Well hullo - it's a Landrover Defender we're talking about here, not an Audi A8. A car that can be fixed with a hammer in the field, not one that has to be hooked up to a computer in a laboratory by someone in a white coat just to change a headlight bulb. Am sure a few uneven / wider than average panel gaps wont matter.

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www.overlandcruiser.wordpress.com

If you believe wikipedia

The Defender is to be replaced by the Ocelot with the MOD ordering 200 of them.

Interesting, but the Snatch (the VPK) is just one variant of the LR family in the UK forces and it is a pretty specialist one at that and it must have had a very small production run. it has been heavily criticised and is often not considered to be fit for purpose; but that has been the furore over their use in Afghanistan whereby, IMO, they were put to use in tasks for which they were never designed.
Wiki is pretty much up on that aspect if anyone wants to follow the links.
Snatch Land Rover - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The snatch is as much a pig to drive as the LR ambulance conversion; the LR fire-engine fit is probably also a pig (I haven't driven one of those) but at least it doesn't have to go very far; just around a few airfields on fairly smooth bitumen.

Despite these new specialist vehicles, such as the Ocelot, coming into service, the army will still need a general purpose run-around LR type of vehicle; such as the Wolf.

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Dave

The army already has a lot of wolfs, I would be surprised if any more were to be bought as everything is getting bigger and heavier.

As an example Fitted for radio Wolfs have had to have a large rear anti roll damper fitted to overcome the weight of the radio fit; they are also are running rear tyres at 60psi, both of which have not helped off road grip.

LR are too small to allow modular up armouring to current required standards. Future military vehs are likely to be bigger than current models to allow such up armouring, even if thats not needed to run to and from the chippy when not deployed.

The old 110 were rated for 10 soldiers, driver, comdar and 8 in the back.
Most Wolf ar rated at a maximum of 6, based on seatbelt fit in the rear.

A fited for radio wolf is 3, driver comd and 1x signaller provideing that personal equipment is stored in a trailer.

The good news is that there may well be some for sale....

Hitler Reacts to Land Rover DC100 Announcement - YouTube

After years of avoiding Land Rovers because of the dodgy build quality and unreliability I bought a new Defender eight weeks ago. Very pleased with it so far, build quality is'nt as good as the Ford and Jeep 4x4's I've used in the past (for my business, up in the dales) but it is robust and definately fit for purpose. The Ford diesel "Puma" motor is returning about 31mpg so it's doing better than the LWB Wrangler I've just traded in.
I think that, if Land Rover and their new masters, can produce a new Defender that resembles an old Defender, is still fit for purpose i.e. work and is reliable and cheap to run then they'll be onto a winner.
If they make a new Defender that just looks like a cheaper Freelander, D4 or RRS (like the press-release photo) then they won't be bought as working vehicles. Not by me anyway. If anyone wants to buy something like that just to ride around town, fine, let them get on with it. It's their money.

p.s. speaking of reliability, I've just sold the uber-reliable GS12 and bought a new Ducati M1100evo, am I feckin' bonkers?

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Think you misread my post there buddy

If anyone else built Defenders and get the gaps right, 90's will become 88's again

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Utter rubbish.
the modern defender is full of electronics, and electronics and landrover are not too words that sit too well together. And you do need a computer to fix many of the problems on the newer defenders, and this proposed one will be even worse.

whilst not defenders my mums TD5 disco sat uselessley in the drive because some muppet routed the electrics through the highly noxious environment of the rocker box, and as you mention headlights, what about the brand new range rover on the landrover stand at a show that wouldn't start because water in the headlight caused a short which shut down the computer. took the land rover technician 45 minutes with his computer to solve that one. And what will you do when the immobiliser on your defender fails, as happened to some poor chap in China in his rangie who then had to trailer it several thousand miles to a dealer to get it fixed.

Thats why I run an old truck with no electronics. I wouldn't touch any newer 4x4 for an expedition, least of all a defender, and thats from someone who has owned several landrovers, has the T shirt and the hat!!

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1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014

Your not allowed to carry soldiers in the backs of landrovers anymore under most cicumstances (war fighting excepted). the military have also stated that they want a common manufacturer for all it's weights of GP vehicles. to my knowledge only Ford and Mercedes (AKA unimog) can do that.

The snatch was fit for purpose. the problem was some idiot then put it into a role it was never designed for in an environment it wasn't designed for, because some other idiot hadn't spotted what everyone else had, that the most likely theatre of war for the last 30 years has ben the desert.

The 101 ambie was a pretty good tool. I took one round the hill rally course for several years doing med cover. I also took a wolf version and it was dire, much prefered the 101. the ambie body is just too heavy for the landrover. The Wolf ambie was also never fit for purpose as delivered because the original design brief was wrong. In reality it probably still isn't.

IMHO unimog is they way to go for soft skinned ambies, for armoured, well, how about one like the danish army have (see below)!!

The hummers are pretty rubbish IMHO. they were built by comittee and have a lot of compromises. they are too large and unweildy and I have seen them stuck in places than landies sail through. the ambulance versions developed severe stress cracks around their bodywork.

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1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014

Moggy - oh my goodness me. I hope I didn't disturb your sleep last night
http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/as...oninternet.jpg

Seriously though - I agree 100% re electronics - a bloody nuisance. I was referring to the mechanical side of things.

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www.overlandcruiser.wordpress.com

great cartoon, spookilly close to the truth. still haven't found that camera in my office!!

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1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014