I think Ford’s plans to zap the Mustang and F-150 could prove fruitful.

Sadly it was never going to be bare bones basic. Not with where Land Rover has gone since ~2000.

I think I’ll always begrudge that the world is such that this is what’s become of the Defender. But that’s not the vehicle’s fault, and really, it seems pretty ok once you come to terms with things.

Sold mine back in 2005. But there’s a ‘97 in the family that’s headed my way sometime in the next several years. I figure the e-conversion will be a good project when the kids get to that “don’t want to spend time with parents” age.

Yep. Used to own a Defender but I’ve been throwing my hands up and Land Rover’s brand direction for something like 20 years now. It was inevitable the Defender would go this way. It’s not as horrible as I was braced for, but it’s also not something I’d buy for the same reasons as an old D90.

I used to own a Defender and offroaded it on a regular basis.

I just have a hard time understanding the value prop of the MDX right now. I’ve got a 2019 Honda Pilot Elite, and it’s about 90% to par with the MDX feature-wise (same engine/drivetrain, cool headlights, ventilated seats, second-row captain’s chairs etc etc) for about $10,000 less.

I can’t for the life of me…

It’s...a...trailer. The first season was more shoot-em-up than I’d prefer (give me Ford’s earnest portrayal any day), but it was way smarter than plenty of similar shows.

Why the F-14? It’s obvious. There’s going to be a plot thread of “we don’t need fighter pilots anymore”, almost certainly involving some new unmanned fighter.

I don’t think it’s that people are forgetting. It’s that it’s just not that relevant (or if it is it’s down the priority list).

I guess I am a stupid person.

THIS. It’s got its feet planted firmly in the mid-size three row crossover category. It’s right in line with the Honda Pilot, VW Atlas, and Subaru Ascent among others.

Oh god this brings back memories. Had a Defender 90 for several years back in the early 2000s and yes, it’s a blast for offroading, or for tooling around country backroads at low speeds on pretty days, but it’s hilarious how bad it is at being a daily driver.

A few, uh, “features”:

- Mine was rare in that it had AC.…

Yep. The problem isn’t capitalism per se, it’s this cult of shareholder value that demands every other consideration be suborned to that, and typically on a quarterly or annual basis that incentivizes short-term cuts and doesn’t really pay any attention to long-term consequences. 

Tyrion is traveling to Winterfell when he’s beset by Bronn demanding Highgarden. Tyrion says “I can do better than that - how about the Red Keep?”

My take - that *should* have been better represented in the writing (and a slower buildup to the snap) is that, throughout the show, Dany has two modes - acting out of kindness, and acting out of cruelty.

Dealership experience - both during and post-purchase - has become an increasingly important thing for me.

History has pulled this move with unstoppable conquerors plenty of times. The Huns had Rome on the ropes and then Attila died mysteriously on his wedding night and the horde pulled back to squabble over succession instead of finishing off the teetering empire.

Alexander the Great died in similar circumstances. And I’m…

I had my problems with the finale, but even so I flippin’ lost it when Vincent (the dog) showed up at the very end.

I would add: