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I'll be the first to admit that I was rather anti the new Land Rover Defender. While my stance was shared with many others, my reasons for it were somewhat unique. I've never seen the appeal of the Land Rover Defender in its previous format. It felt like a relic that was being kept alive on life support, appealing only to those with nostalgic memories of the Camel Trophy or childhood adventures. In the time that had passed since its mainstream acceptance, the automotive world had progressed by leaps and bounds. I couldn't believe that someone in their right mind would pay money for a brand new 'old Defender'.
Related: Everything you need to know about the Land Rover Defender
Having previously sampled an earlier 110, my hopes were not high when Jaguar Land Rover announced that the new Defender (L663) was due for release. Pundits bemoaned the fact that it was being based on the Discovery platform and was doing away with the ladder chassis arrangement. They detested the idea of a Defender being as electronic as they were promoting. I heard their cries, but paid no mind. The Defender appeared to me to be nothing more than a marketing exercise to milk a cash cow.
I don't mind stating now that I was wrong. Very wrong.
Styling
As the Land Rover Defender 90 D300 X-Dynamic HSE pulled into my driveway for me to test, I felt something stir inside of me. Could it be? That little boy that I once knew? The one who would play with his toy cars in the sand? The new Defender does not photograph half as good as it looks in the metal, trust me on this. I was in awe as I took in the boxy proportions and upright greenhouse felt familiar, yet new. The rounded DRL elements in rectangular housings seemed to look at me with a forlorn look - if ever a vehicle could give you puppy-dog eyes, this is it.
The squared-off jaw, swollen arches, and lofty height all allude to the fact that the new Defender is a rough-and-tumble, no-nonsense off-road machine. Shod with sizeable 20-inch wheels and 255 section tyres, the beefy Defender makes no bones about why it exists.
Around back the familiar flat-back is only broken up by the rear-mounted spare wheel and small, but bright individual taillamps that offer a homage to the Pope's-nose taillamps of earlier Defender models. The Signature Graphic on the rear side windows may provide some additional storage and a classic look from the exterior, but it does little for outward visibility when sitting in the rear of the Defender 90.
The 90 model, for those that don't know, is the short wheelbase, 2-door version of the Defender named so because of the customary 90-inch wheelbase. The new one carries the name but the wheelbase of the new Defender 90 is actually 101-inches in length. The same goes for the 110 which now has a wheelbase of 118-inches.
Space & Interior
We've spoken about the lack of visibility in the rear with the Signature Graphic applied but that's not the biggest issue with the Defender 90. Ingress and egress is literally the largest hurdle you will have to overcome as access to the rear is rather limited and made more complex by the electric front seats that forego a sliding mechanism when tilted forward. The Defender 90 is, therefore, best suited to families with young children who are still crafted from rubber and magic or couples that seldom take their friends along for adventures.
Front space is magnificent though. The rectangular shape of the cabin and upright design of the windows gives you a large, airy cabin and surprisingly good visibility out to the road. The muted tones and interior design makes it somehow feel cosseting at the same time though. It's the strangest anomaly; you know there's a lot of space, but at no point in time do you feel like anything is too far away from your reach.
The darker tones of the interior are offset by the light coloured trim pieces in the doors and in the shelf that is created by the two, large dashboard beams that run along the width of the cabin, the top section of which is moulded to create grab handles on the passenger side. Form and function meet and while the trimmings are luxurious leather, it's all designed to appear rugged and is bolted together exceptionally well. Land Rover has managed to strike a fantastic blend of utilitarian design and luxury appointments with neither feeling particularly out of place.
Swing the side-hinged barndoor tailgate out of the way and you get a moderate 297-litres of boot space, not the largest but if you fold the rear seats forward, you get 1263-litres, a near-flat floor and a hard-wearing surface to slide things across. Between the two front passengers, there's a sizeable storage compartment too with a cooling function to keep your drinks nice and chilly.
Comfort & Convenience
It's a rather radical departure from the traditional Defender that had electrics for the lights, horn, central locking and maybe fuel injection and could be repaired with little more than a set of pliers and some baling wire. But had the Defender evolved over the years as the rest of the world did, it would be right where it is today, as we see it before us.
