Went my local dealers today to see the velar , great looking car , especially from the front , very imposing. The 3 digital dash also look fantastic.
Got talking to the LR rep chat , talk got around to the freelander v DS & the D5 v D4 saying how disappointed people on here with the DS & the looks of the D5 .. he said .. "wait a couple of years until the new defender comes out , very much like the D4 you won't be disappointed " . Do it now ! Your a long time dead !!

Though I would imagine that he's no more seen it than we have Mind you. "A couple of years" will mean that LR have engineered a 3 1/2 year delay in launching the replacement. Just how long did they leave it before starting the project? Surely, it can't have come as a huge surprise? I imagine that filling the wafer thin gap between the RRS and the DS/Evoque was seen as a priority before launching the single most important car for maintaining/restoring the credibility of the LR brand.

However, it may delay some people from migrating to another brand for some of inordinate amount of time it's taking to bring it to market!

I think Land Rover are playing a VERY dangerous game by delaying the replacement of the Defender - or as is more likely - NOT replacing the Defender at all. As soon as the UK MOD start to buy in another brand to replace their Defenders there will be no turning back for them and LR will lose not just the UK MOD but many other countries as well. Whilst the current management clearly seem to fail to understand that they are living on the reputation of LRs over the past decades such reputations only last so long and LR will become just another producer of bland and boring yuppie/pimp mobiles. I personally think most people who are buying the current bland LRs simply look at their cars as a fashion statement and we all know how quickly fashions change and manufacturers can be left speaking to receivers!!

I think the MoD is very unlikely to buy Land Rovers anyway. Increasingly the military have to move towards NATO standard designs - I suspect there will be a purpose-built design, and my bet would be on someone like Steyr-Puch to build it. Ex AA Series III LWB Safari - Gone
300TDi Disco (bought new - terrible car) sent back after 18 months
Freelander 1 Estate - leased, given back at end of lease
200TDi Disco (bought from a mate with 100,000 on the clock) - Gone
Disco 2 TD5 - sold and exported to France
FR2 TD4 GS - Gone
FR2 SD4 HSE - Now changed for a DS
New model ex-demo Evoque S 180 in white
Unable to order a new DS, so gave up. Now have a Volvo S90 Recharge.

For the last few years the MOD has had a contract with a company near Grantham (not Witham SV) to repair/refurbish the Wolf fleet of Land Rover Defenders.

The company has first shout on all written off or damaged Land Rovers from the MOD and they are stripped to component level, all useable parts cleaned and restored then put on shelves.

When a LR is damaged or needs a new diff or whatever, it goes to this company who take the refurbed parts off the shelf and put the damaged one back on the road looking like new.

so basically there are a hell of a lot of Cat D/Cat C MOD Defenders currently on fleet.

Servicing of them and fleet management has long been outsourced to RAC fleet management, although servicing has been done in REME workshops on site.

Once all the spares have been exhausted and the time serviced MOD/LR contract is finished then the UK MOD will cease to buy LR.

Ive not heard anything about the possible replacement for UK MOD Defenders but given that the knackered Bedford/DAF fleet was replaced by MAN trucks on the whole, then I wouldn't be surprised if it is Mercedes G wagon (Mil spec has been around for years) or Steyr (the Pinzgauer have been used by UK MOD for years too)

MOD motors ? Depends on the size of the bung and who gets it.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/mark-tha...41851.html FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

Please excuse my ignorance here - but just what is Velar supposed to represent? By which I mean where does it fit into the existing (and to my mind, already rather overcrowded) JLR lineup.
Or am I, as usual, missing something?
Cheers I've decided to stop being a good example and will now just be a terrible warning.....
2008 TD4HSE - gone but much loved.
2014MY SD4 Metropolis - very much loved.

in between the Ewok and the RRS apparently, and there is meant to be a stretched Evoque coming out in the next couple of years too to add to the line up

Evoque - RRV - RRS - FFRR

Disco sport - disco

then there is the usual Defender possible replacement and also seen a hint of a Freelander replacement for the sub 30k SUV market.

Went to the big Cereals 2017 event near Lincoln this week. Big professional event for the arable farming community. Car park was full of Pickups like L200. Hilux, Navara and a few RR, DS, Freelanders but in the show there was no Land Rover presence at all but if you wanted an ISUZU pickup or similar, plenty of choice. This market is clearly of no interest to JLR. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

The new Defender will have many body styles available like before. JLR stated that they will also focusing on more pick up variants. Hopefully they deliver what they promise. MY14 Kahn Converted Dynamic - Fuji White Ebony/Pimento Interior
MY15 Xenon Headlight Conversion

MY17 RRS SVR - Estoril Blue Cirrus/Ebony 🪣💺’s

The Velar should be made available in a 3 door variant! It has nothing in common with the original classic Range Rover.

I think they should have kept the velar name for when or if LR ever rever back to the traditional box shape. Strong if but you never know  MY14 Kahn Converted Dynamic - Fuji White Ebony/Pimento Interior
MY15 Xenon Headlight Conversion

MY17 RRS SVR - Estoril Blue Cirrus/Ebony 🪣💺’s

I hope so too Nut. Won't get me into the DS or a Ewock after this motor. So a new Defender / Freelander has to be the dogs or it will be goodbye. FL2 MY10 TD4 GS traded in at 2 years
FL2 MY13 TD4 GS Current

The Velar is basically the Jaguar F-Pace in a Range Rover skin - having developed the platform why not sell it twice? There are a few differences (Velar has slightly more off-road-capable suspension and the option of air suspension, additional Land Rover technologies such as optional Terrain Response 2, a different interior, etc), but they're basically the same car.

LR say that it's the most car-like LR to date, and is aimed at a new market segment.

my next LR/RR would preferably be an Evoque Si4 3 Door dynamic. Purely because its suits my needs the best. (SD4 possibly depending on how the diesel witch hunt progresses) I like the Evoque having had one.

Although I have seen a 55 plate Defender 90 XS with 66k on the clock at a local Jaguar dealer for 16k......

Thanks for that, but it might be better if they look after their ‘old’ market sectors and bring in Defender and FL2 replacements ASAP at the lower-priced end market. Just saying... I've decided to stop being a good example and will now just be a terrible warning.....
2008 TD4HSE - gone but much loved.
2014MY SD4 Metropolis - very much loved.