaps, that's a bargain.
Keep it as-is.
The Defender is in my opinion right up there with Jeep in terms of sticking to a tried and proven design. Its made for going offroading. The Jeep is about the same thing as it was back in WW2. Its not known for being reliable and the ride on the freeway is awful. But it does what it does and does it well. It is an iconic design. So to is the same with the original Defender.
While all the rest of the Land Rover lineup is kind of a hodge-podge of SUV soccer mom grocery-getters with horrific reliability , at least they've kept the Defender- an honest, no-frills offroading machine. I say leave it be.
Harry Webb
Oh goodness; is it 1st April already?! Come on now this must be a joke of somekind. It'll suit over paid footballers but where is the practicality in what you boast is a car to suit the same number of people as the present Defender. It certainly won't suit the same people as the present users. I don't see any complimentary comments in the foregoing and feel this car has been designed by somebody used to playing with a Tonka toy, certainly not anyone with a practical Defender background. Come on Auto Express you can surely do better than this or simply don't bother.
What a waste of time and money
Ye gods and little fishes!
Have you nothing better to do than waste my time following a seemingly sensible link to find this load of old tosh?
Too Gay?
vazirncars - you're a bit out of touch dear, gay guys like their thing to be all butch and rugged... where've you been?
Oh My God
Are you telling us they actually pay you guys for this rubbish. Stick to what your good at and don't insult us with load of junk. If this is the best you can do start looking for new employment.
Oh Dear!
you can not be serious in calling this a 'design study' - please tell me that it's a rather poor joke.
As numbers of your readers have pointed out, the vehicle is/has always been, a workhorse, used by military and those who actually need and use its fine off road capabilities. So, it must be rugged, easily maintained & repairable with minimum facilities - it's a two box shape with strong bumpers F & R, good ground clearance with long travel articulating suspension.
This thing of yours looks like a toy beachbuggy - 0/10 - try again - could do much better.
Hmmm
There's nothing wrong with creating a completely modern vehicle. But what we have here looks like a Nissan Micra Defender.
Completely misses the point!
What we really DO NOT need is another poser Land/Range Rover that is simply going to be charged around the motorways and towns of Britain by ignorant prats going too fast and intimidating people... Which is just what it seems the new Defender is going to become!
I read in Autocar that due to the cost of replacing the model LR need to go from shifting 20k units a year to 50k units a year, and that they felt that getting the additional 30k customers shouldn't be a problem. I completely disagree because they're going to loose the people who are buying the current model.
People buy Defenders because they're simple, reliable, rugged and totally unstoppable! There are little or no complex electronics on the running gear, just good old fashioned durable mechanical engineering.
I imagine this next vehicle is going to be full of all sorts of electrical wizzardry to help you in ice, mud, snow, sand, grass, tarmac etc. But I can tell you from going to Pay & Play off road events that they simply can't match locking differentials, ladder chassis and off road tyres.
I have to say I am distraught that the new car is going to be rubbish, there's no getting away from it. No way on Earth is a monocoque car ever ever going to be as good off road as a ladder type. It's going to bend or snap!
Please please please LR listen to people who are enthusiastic about going off road and not just the rich arrogant idiots who want to pose about with low profile tyres and 24" wheels!!!!! Make this car UNSTOPPABLE and no electronics!!
Just a thought......
Surely when people take this car off road and maybe hit the front a bit it will set off the airbags? USEFUL!!! Can't see the armed forces buying too many of them either with all the electric jiggery in them.
Darrel Dudley
Its about time the defender joined the rest of us in the 21st century, I don't think much of your design but its a step in the right direction
3 words spring to mind.....
BARBIE AND KEN!
Grizzly110
As a current owner of a 90 & 110, i have to say that this is complete waist of time. If you car going to redesign an ICON, you could at least get someone who has a bit of talent. What you have there is rubbish, its nothing, its just another 4x4 eurobox, you could stick any badge on it, but not a DEFENDER.
Dont do it!
FAIL
THIS IS FAIL
ULTIMATE COMPLETE MASS FAILING
FAIL TO DESIGN A LAND ROVER
FAIL TO IMPROVE ON THE DEFENDER
FAIL TO CREATE A VEHICLE THAT DOES WHAT A DEFENDER DOES
FAIL TO DESIGN SOMETHING THAT LOOKS GOOD
FAIL TO DESIGN AN ICON!
look at that that just isnt an icon is it..........
FAIL TO COMMUNICATE WITH ANY ACTUAL HUMAN BEINGS THAT HAVE OWNED DEFENDERS
what do they do with defenders? a hell of a lot of things that that heap is in-capable of doing.
defenders need hard corners to fend off contacts with the extreme environments they work in, the flat sides are fundamental to allow them to pass where that wont. so the shape is important, because it is also what makes it stand out, the defender is different for that people notice it and love it!
i know and have met hundreds of defender owners and this thing would not do what they have their defenders for.
the defender is not just taken for what it is but for what it can be, its is adjustable to the demands of the owner, whatever they may be.
FOR EXAMPLE, HOW CAN YOU SEE A SNORKEL BEING MOUNTED TO THAT POINTLESS 'ARTY' WRAP AROUNG WIND SCREEN? it really does not fit the bill.
p.s. is this some sort of dumb design to through us of the real design, that would make sense of it........
totally missed the point of the vehicle and it looks too fragile
I like to say stick to what you are best at, writing about cars, but that is pushing the truth. Designing cars is clearly something else you do not have a clue about. Not one current defender customer would by that piece of crap. You really are idiots, I'm gob smacked!!!
Why?
Why would anyone want to replace the existing Land Rover Defender? The current Defender is a design icon, something this concept will never be. It also does what many modern 4 wheel drives cannot, it can actually conquer almost any off road environment with absolute ease! I doubt that this concept would be able to conquer some moist grass on a flat field with its stupid alloys and pathetic styling features.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Defender panels
WHY replaceable panels, Toyota don't do them, I think LR should look more to what is working and what wasn't, and judge from that.
Looks, pretty good, better than something stuck in the 40's. Surely praticality and for a change Reliability should be top of the list, and some elbow room for the driver.
Sponsored Results
Company Website | Media Information | Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Subs Info | Voucher Codes | Sitemap
Our Other Websites: The First Post | Custom PC | Evo | IT Pro | MacUser | Men's Fitness | Micro Mart | PC Pro | bit-tech | Know Your Mobile | Octane | Expert Reviews | Channel Pro | Know Your Cell | Know Your Mobile India | iGizmo | Digital SLR Photography | Den of Geek | The Week | Computer Shopper | Dennis Communications | Magazines | Mobile Phone Deals | Competitions
Our Other Websites: The First Post | Custom PC | Evo | IT Pro | MacUser | Men's Fitness | Micro Mart | PC Pro | bit-tech | Know Your Mobile | Octane | Expert Reviews | Channel Pro | Know Your Cell | Know Your Mobile India | iGizmo | Digital SLR Photography | Den of Geek | The Week | Computer Shopper | Dennis Communications | Magazines | Mobile Phone Deals | Competitions
Can't wait. I will have my name on the waiting list.
By 1001720 on 11 March, 2010, 6:33am