Looking to be quite nice but not to keen on the loss of the FL2's roofline

The DS is not doing much for me at all. Far too much (life-) style and far too little (4x4) substance. Oh, I dare say it will be as good as the FL off-road, but it comes with far too much baggage. (Literally - "Detachable, carry-away stroller-style luggage is seamlessly integrated into the vehicle doors"! Surely everyone knows that doors are for storing coffee cups, water bottles, maps, etc, not luggage - that goes in the boot!). And as for "Wood veneer on the floors and instrument panel and bespoke accessories lined in Harris Tweed" - why on earth would I want wood veneer on the floor, or Harris tweed anything?! They're losing the plot - but I dare say the lifestyle crowd will flock to the dealers with their wallets in hand and make LR's Indian owners yet more money.

Even as regards the 4x4 side things are not looking good. We can be pretty sure that the DS will have Active Driveline, or something very like it, making it part time 4wd solely in the interests of fuel consumption. A 4x4 should have a diff in the middle - one clutch a la FL is bad enough, but three clutches to disconnect the entire rear drivetrain is a travesty, and more to go wrong.

I'm pinning my hopes now on the Defender replacement to retain at least some of LR's traditional values, but somehow I think I'm going to be disappointed. I think I'll be keeping the FL for quite some time yet.

With the extra seating, there's not going to be any room for a proper spare wheel.

EYorkshire wrote:

Looking to be quite nice but not to keen on the loss of the FL2's roofline

pab wrote:

but I dare say the lifestyle crowd will flock to the dealers with their wallets in hand and make LR's Indian owners yet more money.

But let us not forget that the above will also help to secure the existing work force on Merseyside and the West Midlands fully employed here in the UK; and with further expansion into new global markets comes the real potential for yet more new full time jobs to be created at all Land Rover sites and third party component suppliers. That's good for the UK's economy as a whole.

Sure it's good for the economy, but I remain unconvinced they couldn't have done just as well by using Range Rover to address the lifestyle end of the market (a 7-seat Evoque would cover the lifestyle end of the DS market) whilst leaving Land Rover products to address the more practical end. IF the Defender replacenent comes in as a 'proper' 4x4 then it's not quite so bad, but the noises coming out of LR suggest that it's going to be yet another lifestyle vehicle, leaving not a single real 4x4 in the lineup. Whilst that might not be so bad financially for LR it's a real shame given their heritage.

Pab
The existing D4 is part of the "lifestyle" you comment on and therefore, as LR have decided to put the Discovery badge on the bonnet of the replacement for the Freelander it comes as no surprise that the DS will be targeted primarily at that same lifestyle market.

Whilst this maybe disappointing news for some existing Freelander owners I am sure that there will be a large community of current FL1&2 drivers (and those currently driving medium sized Asian, German and American SUV's) that will warmly welcome the enhanced comfort and versatility of the latest addition to the Discovery family.

For those of us (myself included) who desire a more robust vehicle inside and out we await the arrival of the replacement for the current Defender. I am sure LR will not disappoint because there is a huge and highly profitable market out there globally that presently is predominantly served by the Asian manufacturers. It's about time that LR, having surrendered that honey pot, went on the offensive and regained the high ground.

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... replacement for the current Defender. I am sure LR will not disappoint ...

We do indeed live in hope - for there's no alternative that I would want to buy - and to buy a new last-of-the-line current Defender is not an option I would consider. Hope springs eternal

Halewood have replied to me, I asked the question as to when we can arrange a forum meet and visit the factory when the new car is going down the line, my plan is to get is in there as some of the first 'visitors' to see the new car in production.
At this moment they won't say when the date will be, factory tours are still taking place and we can go anytime, they did say that work is taking place within the factory on new lines and much is out of the public gaze. From the last visit we saw that 'new' areas were being put into place.
I will keep in contact regularly with them and let you all know when the date will be, I imagine that it will be a well subscribed meet, so keep an eye out for the sign up, I already have half a dozen or so names.
Its looking likely that it will be early in the New Year as they think before that time, cars may be built but they couldn't guarantee that we would see them which would mean a wasted trip. The plan hopefully will be also to have a demo drive in the new car.

Watch this space...

I'm interested Paul.....keep us posted  Foraging near Gaydon....
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MY13 HSE Lux SD4, Baltic Blue - current, 30,000> miles without fault
MY12 HSE 2.2 SD4, Sumatra Black - gone after 10 months/43,000 fault-free miles

athelstan wrote:

... there's no alternative that I would want to buy ...

I agree that there are no alternatives. I really like the looks and features of the LR2 but lack of a dealer nearby is preventing me from making a purchase.
If I ever do get brave enough to purchase a Land Rover I fear that the replacement will be just another ugly egg shaped SUV like all the rest of them. I think they should all be collected together and labelled as mini-vans and then start over with some proper SUV designs.
My only other alternative is the Toyota 4 Runner and I have driven it and liked it a lot. It is however very large and lack of all wheel drive or full time 4 wheel drive on the lower priced models is not acceptable to me with our winters in Northern Ontario. My wife will be driving it and switching between 4 wheel drive and rear wheel drive depending on snow conditions is out of the question. The 4 Runner is very reliable so that makes it easier to consider.
I find the new Ford Escape in North America absolutely hideous.
The Audi Q5 is a little too showy and I don't see it looking comfortable with a canoe and bicycles strapped to it.
My wife refuses to drive a Subaru, I won't get into why.

Quote:

I really like the looks and features of the LR2 but lack of a dealer nearby is preventing me from making a purchase.

Quote:

... 4 Runner ... lack of all wheel drive or full time 4 wheel drive on the lower priced models

Quote:

My wife refuses to drive a Subaru.

Yeah I probably should go for it. We prefer to buy new and time is running out as the 2015 models will not be around for long. I suppose if there are problems I could just try to repair them myself and pay for parts.
I don't expect the Discovery Sport to be as nice looking as the LR2.
The Trail Edition 4 Runner is nice but it also doesn't have full time 4 wheel drive. You have to move up to the not so nice looking Limited Edition. $10K over the base model.