The Defender is blocky, modern and desirable from all angles. It’s been out for a while now and has been a wide success judging by the number of them we see on the streets. If you’re not constantly off-roading, you can when you want, you can easily go from site to Gala evening with just a quick wash in between, and no one would bat an eye. It’s the Golf of the utility vehicle world. The competition comes in the form of the Land Cruiser or G-Wagon. It’s a desirable modern luxury rough roading companion that probably won’t see a lot of field work.
Special mention : Luxury and off-road capability in one big box, Pivi Pro infotainment works smoothly, Meridian stereo complements the luxury cabin. Throwback 75th Anniversary Edition Grasmere Green heritage paint colour is one for the Landy buffs.
Needs work : You have all this off road capability now with added luxury so you may not want to actually take it off road, which would be a waste. It’s already heavy but the battery weight must cancel out the energy savings.
| 309 HP | PHEV / Auto |
| 0-100 km/h in 7 seconds | Road Tax €150 |
| Price: €123,160 | Boot Space 1,075/2,380 litres |
This special edition 110 PHEV embodies the spirit of the original 1948 Land Rover, featuring the Grasmere Green Heritage metallic paint; it commemorates a great time in British history and its origins come from the paint that was used in aircraft cockpit. This heritage paint not only covers the Defenders entire body but the alloys too. There are further throwbacks inside with exposed screw heads and rugged surfaces mixed in with premium aluminium/piano black panels as well. It’s so nicely designed and immediately gives it that premium feel. This 110 model comes with five seats as well as luggage carrying capacity, delivering comfort as well as off-roading when needed. The petrol plug-in hybrid unit for the 110 model has 398bhp fed through an eight-speed auto as standard which brings with it some improved economy from hybrid energy.
The Defender pulls along very nicely using mostly the combustion engined straight-six. The 0-100 km/h dash can be done in a swift 7.0secs and once you get there, it purrs along at motorway speeds quietly.
On the utility front there’s greater ground clearance and reinforced suspension. Wading depth is over 500mm more than the old Defender at up to 900mm deep, while the electrical system has been tested to IP67 standard, it’s supposed to be able to handle up to an hour submerged under water. There’s also effortless performance, despite the chiselled block front end and weight, the Defender admirably glides along.
Whichever trim level you choose, the pedals, seat and steering wheel give multiple angles with which to get comfortable, there’s also an increased view out the front. There’s lots of up, down and in-and-out movement to the steering wheel, and it’s electrically adjustable on all but entry-level versions. There are options such as electronic air suspension that gives pricier Defender models the edge over entry cars in the refinement stakes and yet it remains one of the world’s most capable off-roaders. They will never stop short on the options either with plenty of boxes to tick which include lifestyle accessories. There’s offroad packs, blind assist, towing, cold climate packs and more off roading gubbins like scuff plates, raised air intakes, body protection kits, honestly the list is endless, fun to play with but they all quickly add up. The attention to detail is what makes the Defender so desirable, such as the small hard-rubber textured patches on the back of the steering wheel, where your fingertips naturally rest when you’re driving, to the floor surfaces with extra grip in the cargo-area, they all add up to make it something so much more than just utilitarian.
As you’d expect you’ll be surrounded by luxury on the inside. There are 14-way electrically adjustable, heated and cooled front seats, a centre console which is cooled, the stereo is powered by the incredible Meridian sound system. It features over-the-air software updates, plus an infotainment system that’s swift and responsive to use.
The infotainment runs off the latest 11.4-inch ‘Pivi Pro’ multi-media system, there’s a 3D surround camera, head-up display, configurable ‘Terrain Response’ system, Matrix LED front lighting, Apple Carplay/Android Auto and wireless charging. There’s padded armrests with plenty of soft materials that cover most touch point surfaces as well as a very large central storage area with cupholders. You can option to replace this with an extra seat if you need but we’d go for the storage space. There are storage areas everywhere inside, with deep door pockets and a dashboard shelf which can house all your other bits and pieces too.
The second row of seats have a centre armrest and they fold 40/20/40. Second-row passengers also have their own air-vent controls and USB charge points in the rear of the centre console. The rear cargo area has around 1075 litres of boot space which can increase to a claimed 2380 litres of space. Handily they’ve also included some cargo-restraint points for any smaller items or bags.
As expected there’s lots of driver-assist tech, including Land Rover’s ‘Terrain Response 2’ system, you get selected modes such as ‘Grass/Gravel/Snow’, ‘Sand’, ‘Mud and Ruts’, and ‘Rock Crawl’ to get you either out of sticky situations or quite happily through them if you’re off mud plugging for the day. The terrain response system means the driver can select and save powertrain, traction and diff settings. You can get a wade program, which increases air-suspension ride height and closes off the climate control vents to reduce the ingress of moisture in the air. They’ve thought of everything and it would be a shame to pay for these systems if you were never going to use them but here we are.
With all of the assistance technology available, it dulls the experience if you’re looking for a true off-roader. It’s not as mechanical and raw an experience as the old Defenders were. For most modern drivers, it means it makes life a lot more liveable, comfortable, with less issues for your elbows, knees or knuckles. You have to remember it’s a luxury brand now and while there are manufacturers out there such as Ineos with the Grenadier who want to keep that rawness, the brand we have here, wants it all.
It’s a great companion for expeditions and is family-friendly as it can handle as much abuse on the inside as it does on the outside. It’s quick, comfortable and in certain circles, an historic collectible. As it’s an already heavy vehicle, fully prepped for off-roading across difficult terrain, does the battery weight cancel out the small energy savings? The technology works excellently and is much smoother than most PHEV’s but I would wish for a lot more return.
