“Fish is what I want, and bear’s paw is what I want. You can’t have both.” From “Mencius·Gaozi 1”, expressing the ambivalence that you like two things at the same time and can only choose one. For those who love off-roading and RV camping, they also face such a choice. Is there a perfect solution to this problem?
In cities built of reinforced concrete, “escape from the city” has become the mainstream idea today, and there are quite a lot of people who choose off-road vehicles. Every holiday, Laozhanggou, Kubuqi and other places gather a lot of off-road vehicles like Wrangler, Niutou (Toyota), Land Rover, etc., come here to enjoy the fun of off-road. It is the ultimate dream of these off-road enthusiasts to travel through uninhabited areas such as Lop Nur and Qiangtang. If you add one small requirement to this dream, many people will choose to improve the standard of food and accommodation. A Land Rover “Guardian RV” that can go off-road without reducing the quality of life came into being.
Guardian and Princess
Defender, an old Jeep model owned by Landrover. It was also the first Land Rover designed by the Wells brothers in 1948. It is widely used by the British army because of its solidity, reliability and excellent off-road performance. Because of this “military” experience, the Land Rover Defender has a tough appearance, extremely tough off-road performance, and rich safety configurations. However, the Land Rover Defender also has obvious problems. Both the appearance and the interior are relatively rough, the space is not particularly large, and the sound insulation effect is average, and even the windows still use manual lifting.
The Land Rover Defender, which can travel through various road conditions, is like a dedicated guard guarding the lover in his heart. Compared with the sturdy and strong Defender, the RV is like a gentle and lovely “princess”. On weekdays, I love to find a quiet riverside, spread felt mats, place fruits, and open a book of “Sonnets” to feel the joy, anger, sorrow and joy of the poet’s inner world. Will the mix-and-match combination of a guardian and a princess lead a happy life as described in fairy tales? After seeing this Land Rover Defender RV, you may get the answer.
rough and tough
The Land Rover Defender 130 is a pickup version of the Defender, and this RV is based on this model. In terms of exterior style, it inherits the rough and practical style of Defender, and at the same time, its sturdy personality brings some completely different genes to the slow-paced RV life.
The Defender RV inherits the tough exterior style of the Land Rover family, with sharp edges and corners and a distinct mechanical feel. The upper part of the RV also bears the obvious characteristics of the Land Rover Defender family – square and stylish, with a simple structure. Compared with the Land Rover Defender, the front face has not changed. The wide air intake grille, retro round headlights and thick anti-collision steel beams are enough to make Defender fans excited.
The top of the caravan is a lift type, which can increase the internal space when camping outdoors, and the top needs to be put away before the caravan is driven. The design style of the tail is also square, and the taillights are also retro round like the headlights. It is a pity that there is no high-mounted brake light at the rear of the relatively tall RV body, and the angle of the car body is too sharp.
Guard RV not only has a rough appearance, but also a rough heart. In particular, the cab does not seem to be a product of this era. From the design style to the materials used, it clearly has the style of the end of the last century. The function of the traditional circular instrument panel is extremely simple, and the center console is also full of old-fashioned key switches. Different from ordinary passenger cars, there is a transfer case shift lever next to the shift handle, which is used to switch between low-speed four-wheel drive and central differential lock. In terms of off-road performance, the Defender RV inherits the powerful genes of the Land Rover Defender, and it will give you enough sense of security in the mountains, deserts and even in the uninhabited land of your dreams. 2.2L diesel turbocharged 5-cylinder engine with a maximum power of 140kW and a torque of 420N·m. When the RV is driving under severe road conditions, the front and rear axles become hard-connected after the central differential lock is locked, and the approach angle of 49° and departure angle of 34° can make climbing more leisurely. The front and rear integral bridge suspension and the thick stabilizer bar not only increase the toughness of the Defender RV, but also the extra-long travel of the stabilizer bar effectively reduces the appearance of cross axles.
Minimalism and Practical
The interior space of the carriage is a bit cramped due to the size of the car body, but the overall layout is based on the minimalist style of pragmatism and the details are well thought out, it can still be seen that the designer has used his brains.
The door is directly facing the bathroom, the cooking area and refrigerator are arranged on both sides, and the rear is a deck sofa and bed.
The cooking area is equipped with an integrated multi-function stove, which can make light meals in the car. However, there is no range hood installed inside the RV, so when cooking indoors, you need to pay attention to the problem of excessive oil fume. Opposite the cooking area is a 50-liter Thetford (THETFORD) RV refrigerator, and the upper part of the refrigerator is the RV monitoring panel and 220V power socket.
The circular card seat sofa adopts a common dual-purpose design, which can be used for meeting guests and dining during the day. Lowering the table board at night can form a double bed, and lowering the top of the upper part of the sofa area can also form a double bed. The interior of the seemingly narrow carriage has been ingeniously arranged, but there are sleeping positions for 4 people. I have to admire the designer’s intentions.
flaws and perfection
Based on the Land Rover Defender 130 pickup truck with strong off-road performance, it is a perfect idea and a bold idea to convert it into a RV. As far as the RV itself is concerned, the chassis of the Land Rover Defender solves the embarrassment that most RVs cannot go on non-paved roads, and greatly improves the handling and passability. Reality is like two sides of a coin, the other side of perfection must be flaws. From the exterior to the interior, the RV inherits the minimalist style of the Land Rover Defender – exposed rivets, mechanical rearview mirrors, hand-cranked windows, etc. As an off-road vehicle, simplicity is reliability, but as a RV, it is necessary Is it authentic?
The Land Rover Defender 130 pickup itself has a very cramped space. Although the second row of seats has also been turned into the interior space of the car when modifying the RV, it still cannot change the problem of the cramped space of this crossover RV. At the same time, in order to ensure the strong off-road performance of the vehicle, there will be moderate noises in the RV compartment when driving on non-paved roads. Measured by the standard theory of RVs, neither the comfort of driving nor the comfort of living in RVs is very high. The launch of this Defender RV is the same as the Land Rover Defender itself. People who like it are crazy about it, and those who hate it scoff.
Forward and Thorns
Fang Loon’s description of the pioneer’s road in the preface of “Tolerance” is full of confusion and thorns, which requires the pioneer to explore with a fragile body and a firm will. The two completely different fields of car off-roading and RV camping are combined by the Land Rover Defender RV, which is not a perfect work. We still don’t know whether this is the direction of the future RV, but we know that for some people who love both kinds of life at the same time, this RV has an irresistible allure.
Compared with countries with developed RVs such as Europe and the United States, domestic countries have unique regional and cultural characteristics. Therefore, it is foreseeable that the RV culture will have a distinct Chinese style when it is finally formed. With the development and formation of this RV culture, there will inevitably be a group of RVs that appear to be heterogeneous for the time being. They often span multiple fields, and at the same time attract players in these fields to move closer to the center like the RV. As for whether to choose or abandon it, it is up to the user to make the final decision.
