The Underpowered Hour

On this episode of The Underpowered Hour, hosts Stephen Beres and Ike Goss are joined by Team 155’s Liza and Jenna to preview the Rebelle Rally starting next week, including their launch from Lake Las Vegas/Las Vegas Motor Speedway, new Utah trails, and a finish in the Glamis dunes, plus how to follow live scoring and daily recap shows. They discuss UK news including Range Rover Sport recalls (one vehicle for a bad PCM and about 900 for subframe cracks) and the Jaecoo 7 “Temu Range Rover” lookalike topping UK September sales. Liza and Jenna detail their Serac Auto Works-built 2022 Defender 90 rally setup—coil conversion with Öhlins shocks, winch bumper, external rack/roll cage, underbody protection, cargo organization, roof boxes, water storage, and their dialed-in gear—then share ways to support Team 155 via a prize drawing benefiting future events.

00:00 Show Kickoff
00:36 Hosts Introductions
01:38 Range Rover Recall Talk
03:47 Temu Range Rover Clone
07:39 Rebelle Rally Preview
09:33 Start Line and Teams
11:30 Rally Jinx and Repairs
13:24 Serac Defender Build
16:38 Mods and Interior Setup
18:14 Odor Fixes And Tacos
18:43 Rear Rack Gear Loadout
20:04 Roof Boxes And TerraTrip
22:19 Camping Kit Dialed In
24:34 Route Plans And Weather
28:07 Live Tracking And Coverage
33:18 Support Team 155 Raffle
36:51 Wrap Up And Credits

Stephen Beres and Ike Goss recap Destination Defender in Temecula, including extreme heat, ride-alongs, e-bikes, gourmet food trucks, a Defender museum display, and the on-site PRS Guitars collaboration featuring Defender-themed Silver Sky guitars inspired by John Mayer’s 1997 Defender 90, with limited classic-color runs and standard modern-color versions. They then re-air Jenna and Liza’s live panel as Team Overlander, explaining the women-only Rebelle Rally’s map-and-compass format, checkpoint strategy, and camp life, and walking through five consecutive years running different Defenders: a classic NAS 90, two JLR-provided Defender 130s, and a modified Saric 90, plus preparation practices like carrying two spares and key parts. They preview the upcoming October Rebelle coverage and share plans to build a 1972 two-door Range Rover for NORRA Baja 1000 and a 2028 Dakar Classic goal.

00:00 Show Intro
00:36 Meet The Hosts
01:19 Destination Defender Recap
02:38 Event Highlights And Heat
04:01 Defender Museum And Friends
05:20 PRS Defender Guitars
09:15 Collab Ideas And Jokes
12:59 Should You Buy One
14:20 Jenna And Liza Panel Setup
16:22 Cue The Live Recording
16:44 Rebelle Rally Basics
18:22 Desert Routes And Basecamp Life
20:56 Map Compass Strategy
23:31 Checkpoint Types And Mindset
25:39 Year One Classic D90
28:09 JLR Defender 130 Breakthrough
31:21 Silt Year And Lessons
33:14 Sarek 90 Redemption Run
37:11 Year Five Build And Car Tour
38:11 Packing Spares And Tire Survival
43:18 Friendship And Whats Next
45:39 Podcast Wrap And Credits

Steve Beres and Ike Goss discuss a pickup-truck-heavy news week, including reports that Land Rover may pursue a U.S.-market pickup despite earlier claims the monocoque Defender platform couldn’t support one, potentially via partnering with a manufacturer with U.S. production. They review a UK Ministry of Defense light mobility vehicle competition to replace the aging Defender Wolf fleet, highlighting Land Rover’s new Defender-based military variants (including a tray-back pickup and tube-buggy-style patrol vehicle) alongside entries from INEOS, Toyota/Babcock, Ford/General Dynamics (including a 6x6 Ranger Super Duty), Mercedes/Rheinmetall, GM/Team Lionstrike, and others, plus observations about serviceability, interiors, and surprisingly street-oriented tires. They also cover a Freelander hybrid altitude Guinness record, Kim Basinger’s 1997 NAS Defender auction, a Ted Lasso Series IIA cameo, and tease next week’s Destination Defender Rebelle presentation.00:00 Show Intro and Hosts01:09 Defender Pickup Rumors02:36 US Tariffs and Partnerships04:40 Military RFP Reveals Pickup05:56 Competitors INEOS and Toyota08:08 Ford Ranger Super Duty09:55 Defender Trayback Design Talk11:36 Other Entries Mercedes and GM14:17 Tires and US Military Contrast14:58 AM General and Oshkosh Updates16:07 Final Contender Tease16:17 Hybrid Tube Buggy17:57 NATO Contract Stakes18:44 Military Tech Serviceability21:03 Freelander Altitude Record22:41 Celebrity Defender Auction26:27 Ted Lasso Land Rover28:19 Destination Defender Recap29:58 Wrap Up Credits

The hosts discuss a UK climate expert planning to drive an electrified Series I Land Rover around the world to raise climate-change awareness, noting the practical challenges of charging and the likelihood of mechanical failures despite the EV conversion. They then cover Land Rover’s improved showing in J.D. Power’s U.S. quality survey, moving to the middle of the pack, and debate what the results say about reliability versus owner expectations. Next, they talk about Land Rover using AI in vehicle testing to “listen” for fault-related sounds and analyze large testing datasets to catch problems earlier. The episode also updates the UK military’s upcoming Defender replacement trials, including multiple Land Rover variants (general service, ambulance, tactical transport, and utility modification) and comparisons with other bidders. Finally, they preview Destination Defender in Temecula, including a Defender museum and a panel with Rebelle Rally drivers Jenna and Liza, plus planned video coverage and a walkaround of the new Rebelle Defender 90.

00:00 Wind Noise Banter
01:03 Electric Land Rover World Tour
04:51 Land Rover Reliability Rebound
07:56 AI Quality Control Listening
12:23 Telemechanics and AI Doom
13:06 Wolf 2 Military Defender Variants
20:10 Destination Defender Preview
23:26 Museum Highlights and Rebelle Panel
26:16 Wrap Up and Next Episode

Steve Beres and Ike Goss discuss JLR launching a £154,000 Range Rover and then cutting 4,500 jobs, which JLR attributes to tariffs and falling sales, and note UK officials plan to meet with new CEO PJ Balaji. They cover signs JLR may revive a military-style “Defender Wolf Series 2,” potentially to compete against vehicles like a Toyota Hilux-based platform and the Ineos Grenadier. Ike recaps the All British Field Meet in Portland, where Land Rover was absent as an exhibitor but Ineos Grenadier was a featured sponsor, and highlights the strong turnout of Range Rover Classics and Series trucks, including Steve driving his 1957 109 pickup. They review a Bring a Trailer LS3-swapped, six-speed 1976 Series III build that failed to sell near $100,000, and close with updates on a re-emerged Forest Rover and progress on another Forest Rover restoration.

00:00 Show Intro and Hosts
01:18 JLR Job Cuts and Tariffs
03:36 Defender Wolf Rumors
07:02 Wolf vs Modern Rivals
07:45 All British Field Meet Recap
11:24 Ike’s Yellow 109 Road Trip
12:13 Ant Colony in the Rover
13:29 Goat Man Land Rovers
14:26 LS3 Series III Build
17:38 Ugly Details Breakdown
21:14 Forest Rover Update
23:02 Forest Rover Engineering
25:41 Wrap Up Credits