The demise of the Defender

Fashion, PCP and transient commitment to a marque/brand - and what's wrong with pink trousers or for that matter red corduroys?

One thing is for sure - The Repo Man loves JLR products! Note to @lightning - there's very good business in repo'd JLR products and then financial 'recycling' to poorer but aspirational new 'customers'.

Nothing actually wrong with the new "Defender" in my opinion, other than it's no longer true to the work biased origin of the original.
It's just another JLR luxury offering that is, to be fair, the place they make the most money. 
It's too expensive and complex for me to be a customer, just like many other 4x4s on the market.
Not everyone purchases this type of vehicle just to go "let's off road", so it's a bit unfair picking on the look of a vehicle just because it does not fit into our expected use envelope.
Don't believe the G4 has gone off track in the same way, it's still true to its simple roots. Unfortunately it's currently overpriced, but not by design this time, just unforeseen market forces. 
So unfortunately the true Defender has long gone and will be missed, may it RIP.

Interesting video on the new defender - a Jimny Comparison at the end. (at about 19 minutes in.....)

Coming from someone with a lot of 4x4 and overlanding experience.

I always liked the basic look of the defender, but not much else. It looses out on reliability, build quality, which is all part of reliability and me fitting in it.
The guys comments about sizing up the Jimny are spot on but irrelevant.
Land Rover do not want a workhorse vehicle, they want the ultimate Chelsea Tractor because that's where the money is. The new Defender will gets it's tyres dirty at Burghley Horse Trials and darling daughters gymkhana events and little else.
As to farmers, builders and the utility companies, it's going to be, if it hasn't already gone, the pick up truck, so beloved of our yankee cousins.
That leaves the armed forces and they will probably go with pick ups or the latest version of the HUMVEE. Certainly they wont want anything that LR would offer them.
LR Defender R.I.P.

Roger

Groenewald wrote: Interesting video on the new defender - a Jimny Comparison at the end. (at about 19 minutes in.....)

Coming from someone with a lot of 4x4 and overlanding experience.

I enjoyed watching that, you can tell he is very passionate about it.

Watched one of his earlier videos, he explains that he's no longer invited to LR vehicle launches because he gave an honest appraisal of whichever vehicle it was he tested. As he says, they flew him and his wife to Africa, all expenses paid, put up in luxury tents and all free food and drink, entertainment laid on. Hard to give a bad review after all that, especially if you don't get invited again!