It’s not my cup of tea at all. It’s just another gadget laden, overpriced, image led SUV that’ll rarely see anything more challenging than Tesco’s carpark. It certainly won’t be seen still earning its keep on farms at 20yrs old like the original.

Yes. I don't mind all that nonsense so much, but they do clog up the roads for the rest of us with prolecars.

Twice now (Autocar and Car magazines) I’ve read essentially the same road test including the new Defender. Pitted against two other ‘hardcore’ 4x4’s, the Merc G Class (G Wagon) and Jeep Wrangler. Both tests gave the victory to the Defender, which is no real surprise, neither of them mentioned the poor reliability (also no surprise).

I think I know who the new Defender is aimed at and (yet again, no surprise), it certainly isn’t the person who needs a hardcore working 4x4. All the electronics and gizmos, what use are they going to be to a farmer once they start playing up past the expiry of the warranty?.

Years ago I had a VHS video(!), the subject of which was the LR’s 40th anniversary. One owner commented that there was nothing on a LR that couldn’t be fixed with a big hammer and a length of baler twine!. And while the Jeep Wrangler has certainly passed beyond that stage of basic engineering, it is still very much an ‘analogue’ 4x4. Live axles on both ends, the different gearbox ratios being engaged by a lever. LR already cater for buyers who want comfort and refinement, so I’m not really sure why they felt the need to go in this direction with what is for many, an icon.

This brings me back to who the new Defender is aimed at. I have a customer with a Defender, it is black, has all the bars and roof racks, has the aggressive off road tyres on polished aftermarket alloys. Oh, and it is always immaculately clean. This, I suspect, is who it is aimed at, someone who likes the image of such a car, but wants it to drive like a modern SUV, and is unlikely to ever go further off road than an overspill car park in a field!.

Each to their own and all that, but to me, there is nothing more tragic than a Defender like the one my customer owns!. It should ideally be in military colours, but it definitely needs to look suitably rough and ready. It should have bashes and scrapes on the bodywork, which it wears with pride. And under no circumstances should it ever be polished, the cleaning regime limited to hosing mud off the underside and a rudimentary going over of the bodywork using an old sweeping brush in a bucket of water.

Back to the road tests, and the G Class has very much kept the appearance of the old car (under the skin it has nothing in common with the old version). I do like the looks of it, and am glad they have not messed with the that, but I don’t like the interior, which is way too bling for my taste, and of course the price is ludicrous (though it is essentially hand built). I do like the Jeep though, it may be a bit crude on road, the interior quality is nothing to write home about, but it is an appealing car nonetheless. And bottom line is that I’d sooner have a Wrangler over the new Defender.

Of course, if I didn’t need the space, I’d have a Jimmy before the Wrangler any day of the week..............!

And I still find myself occasionally looking at Lada Niva’s (both new and used) on various websites showing cars for sale in other countries!.