Land Rover Defender: A New Force for Every Jungle

More than seven decades after the original model, which only ceased production in 2016, the Land Rover Defender has returned. Retaining its spirit of being able to “go anywhere”, the Defender has reinvented itself with an approach far better suited to modern times.

There is a clear effort to preserve the styling DNA of a boxy off-roader, while “remastering” it so that its design cannot be labelled retro - something design directors rarely welcome. Gerry McGovern explains that the new Defender “pays tribute to the past without being held hostage by it”.

Its upright front and rear sections remain, even at the expense of aerodynamics, and a vast range of accessories can still be fitted to the bodywork - from the wheel on the side-opening tailgate to the side ladder that provides access to the roof.

However, when the setting is not the heart of Africa but the “urban jungle” - even with occasional outings across fields and valleys, or on secondary roads more or less removed from city traffic - the Defender’s 4.76-metre length (5 metres with the spare wheel “on its back”) and 2-metre width create a degree of “claustrophobic discomfort”.

The Defender’s “hearts”

Even the least powerful engine in the new Defender delivers almost twice the output of its predecessor, giving it the performance to escape traffic obstacles and stand out in an entirely new jungle: motorways and urban routes.

There are therefore two diesel choices, a 2-litre with 200 or 240 hp, plus two petrol units: a 2-litre four-cylinder producing 300 hp and a 3-litre V6 with 400 hp, paired with a 48V mild-hybrid system.

In the latter, an electric motor, supported by a lithium-ion battery, acts as both generator and starter motor, while also supplying the petrol engine with some energy in its “spare moments”.

Electrification, a valuable ally

It was precisely the mild-hybrid version, the most powerful in the entire new Land Rover Defender range, that we drove during this first dynamic test.

The Defender P400 moves with a liveliness that commands respect from some small GTis - having 550 Nm beneath the right foot from 2,000 to 5,000 rpm certainly helps. Its 0-100 km/h time of 6.1 seconds and 191 km/h top speed prove the point.

The ZF-supplied 8-speed gearbox benefits from the electric assistance during mid-range acceleration, while also doing an excellent job of handling everything sent its way by the engine. It also encourages sportier driving when the automatic gearbox selector is placed in “S”.

It is both quick and smooth, qualities appreciated on tarmac and halfway up a slope made of rocks or mud, where low-range gears are as useful as a safety net is to a trapeze artist.

The V6 always sounds refined, with the low frequencies of an operatic bass singer, yet it is never overly intrusive. This comes from a combined effort in engine refinement and cabin sound insulation.

When the aim is to “lose speed”, the brakes earn our approval for the strength of their “bite”, as well as for showing no early signs of fade under more demanding use.

The sole exception comes on long, twisty descents. After repeated heavy applications in these circumstances, the left pedal begins to travel a little further.

Conquering new habitats

Unlike modern SUVs, the Defender presents itself as a true 4×4. Evidence of this is the body’s natural lean, although it never causes nausea or puts stability at any worrying risk. After all, it stands almost two metres tall and weighs 2.5 tonnes...

While the abilities that allow it to leave the harshest terrain behind are already well documented, its suitability for urban life has improved exponentially.

Alongside the improved driving position, there is now steering that does far more than simply point the wheels in the right direction, plus ride comfort and damping ability - electronic dampers are standard - that make the original Defender feel like a cart.

Average everyday fuel consumption will be close to 15 l/100 km, even if the right pedal is used moderately.

Excellent views in every kind of “jungle”

From behind the wheel, it is immediately clear that outward visibility is very good, thanks to the low waistline, elevated seats and generous glazed area.

Your arm is no longer “crushed” by the door, nor is your nose threatened by the proximity of the windscreen - two defining personality traits of the original model that have disappeared in the new Land Rover Defender.

When it comes to electronically assisted visibility, the 360º monitoring system deserves special mention. It shows what is around and even beneath the Defender, whether that is tarmac, sharp rocks threatening the tyres, craters in the middle of a track or steep descents hidden by the bonnet.

Connectivity turned up high

Further signs of modernity include the head-up display, digital instrument panel and touchscreen surrounded by more USB ports than you would find in an office.

There can be no doubt: the “motorised cart” has become something of a computer on wheels, with more software than many commercial aircraft.

What should we make of this “invasion” of screens and digital controls? On tarmac, they are practical, intuitive after a familiarisation period, and help free up space.

Amid bouncing and body movement, selecting the desired function on the touchscreen can be difficult, but that is called technological progress and there is no going back.

The infotainment system is permanently online, and its operating system can be updated through 5G chips while driving.

The magnesium support between the front seats not only gives occupants something to hold onto, but also helps increase body stiffness - the new Defender has the greatest body stiffness of any Land Rover.

Finally, to ensure the new Land Rover Defender retains its “Meccano-like” appearance, the British brand deliberately leaves some screw heads exposed, both on the doors and on the centre console itself.

Room for 5, 6 or 7

The interior configuration can include a third front seat. As well as carrying a passenger, provided they are not too large or the journey is short, it can also serve as a central armrest.

