Bristolian said:
Hold on. Fracster is actually pretty well on the money with his assessment of the Defender. It is cramped and uncomfortable. It is badly made and lacking in modern conveniences - like wipers and a heater that actually do what they're supposed to do. Oh, and it's way over-priced too. It's only saving grace is that it's (probably) the best out-of-the-box off-road vehicle of it's type.
And before you hop on that high horse again there's nothing in the paragraph above that I haven't said to members of several Land Rover clubs and the PR team at Land Rover on more than one ocassion.
In fairness I did not say fracster was incorrect. This thread was started by a Landrover enthusiast who obviously likes the marque, as a lot of other people do and his comment seemed to me to be insensitive and downright rude, which was my point. His flippant response was further proof of his lack of respect.
That said, he and you are wrong, at least in my opinion. I have had many Landrovers over the years, I grew up around them and I have also had other 4x4's so any comparisons I make are qualified. I also work for an engineering company (unrelated to vehicles but what I am intimating is that I have mechanical engineering knowledge).
The fact is, when you speak of Landrovers like Fracster (and you) has, you are making the fundamental mistake of thinking a Landrover is a car - it is not, it never has been and it never will be (I am speaking of Series and Defenders, not Range Rovers, Discoveries or Freelanders etc). It has been designed and built for a specific purpose and further developed over many years doing what it was meant to do. It does what it is supposed to do very well, and for what it was designed to do there is no other vehicle on the planet to match it overall. I personally am very comfortable in Landrovers, I fit with adequate room (I'm 6' tall, hardly small) and of all the vehicles I've owned the Landrover is the most reliable one I've ever had. It isn't supposed to have all the mod cons - those things break easily and don't stand up to the punishment that Landrovers can take in the field. They also add weight and cost, both of which aren't wanted. When things do break they are designed to be easily repaired unlike anything else out there.
If what you said were true I doubt very much 70% of ALL Landrovers ever built would still be on the road (many of which are working). You cannot say that about the competition.
And before you hop on your high horse again, please realise you might not know all the facts and someone else probably does. I'm currently restoring a Landrover that's nearly fifty years old and I know every nut and bolt. I doubt there will be many working examples of modern 'softroaders' about in fifty years.
Anyway, as I said before my point was not about the comfort, reliability or ability of Landrovers, I was suggesting a bit of respect for another man's interests might not go amiss.