Tell an LR4 guy how to love that Defender rear door?

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bbyer

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I am hoping that is a few years when or if LR comes out with a 130 Defender, that the spare tyre will be somewhere other than on the door - not the bonnet either, but that is tradition.

Without the door mounted spare, a 130 would be no longer than a 110 and the rear door less bulky and heavy.
 

toddjb122

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I bet this’ll be a refit for the 2022 models
That would be awesome. Buy the Defender, but get a tailgate/liftgate like the LR3/4 installed.


Does the Defender rear window power down into the door? That would at least be one saving grace allowing you access without opening the gate.
 

bbyer

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The side hinged door is either tradition or cheaper - you choose which.

Rear hatch windows sliding down into the sheet metal below costs money; same as having the glass hinge upwards off the hinged door.

Our LR 3/4 tailgate is something now only found on the FFRR which costs real money and might yet still even have a frame.

Before I would get too excited about the rear hatch opening, the car like unit body no frame thing bothers me even more.
 

Jimmy Brooks

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Love the split tailgate but the rear swing door is. Try iconic and it’s less to go wrong with the Mechanism, plus the spare on the back is better for off-roading vs under the car.
 

bbyer

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Love the split tailgate but the rear swing door is. Try iconic and it’s less to go wrong with the Mechanism, plus the spare on the back is better for off-roading vs under the car.
Yes, correct but the first purchaser is going to be like the LR3/4's, soccer Moms as a grocery getter. This is the same group that put electric lifts on the rear hatches of Tahoe's and electric sliders on the Minivans.

The fact the AAA guy might have to unload the groceries to get at the spare does not matter.

The RAV4's used to have a rear door mounted spare, now, not!

https://www.toyota.ca/toyota/en/vehicles/rav4/models#/explore/trail
 

TheWidup

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Lol.

Face it. The new Bronco is going to be what we wish the Defender was.

I'm going to go pat my LR4 lovingly and tell her to rest easy; that no god-awful unibodied side swinging abomination will ever replace her.
Says the guy that built an awesome sleeping platform that I was even brave enough to show my wife. She’s intrigued. She was also very upset that the defender (which has been discussed as my future ride) would have a swing out door. They can do better. Let’s hope the 130 gets us back to normalcy.
 

npollardtx

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I have 2 Great Pyrenees mixes each hovering around 100 lbs, one pushes 115. When I open the rear hatch, having the lower tail gate still up keeps them in the back until I can grab their leads. Having 215# rushing at me is NOT something I'm looking forward to now that the tailgate is a thing of the past. I'm on the list for the new Defender when it comes in to add to our fleet and we'll probably keep the LR4 as "The Dog Truck."
 

PaulLR3

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I agree, that lower hatch also prevents our yellow lab from charging like a fullback when we open the top part.

I'm wondering the same thing...what if I don't like the new Defender's tailgate, less luxurious interior, dashboard layout, rear leg room, rear cargo room, etc. Then I guess I keep my LR4 for offroad duty and add something else to the motor pool like a V8 RRS or Cayenne or SQ7 or A6 allroad now that it's back. I loved my 2002 and 2004 allroads and they made carrying bikes and a roof box so much easier.
 

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