When this third seat is occupied, or the rear window is obscured, the interior rear-view mirror displays an image captured by an external digital camera, allowing the driver to keep seeing what is behind the vehicle without compromising safety.

Although interesting, this solution slightly affects depth perception, making every vehicle following behind appear to be about to hit the Defender’s rear...

The five-door version we tested is called the 110, a reference to the wheelbase in inches of its ancestors, and it is considerably larger than the three-door 90.

Curiously, despite being much shorter than the 110 and having a wheelbase 44 cm shorter, the three-door version can carry six passengers, except in commercial-vehicle form.

Speaking of wheelbase, the Land Rover Defender 110 has a 3-metre wheelbase, 10 cm more than a Discovery. This is why it can accommodate five to seven people across two or three rows of seats, while ensuring ample room with five occupants on board.

Finally, the cabin and boot floor are covered in rubber, making them easy to clean. Second-row passengers, meanwhile, have direct air vents with independent temperature adjustment.

Technology that keeps the Defender moving

No matter how much the new Defender appeals to digital natives and makes driving as close as possible to a simulation, none of this prevents it from remaining, above all, a highly capable vehicle for serious off-roading.

There are still enough conventional switches and buttons, but it is clearly less “pure” because electronics and automated or semi-automated processes now handle many operations.

One of the most important aids for anyone who genuinely takes the Defender on “hardcore” routes - in this case, deeper water crossings - is the “Wade Sensing” system.

It lets the driver know the water depth before “diving in”. Although the Land Rover Defender can safely wade through up to 900 mm, it is not advisable to go beyond that.

The central screen displays the depth of water ahead, together with an animation of the Defender travelling through the stream.

At the same time, the system sets the ventilation to recirculate air inside the cabin, softens throttle response, raises the body height and adjusts differential operation.

Once back on dry ground, it presses the brake pads against the discs to clean and dry them. Impressive.

The extensive electronic arsenal helps define the onboard atmosphere and influences how the Defender moves. “Terrain Response2” is the name of the central assistance system that Land Rover has refined to turn any novice into an expert with ambitions of entering the Dakar.

It can do so in a vehicle with a monocoque chassis rather than a ladder frame, independent four-wheel suspension with double wishbones at the front and multi-link suspension at the rear - with additional links replacing a rigid axle to improve lateral stiffness - extensive use of aluminium, and steel front and rear subframes.

All these solutions have helped make torsional stiffness three times greater than that of its ageing predecessor.

The platform is based on the D7 used in the Jaguar XE, adding an “x” for 4×4, accommodating the longitudinally mounted engine and, naturally, four-wheel drive.

4×4, low-range gears, air suspension, electronic dampers...

The purpose is to allow the Land Rover Defender to adapt to its surroundings. The suspension, stability control, automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive power distribution are “shaped” according to the driver’s choices, made with simple taps on the central screen.

On deep sand, reducing tyre pressures and engaging low-range gears will almost always be enough to avoid getting stuck.

If threatening rocks lie beneath the Defender, the air suspension, standard on the 110, makes it useful to raise the suspension by up to 75 mm.

On the way to a smart restaurant, meanwhile, the Defender plays the gentleman by helping a lady in high heels and lowering its suspension by 5 cm.

Regardless of wheel size - rims range from 18 to 22 inches - its off-road angles are the best on the market, surpassing the Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Land Cruiser and Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

This is partly due to the air suspension that its rivals do not offer. The Defender 90 cannot stand out in this area, as it uses coil springs rather than air suspension.

In terms of convenience, it is even possible to deploy the towbar from inside the car or weigh the load that is about to be towed.

There is also an advanced towing assistance system that allows the driver to control it with fingertips using a rotary controller on the centre console.

In the original Defender, the driver could manually lock the centre differential using the low-range gear lever. In the new model, wheelspin at both axles can be prevented by selecting electronic control of the centre and rear differentials from the relevant central-screen menu.

The same menu also offers three settings for engine and 8-speed gearbox response, steering and traction control, enabling the Defender to be “shaped” to the driver’s off-road experience and skill.

Those who are more cautious can always rely on the various “Terrain Response2” driving modes: Normal for tarmac, water crossing, rocks, mud/ruts, grass/gravel/snow or sand.

Technical specifications

Now available in Portugal, the new Land Rover Defender starts at €81,813 for the three-door version and €89,187 for the five-door variant.

Land Rover Defender 110 P400 S AWD Auto MHEV
Engine
Architecture
Valve gear
Induction
Capacity
Power
Torque
Transmission
Drive
Gearbox
Chassis
Suspension
Brakes
Steering
Turning circle
Dimensions and capacities
L x W x H
Wheelbase
Boot capacity
Fuel tank capacity
Weight
Wheels
Performance and consumption
Top speed
0-100 km/h
Off-road capabilities
Approach/departure angle
Breakover angle
Ground clearance
Wading depth
Consumption
CO₂ emissions

Authors: Joaquim Oliveira/Press-Inform.