The Land Rover Defender has been revitalised for the modern era. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

The new-era Land Rover Defender brings the design of this legendary Solihull model bang up to date. Despite the modern tech, it remains as solid and uncompromising as it's always been, with off road ability to worry a Challenger tank.

Background

You may have forgotten what a real Land Rover is - and what it looks like. These days, we associate the Solihull maker with lifestyle SUVs and Range Rover products. Rather than the kind of farm working 4x4 that Maurice Wilks developed for agricultural use back in the Forties. There are still some people who feel that this is exactly what a true off-roader should be. It shouldn't feel like a car on stilts. It needs to be rugged, practical and offer a number of field-serviceable parts.

Is that what we have here? Everything has been changed to differentiate this modern era Defender from the Land Rover original - but ultimately, nothing is really very different. Thank goodness for that.

Driving Experience

Engine-wise, the range is fundamentally built around an in-line six cylinder Ingenium MHEV mild hybrid diesel engine. It's offered in three forms - the D200 (with 200PS and 500Nm of torque), the D250 (with 249PS and 570Nm of torque) and the D300 (with 300PS and 650Nm of torque). The D300 powers to 62mph in 6.3s. If you want efficiency but don't want to fuel from the black pump, there's also a P400e Plug-in Hybrid option with the longer 110 body style. This PHEV variant uses a 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol engine with 300PS mated to a 105kW electric motor powered by a 19.2kWh battery, this combination producing a combined 404PS output and offering an all-electric driving range of 27 miles. There are also two conventional petrol options, the 300PS P300 and the 400PS P400 variant. 8-speed auto transmission is mandatory across the range.

Land Rover insists that this new-era Defender is even more capable than its predecessor. As you'd expect, there's permanent 4WD, along with a Terrain Response system allowing you to set the car up for various driving conditions.

Design and Build

You'd recognise this as a Defender - there are lots of design cues ensuring that, including squared-off wheelarches, super-short front and rear overhangs and so-called 'Alpine light' narrow windows set into the roof. Like the old Defender, it's possible to buy both three and five-door body shapes and, to keep some historical continuity, as before these are badged '90' and '110' respectively. Modern touches include full-LED headlights and a square body-coloured panel in the rear side glass.

Inside, the exposed metal on the doors and the minimalist dashboard give an appropriately Defender-style feel but this time round, the cabin's wider, so you won't be bashing your wrists on the doors every time you twirl the wheel round. The mandatory auto gearbox leaves room at the front for an optional centre seat that would allow even the smallest '90' model to seat up to 6 people. The five-door '110' model can be had in five, six or seven-seat configurations.

Market and Model

There are two distinct sizes of Defender, the three-door '90' (priced from around £44,000) and the five-door '110' (priced from around £45,000). By the way, those 90 and 110 figures these days don't designate wheelbase length. There are five core trim levels - the standard models, then 'S', 'SE', 'HSE' and the top Defender X. A 'Commercial' van version is also offered.

Buyers get to choose from four optional design packs. There's 'Country', which you'll want if you'd like to replicate the classic Defender look. If you want something a little more modern, there's 'Urban', which adds a bit of bling with 22-inch wheels. 'Adventure' gives you underbody protection and side-mounted storage boxes. And 'Explorer' includes a roof rack, a roof ladder and an anti-glare bonnet. Plus of course, you'll be able to personalise your Defender to your heart's content with everything from an electric winch to a roof-top tent. There's even a removable body wrap package that protects the metallic paint when you're off roading. This model also employs Land Rover's 'ClearSight Ground View' technology which shows you the area ahead of the front wheels on a fascia-mounted screen.

The Defender P400e is available with the option of five or six seats, standard three-zone climate control, Privacy Glass and Solar Attenuating Glass. Specific to the PHEV variant is regenerative braking, a key technological component in achieving impressive fuel economy, recuperating energy lost under deceleration and braking and sending it back into the battery pack.

Cost of Ownership

The whole reason the old Defender had to be discontinued was that there was no way to make it comply with current stringent emissions regulation. This modern-era model has no such issues. Thanks to MHEV mild hybrid tech, the Ingenium D200 and D250 diesel variants return 32.2mpg (WLTP) and WLTP CO2 emissions as low as 230g/km. The MHEV technology contributes to enhanced fuel economy through an efficient Stop/Start system which cuts the engine at a standstill, as well as recuperating energy normally lost under braking or decelerating. This energy is then sent back into the battery pack and can be redeployed later. A key benefit of MHEV is that this energy is used when accelerating, delivering faster responses for greater performance.

Like all Defenders before it, this one will enjoy healthy residual values, buoyed by a strong rural market, easy parts availability and a vibrant owners' community. Insurance is reasonable although VED tax will sting a little. That only leaves the warranty, an unremarkable three year unlimited mileage deal. Also included is European cover and a promise to get you on your way as soon as possible in your own car or in a loan vehicle if the required repair will take longer than four hours.

Summary

Like its predecessor, this Defender effectively operates in a virtual class of one, being a vehicle that's exempt from the usual rules of assessment. The style is unique, it'll embarrass just about any other SUV off road and it'll probably out-last you. For most people, most of the time though, a Land Rover Discovery will still be an infinitely more suitable choice. But there remains a section of the population for whom nothing other than a Defender will be quite right and these people have waited a long time for this car. If you want the real deal, there really is no substitute.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Land Rover Defender

PRICE: £44,260-£81,385

INSURANCE GROUP: 25-26

CO2 EMISSIONS: 199-227g/km [NEDC]

PERFORMANCE: 0-60 7.7 – 140mph (D240 S 110)

FUEL CONSUMPTION: [110 D200] (combined) up to 31.7mpg (WLTP)

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: twin airbags

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [90] Length/Width/Height mm 3894/1790/2021