Land Rover Defender

Land Rover Defender at a glance

The DC100 (Defender Concept 100) first appeared at the Frankfurt motor show in autumn 2011, and eight years later the production model arrived. Deliveries of the five-door 110 began in early 2020, the three-door 90 followed later that year, and the 130 added an extended rear overhang and three rows of seats. The Defender is built at Jaguar Land Rover's plant in Nitra, Slovakia, which opened in October 2018. More of the brand's range is in our Land Rover catalogue, and its story is told in the history of the British Land Rover brand.

Exterior

Many people know the old Defender for its rugged, boxy shape. The new generation looks completely different and thoroughly modern, with far fewer of its predecessor's details. The 90 and 110 differ only in their side view; front and rear are identical.

The front has little in common with other Land Rover models. The designers deliberately cut off the top of the headlights to give the car a sterner look. Every version has LED lights with large round daytime running-light signatures, and higher trims get matrix LED headlights. Two square elements beside each headlight act as indicators. The grille is either body-coloured or black plastic depending on the version, with fog lights at the corners of the bumper and the traditional badge on the right of the grille. The bonnet has a raised central section with textured inserts and the Defender name on its leading edge, and gas struts hold it in any position. The rounded windscreen replaces the old flat one and has a reinforcing film designed to withstand impacts from heavy objects at up to 100 km/h.

From the side, a lot depends on the body and version. An optional side-mounted gear carrier can be fitted on one side and an aluminium ladder on the other, and all the mounting points are built in even if the accessories are not ordered. A raised air intake on the driver's side draws air from high up and filters it before it reaches the engine. Black plastic cladding, mesh vents in the front wings, aluminium side steps and the traditional "Alpine" windows along the roof edges complete the look. The square mirrors have heating, electric adjustment, power folding and memory, and can be set to dip when reversing. Wheels range from 18-inch steel wheels to 18- to 22-inch alloys, in around ten designs.

At the rear sits a full-size spare wheel on a side-hinged tailgate, which is very practical off-road. The tailgate is made of aluminium and has a position lock like the bonnet, solving the old problem of the door sagging under the weight of the spare. The square LED tail lights are set into the body for protection.

Interior and practicality

Although the Defender is built for rough terrain, the cabin is far from basic, with quality fabrics, two types of plastic, real leather and metal trim. The driver has a four-spoke steering wheel with a thin rim and many buttons, behind which sits a 12.3-inch digital instrument display. The centre console is clean, with two large vents at the top, a 10-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen with all modern functions and the climate controls, which flow into the structural cross-beam of the dashboard. The large tunnel has many storage pockets, an accessory and charging panel, cupholders and a big armrest with a cool box inside.

The Defender can carry five or seven people (the 110 can even have a front centre seat), with comfortable seats in fabric or leather; heating, extra side support and electric adjustment are available. There are four USB ports and plenty of power sockets. Load space is 1,075 litres in the 110 and 397 litres in the 90, rising to 2,380 and 1,563 litres respectively with the rear seats folded, and the floor is flat. Because the tailgate opens sideways, it is not power-operated.

Engines and transmission

The Ingenium diesels use turbocharging and common-rail injection. Diesel versions use about 7.7–9.5 l/100 km on the combined cycle. The P400 has an electric supercharger, direct injection and variable valve timing on both camshafts, plus a 48-volt mild-hybrid system with a starter-generator and a separate battery for energy recovery; it uses at least 9.9 l/100 km.

Every version uses a ZF eight-speed automatic - there is no manual any more - and permanent four-wheel drive with a lockable centre differential and a two-speed transfer case. An active locking rear differential is optional. Terrain Response 2 offers modes for sand, mud and ruts, snow, rocks and wading. Depending on the engine, 0–100 km/h takes 6.1 to 10.3 seconds and top speed is 175–208 km/h depending on version.

Chassis and off-road ability

There is no separate chassis any more, but the Defender has lost none of its strength. The all-aluminium D7x architecture uses a monocoque body with a longitudinal engine, and Land Rover says it is three times stiffer in torsion than traditional body-on-frame designs. Suspension is independent all round, with double wishbones at the front and a multi-link rear; the 110 has air suspension as standard, while the 90 can have coil springs or air. Steering is rack-and-pinion with electric assistance and a variable ratio.

Four-cylinder versions have twin-piston front calipers with 349 mm ventilated discs and 325 mm rear discs; six-cylinder versions have opposed-piston front calipers with 363 mm discs and 350 mm rear discs.

With air suspension, ground clearance is 218 mm in the normal setting and 291 mm in off-road mode, with up to 70 mm more available briefly in an emergency, while the body drops to 168 mm for loading. The 110 has an approach angle of 38°, a breakover angle of 28° and a departure angle of 40°, and it can wade through 900 mm of water. Wade Sensing uses sensors to show the water depth on the screen and dries the brakes afterwards.

Safety and equipment

Standard and optional systems include six airbags, the ClearSight rear-view mirror that uses a camera image, Wi-Fi with 4G LTE, adaptive Terrain Response, adjustable suspension, hill descent control, low-speed adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, digital instruments, navigation, wireless charging, remote smartphone functions, SOS calling, matrix headlights, emergency braking, parking sensors, lane-keeping assist, driver-fatigue monitoring, traffic-sign recognition, a surround-view camera and blind-spot monitoring. Depending on the market, the basic Defender 110 already has six airbags, 18-inch steel wheels, LED lights, heated front seats, air suspension, dual-zone climate control and the 10-inch infotainment system, while higher trims add a sliding panoramic roof, 20-inch wheels, adaptive cruise control, matrix headlights, leather, ventilated massage front seats, a Meridian audio system and the active rear differential.

Strengths and weaknesses

The new Defender looks tough and modern, has a comfortable, high-tech cabin, strong engines and serious four-wheel-drive hardware, and is far more pleasant in town than the old model. Some traditionalists criticised the radical departure from the original concept, but its off-road ability is not in question. Rivals include the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol.