Recently, I have been focusing on short videos and it feels like I am isolated from the automotive industry. This morning, scrolling through my friends’ moments on WeChat, I found two hot topics: the success of the reality show “Sisters Who Make Waves” and the debut of the new generation Land Rover Defender tonight. Bringing these two topics together, we can discuss whether the sisters would consider buying a Defender.
Let me talk about my first time driving a Defender. It was when I was in college in Nanjing, and I borrowed a friend’s dad’s old car. We drove less than 20 kilometers from the north side of the bridge to the south side. My hands ached and my feet were sore from driving such an old car with basic interior, which was similar to the old Santana that we drove during driving school. However, I felt strangely confident – when I stepped on the accelerator, it was like I owned the world.
This feeling started when I secretly watched TV shows during my high school years and was influenced by a show called “Successful Thinking” by Song Siming. He drove Range Rover and Haizao to promote success theories. It should be a common enlightenment education for many people born in the 80s regarding Land Rover. Later, I searched online and found a magical competition called “Camel Trophy”. This competition was deeply connected with Land Rover, and took place in the harshest and most unsuitable environment for cars on Earth. The competition explored places such as Borneo, Siberia, Mongolia, and the Amazon rainforest.
From that moment on, I knew what a Defender was. It was like this…
[Embedded image of a Defender]
…and also like this…
[Embedded image of a Defender]
After it announced the stop production in 2016, it has become extremely rare to see a Defender on the road. In recent years, whenever I see a Defender on the roadside, I couldn’t resist going over to take a closer look.
Most people who buy Defenders are drawn to the soul of the car, just like how the success of “Sisters Who Make Waves” may interest viewers because it demonstrates how peaceful Ning Jing could dance, how well I-Ning Chou maintains her skin, and how Zhang Yuqi directly confronts the director. Behind these topics, people are also looking for spiritual enrichment. Women in their thirties are learning to be like 20-year-old girls in an idol group.
[Embedded image of the show “Sisters Who Make Waves”]After experiencing a period in their lives and accumulating some wealth, they feel a bit unrestrained, more independent and can live for themselves. These are typical characteristics of Defender owners. The fact that these sisters have become popular indicates that there is a large group of people like them in the city. Perhaps they are new mothers who are changing diapers for their babies; maybe they are middle-aged fathers who are looking for houses in school districts all over the city; or they may be new workplace rookies who work overtime every day to improve their plans. They all have a small flame in their hearts, ready to take off at any time.
Of course, the middle-aged rebellion of these sisters is not rude and crude. They are within the framework of the program and reconciled with universal values, as well as with their surroundings and themselves.
At the beginning of this year, the most common sentence I heard before resigning was: “If your family is not short of money, unmarried, childless, without loans, and not over 30 years old, then you can consider it. If one of them is not met, it is recommended to be cautious and not step wrong.” Unfortunately, I meet all of these conditions. I am 32 years old, with a monthly loan of 20,000 yuan, married for 6 years, and a baby of 1 year old.
Just like artistic youth resign to open flower shops, cafes, and youth hostels, I resigned according to my mood, which is not cheap. Therefore, I need to set a time limit, such as if I can’t do it, I have to go back to find a job again. I have also set a time limit for myself.
I like the word “reconciliation”. The small flame in my heart burns from time to time, but I must control the heat.
If the fire is too small, I’ll feel suffocated. If it’s too big, it will be easy to overturn.
When the fire is just right and I have a certain economic ability, I may become an owner of Defender.
Some people criticize that the design of the new generation of Defender is not rugged enough and the non-bearing body has been abandoned, so it seems to have lost its soul all at once.
Indeed, this is the reconciliation of Land Rover: the new generation of Defender belongs to the city after all.
Having said that, if someone gives me an old Defender belonging to my classmate’s father, it would be soulful enough, but the interior design and driving experience like the Peugeot 405 cannot be accepted now.
Finally, you may ask, how to choose among Wrangler, Defender, and G-Class?When considering the budget, the attributes of these three cars are similar but with a considerable price difference. If you consider cost-effectiveness, then we advise you not to buy them. The price of the new Defender is yet to be released, but the last batch of Defenders sold in 2018 before they stopped production had a price close to 1.1 million.
Just like the Porsche 911, if you add all the options to a new car, it will cost nearly 2 million, and those who think it’s worth the price will feel it’s worth it while others may just think it’s so-so.
If the budget is not a problem, it’s simple, just ask yourself if you like it or not.
If it were up to me, I would choose the Defender because it is more niche and unique.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.