Likes
British heritage; hugely competent off-road; value-for-money
Dislikes
On-road dynamics; inconvenient in the city
Land Rover’s Most Luxurious Model Yet
Sold in Australia since 1949, the Land Rover Defender makes youngsters like the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol seem like lightweights.
Indeed wars have been fought and nations defended on the back of…well the Defender actually.
Land Rover’s Indian-based parent company plans to roll-out a replacement for the Defender some time in 2010, but in the meantime, Car Showroom was reacquainted with the current model 110 Wagon for a week – and the memories of our years living in England came flooding back.
While Toyota makes claims for the LandCruiser as being the 4WD of the Australian outback, the Defender is the 4WD of choice for country folk in the UK - even the Queen of England and her family drive them at Windsor Castle, Balmoral, etc.
What You Get
The current Defender is now powered by a Ford-sourced 2.4-litre common rail turbo-diesel engine – the same unit fitted to the Ford Transit commercial van.
Externally the new model is distinguished by a bulge on the bonnet - required to fit the Ford engine.
We tested the 110 Wagon fitted with the optional third seat row.
There have been upgrades for the interior and air-conditioning system, but otherwise it’s the Land Rover Defender as you know it – six-speed manual transmission, full-time 4WD, rubber floor mats and more quirky features than you can shake a stick at.
Like the Hummer H3, when purchasing a Land Rover Defender you’re buying into the total ‘experience’. In the case of the Defender that means absolutely the toughest, go-anywhere 4WD a private non-military person can buy. If you want luxury, prestige and the rest, your nearest Land Rover Dealer has the Freelander, Discovery and Range Rover for you to consider.
Under The Hood
Ford’s 2.4-litre common rail turbo-diesel engine is Euro4 compliant for consumption and exhaust emissions.
Land Rover required a few changes to make the engine suitable for the extreme off-road applications Defender owners take on. For example some components such as the air-conditioning compressor and alternator were moved upwards out of harm’s way – hence the bonnet bulge to squeeze all this in.
Maximum power is 90kW at 3500rpm and peak torque is 360Nm at 2000rpm although significantly, most of that torque is available in a wide spread between 1500rpm-2700rpm. By comparison, Nissan’s four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine fitted to the DX model Patrol delivers 118kW and 380Nm.
The 110 Wagon is no street racer but of course its real application is that wide torque spread which gives genuine stump-pulling, go-anywhere off-road ability.
In fact to match the new engine’s characteristics, Land Rover fitted a new six-speed manual gearbox with a wider spread of gear ratios.
Land Rover says the combined cycle fuel economy of the 110 Wagon is 11.1l/100kms.
The Interior
Looking at the current model Defender, Land Rover enthusiasts will immediately pick a new dashboard layout that borrows heavily from the Discovery 3 for gauges and controls for the audio system and air-conditioning system.
Yes Defender now has standard air-conditioning – the vent flaps below the windscreen have gone!
There is a single CD audio system but no iPod connectivity and new cloth-trimmed seats which are significantly more comfortable than in previous Land Rover Defenders.
But some things never change – the old-style handbrake lever is still too close to your left leg and entry/exit is still very difficult due to the high sides and no side steps. We actually found this quirkiness refreshing and labeled it ‘Land Rover sticking to its traditions’, but some of the younger Car Showroom team members were dumbfounded.
The individual third row seats are separate and sit next to the rear side windows with space between them to walk rearwards and access the cargo door. It’s an unusual layout that works well and all seven occupants have 3-point seatbelts. When not in use, the third row seats do consume some of the Defender’s cargo space.
Exterior & Styling
It’s a Land Rover Defender – nothing more to say here!
The 110 Wagon we tested was painted in a nice metallic blue color and featured a body-color roof and wheel arch flares.
Of course there is the familiar square front end which laughs at conventional slippery aerodynamics and the trademark roof-mounted ‘skylight’ windows that were a feature of the first Land Rover Discovery.
And naturally there is the trademark workman-like rear end and massive rear mudflaps.
On The Road
In its latest guise, the Defender 110 wagon has ABS anti-lock brakes and electronic traction control.
Drive is to all four wheels via the six-speed transmission and locking center differential. There is a dual-range transfer case for extreme off-road going.
The front and rear axles feature massive coil springs – to provide the huge range of wheel travel essential for success in tough off-road conditions.
Again recollections of the Hummer H3 spring to mind…
If you have no requirement for the Land Rover Defender’s off-road capability or towing capacity then you are simply buying this vehicle to reflect on its heritage and its ‘British-ness’.
Around suburban streets, the clutch, gearbox and steering are noticeably heavy. On the freeway, engine and road noise are quite loud and ride is harsh.
We also encountered a popular Melbourne CBD carpark sign-posted at 2.0-metres in height where the Defender almost hit it’s roof warning sign on the way in and we had to (embarrassingly) reverse out.
Off-road is where this baby shines. Of course many severe off-road challenges become a tyre test and Land Rover could make the Defender a little more quiet on-road by fitting road tyres – but that would limit its off-road capability and the defeat the whole purpose.
Challenges
It had been a few years since we’d driven the Defender and having tested the Hummer H3 just a week or so before, we were a little surprised at the Defender’s broad turning circle (tight turning circles and lots of steering lock are handy in extreme bush terrain).
And we were surprised by the carpark roof incident because that didn’t happen with the H3 – and we couldn’t recall it happening with previous Defenders we have driven.
Verdict
Clearly this is one of the world’s classic vehicles and we like it a lot.
We said we would happily purchase a Hummer H3 to buy into that American SUV storyline. Same principle with the Land Rover Defender – we like the ‘British-ness’ of this timeless design and for that reason we could live with its shortcomings.
But if you drive in the CBD with its traffic snarls, tight streets and restricted parking spots, with just a moderate amount of country work, the Defender might be hard going year-on-year.
As tested, our 110 wagon was priced at $50,990 (rrp $48,990 plus $2,000 option for the third-row seats) so buying into that British SUV style can be achieved for relatively good value-for-money.
A ‘Toorak Tractor’ for soccer mums this is not. The Land Rover Defender is a legendary, go-anywhere ‘Tough-with-a-capital-T’ off-roader that has carried the British Empire on its back for 60 years and survived that harshest the Australian outback can throw at it.
The Competition
Safe to say you wouldn’t shop the Defender against Porsche Cayenne or Audi Q7.
The Hummer H3 is a bit more expensive than the Defender but matches it for non-apologetic styling, driving dynamics and performance. In either car you’re buying into the legend.
As a workhorse, go anywhere vehicle, the basic models from Toyota – like the LandCruiser Troopy – Nissan Patrol and Mitsubishi Pajero must also be considered.
