Enthusiasts buy new Land rovers too

ENTHUSIASTS buy new Land Rovers too!

IT WAS interesting to read the contribution in the June issue of LRM from Dave Phillips, with his nostalgic reflection on the attraction of older vehicles and their simplicity, and Gary Pusey’s analysis of JLR’S strategy, aimed firmly at the luxury market with ever more elaborate and expensive vehicles.

It made me wonder if it is now appropriate and timely for LRM to cater purely for the enthusiast and Land Rovers up to about 2015, leaving JLR’S esoteric and increasingly unaffordable models, with six-figure price tags, to the mainstream motor magazines.

After all, it could be argued that there may be little to differentiate the ownership ethos of a Mercedes S class or an Audi e-tron GT quattro from a fully equipped Range Rover. Such prestige vehicles are not generally associated with the domain of greenlaning, expeditions through deserts or Diy-fitted modifications.

Nigel Bennett Patrick replies: We would be shooting ourselves in the foot if we did not feature Land Rovers produced after 2015. Our competitor magazine has a new Defender and new Discovery as their main pic on their current cover. We have an old Defender plus several classics. Did you know columnist Gary Pusey has one of the last old-style Defenders as his daily driver? Last week I received an email from a reader in the USA who bought a new Defender after reading my review. She is very happy with her purchase. While new Land Rovers might not be affordable for 99.9 percent of the people on the planet, enthusiasts are still interested in what is being produced at the JLR factories. Most of our content is about pre-2015 Land Rovers so it is aimed at the general Land Rover enthusiast. However I know a few genuine Land Rover enthusiasts who own new Land Rovers and old Land Rovers. I don’t want to discriminate against them. I am comfortable with the balance of content in the magazine.