Defender set to march into town
Defender set to march into town
By John Aglionby
LAND ROVER is going to launch its Defender in Indonesia in the
first half of next year, according to a source within the
automotive industry.
The source, who asked for anonymity, said: "Land Rover is
looking to import its Defenders some time in the first semester
of next year. However no date has been fixed."
He added that they would be imported in completely knockdown
form and then assembled here. Few of the parts would be made
locally.
There are already about 100 Land Rovers -- both the Defender
and Discovery varieties -- and Range Rovers in Indonesia.
They are not available to the general public, however, and
many of them are owned by members of the Armed Forces.
Another industry source said that Land Rovers would probably
be priced at least Rp 150 million (US$61,500), and that,
certainly to begin with, only the hardtops would be available
here.
Primarily used as agricultural vehicles in the West, the
second source said he thought Land Rover would target companies
and agencies that have projects in Indonesia's less accessible
areas.
"However, I'm sure a lot of people who never need to use half
of a Defender's features will buy it as it is a very reliable,
albeit expensive, vehicle with room for almost a dozen
Indonesians."
The British company, part of the Rover Group that was taken
over by Germany's BMW, is also setting up a regional office in
Kuala Lumpur.
This is expected to be operational in a few months.
Defenders, which were launched on the British market five
years ago, are equally capable of cruising down a freeway at 150
km/h as they are in low-ratio, four-wheel drive plowing through
terrain that few other similar vehicles can contemplate crossing.
Because they are designed for off-road use, the front seats
are some of the most comfortable on the market, able to cushion
driver and front-seat passengers against any unexpected knocks
and bumps.
In other markets the Defender is available with a 2.5-liter
four-cylinder turbo-charged intercooled diesel and a V8 engine.
It has front disc brakes and rear drums.
The diesel develops 83kW at 4000rpm and torque of 265Nm at
1800rpm.
It is considered a good workhorse and is used by mining
companies, farmers and people looking to haul heavy loads.
The Defender is particularly strongly built.
Its massive steel box-section chassis is mated to a light,
rustproof aluminum alloy body, which gives a lower center of
gravity for off-road stability and unrivaled durability.
The Defender can carry more than 1,300 kilograms and tow up to
four tonnes. It has a ground clearance of 190mm.
The suspension allows generous vertical wheel travel of 218mm
at the front and 228mm at the rear. This enables excellent axle
articulation, thus maximizing traction in particularly rough off-
road conditions.
It has permanent four-wheel drive with long travel coil
springs and generous ground clearance to maximize traction over
the most difficult terrain.
To minimize the noise, vibration and harshness often
experienced with rugged four-wheel drives the body is mounted to
the chassis on 10 separate rubber mounted points.
These rubber mounts act to dampen vibration between the
chassis and body, which in turn reduces the level of noise and
vibration to the passenger compartment.
Both the Defender and Range Rover use well-proven beam axles
both front and rear.
All moving parts, including the constant velocity joints in
the front axle, are housed within the axle casing and are
therefore protected, unlike the open drive shafts of independent
front suspension vehicles, from impact by stones and other
debris.