Its main attraction is the Terrain Response 2 4x4 system with an assortment of electronic programs that the driver can select depending on what sort of surface they are on. It allows the experienced driver to alter the drivetrain parameters for rocks, mud, or snow and the wading feature sees to it that you can comfortably wade through water as deep as 900 mm. Those with a little less experience can leave the Terrain Response in Auto mode and allow the Defender to figure it out on its own.
No modern offering from JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) would be complete without the new Pivi Pro infotainment system and the unit in the Defender 90 doesn't disappoint. I'm particularly fond of the instant start-up provided by the unit's auxiliary power supply that ensures that your devices are connected the moment you sit down. This also allows you to make use of the myriad of camera dotted around the vehicle to help you park and indeed, navigate off-road trails with its offroad mode. This is particularly handy as it will show the area directly ahead of the bumper and also give you a view of each front wheel.
Performance
The D300 model that I was commandeering is powered by a 221 kW and 650 Nm 3.0-litre straight-six turbodiesel. Smooth and quiet, the engine was certainly the biggest surprise for me. It's rather capable of getting the Defender to hike its skirt and stretch its legs, bolting for the horizon in an effortless surge of power and torque. It was rather comical watching the nose rise like a speed boat when you thump the throttle and holding on as it sets off with a rather pleasant rumble.
This engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox with excellent programming. At no point in time did I long for a manual shifting option, be it via the selector or steering wheel paddles. This 'box just seemed to always know what gear you wanted and off-road it was even better. Smooth linear responses to throttle inputs made traversing uneven terrain an absolute breeze.
As previously mentioned, the drive is sent to all four wheels and this allows the Defender D300 to complete the standing sprint to 100 km/h in only 6.7-seconds. Ordinarily, it would take a long weekend to get a Defender 90 to the ton, but here we are, accelerating, stopping and turning as a 'real' car should.
Fuel Economy
While the claimed fuel consumption figure of 7.6 l/100km is perfectly acceptable, the real world figures range between 10-11 km/h. this cuts down on the claimed range from the 89-litre fuel tank of 1171 km to something considerably less. I will admit that the higher numbers stemmed from some off-road excursions where the average speed was barely more than a brisk walk. Nevertheless, the fuel consumption remains palatable and certainly didn't put me off of driving the Defender at every chance I could get. I genuinely enjoyed what the Defender offered and every drive felt like an occasion - the fuel bill is a small price to pay for that privilege.
Safety
In the old Defender, safety was making sure you applied sunblock. In the new Defender, you can be assured that it meets all the modern safety standards set out by the powers that be and the Defender presents a 5-star EuroNCAP rating with scores of 85% for both adult and child occupants.
There's the standard array of ABS, EBD, ESC and traction controls as well as a complement of 6 airbags and ISOfix mountings for child seats. The optional Driver's Pack further adds driver assistance systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control and Rear Collision Monitoring.
Price
While it may sound like the perfect solution for the outdoorsy individual, the Defender does not come cheap. Prices start at R1 175 904 for the Defender 90 P240 and you can max out the budget with the range-topping Land Rover Defender 110 V8 Carpathian Edition at a staggering R2 555 900. Admittedly, you will get two extra cylinders and two more doors for that price, but that's a lot of scratch for what was one the resilient farm machine.
Our test model carries a base price of R1 398 632 but that's before you throw several options at it, like the air suspension, Driver's Package, Signature Graphic, optional wheels and the likes. This sees the value of our test model just tipping the R1.5mil mark.
You will however get some peace of mind as the Defender is backed by a 5-year/100 000 km warranty and a 5-year/100 000 km maintenance plan - yes, peace of mind, strange feeling for a Defender owner!
Competitors
It's worth noting that the very vehicle that the Defender is based on also becomes one of its rivals, not that JLR will mind too much. The Discovery is just as capable, offers similar performance and options but looks a little more at home in the urban setting. There's also the Land Cruiser 300 to consider from Toyota as well as the Jeep Cherokee. A multitude of soft-roaders fit the bill and price tag too, but none of them oozes the rugged-cool that the Defender does.
Verdict
I am sorry. I take back all the nasty things I said about the Defender. It's inexplicably cool and a wonderful vehicle to drive, both on the road and off of it. It makes light work of any situation and walking up to it you can't help but bubble inside with the excitement of a 5-year old. That alone warrants the price tag. It may go wrong at some point, and frankly, I'd be disappointed if it didn't, because that's all part of the Land Rover Defender ownership experience. Or so I'm told.
