Each to their own, I say

I’VE been reading the new versus old Defender arguments with interest and amusement. “Interest” because it is a fascinating subject for any Land Rover enthusiast and “amusement” because it puts a smile on my face. After all, both sides of the argument are right.

“How can that be?” I hear you ask. Easy! Please allow me to explain…

Those who say the new Defender is nothing like the old one are entirely correct. If classic vehicles with a simplicity bordering on austere are your thing, you are right to dislike the newcomer.

It is everything the old one isn’t – and that’s why fans of the new model are also correct. They argue that its sophisticated new electronics and computers make it truly a vehicle of the future – and they’re right again.

What I would like all enthusiasts of the green oval - young or old, rich r poor, traditionalist or new wave – to consider is that we all share a love of Land Rovers. Yes, even the overpaid Premiership footballer with his blinged-up Range Rover Sport is by definition an enthusiast, because he loves his car. It may be a passing fad, and he’s unlikely to join the local Land Rover club and go trialling at weekends, but he gets pleasure out of his Land Rover, which is what we all do.

At the risk of sounding like Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela, I’d like to urge all Land Rover owners to be a bit more tolerant of others. We’ve all got in common is our shared enjoyment in Land Rovers.

The Land Rover movement is a very broad church. That’s because it has produced such a vast array of vehicles with amazing capabilities. There aren’t many automotive companies that can boast a 70-plus years of history in which it has built vehicles that plough fields, fight fires, explore jungles, climb mountains, transport the Royal Family, be the luxury vehicle of choice for the very rich or be converted into an off-road special. With a few mods you can race and rally them, too.

I’m sure you get my drift. A common saying here in the Netherlands ise: “Were everyone to sweep in front of his own house, every street would be clean”. Or, as the English say, keep your own house in order before you criticise others.

As a Brit living in Holland, I just say: each to their own – please be tolerant and thankful that you live in a nation with so many people who love Land Rovers.

Jim Barrie Rotterdam (ex-newcastle)