The next Defender

Here's the 2015 Land Rover Defender – or something quite close to it. 4wdNewz is the first medium in New Zealand to publish photos of the DC100 concept to be shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show starting Sept 13. Land Rover's head designer, Gerry McGovern, said of the DC100, "replacing the iconic Defender is one of the biggest challenges in the automotive design world; it is a car that inspires people worldwide.  This isn't a production-ready concept but the beginning of a four-year journey to design a relevant Defender for the 21st century." Despite that, the DC100's lines are likely to be similar to those of the final vehicle. The company now plans to "engage with existing and potential customers to help finalise the details of the new vehicle." No word on engines, suspension or platform.


UPDATE: If this posting interests you, have a look here. And check the comments (below) for Duncan Munro's well reasoned view on why this is not, and never will be, a Defender.


And some computer generated photos following the concept's Frankfurt unveiling. The "sports car" version is sort-of interesting.

Mazda sets date for BT-50

Mazda will launch its BT-50 ute to the media near Taupo Nov 1-2, nearly six weeks after is kissin-cousin, the Ford Ranger. It will be on general sale about the same time.

At a premium

They say that taxi drivers and hairdressers know everything, so on the basis of a conversation with a Corporate Cabs driver taking me to the airport, and bolstered by some 20c/litre supermarket discounts, I've been fuelling the Jeep's V6 with premium. The taxi driver, who claimed to keep detailed records, said his Caprice got much improved mileage using premium and that the savings more than paid for its extra cost. I've had a couple of tanks-worth through my thirsty 3.8 litre and, doing the same mix of driving I did on 91 octane, seem to be getting around one litre per 100km better. I'll stay with it for a few more tanks-full and work out the overall improvement and whether it has been cost-effective. And no, I haven't noticed any improvements in power or smoothness.

Comments invited from readers who have been down the same path, with any make or model.


UPDATE: My test was flawed as it wasn't possible to replicate the driving I did using 91 octane. But after doing similar driving on several tanks of BP 98 I'm thinking there has been a small improvement, but certainly less than one litre per 100km and not worth the extra cost. That doesn't mean that your engine won't provide better economy on premium. I noticed no improvement in performance or smoothness, although others report quite differently (see comments, below).