DRIVE: 1ST DRIVE LAND ROVER DEFENDER
CAN A NEW DEFENDER LIVE UP TO THE NAME THAT WAS BUILT UP OVER 70 YEARS OF LAND ROVER HISTORY? WE HEAD TO NAMIBIA’S WILD WEST COAST TO DRIVE THE NEW MODEL AND FIND OUT.
Forget everything you’ve come to know about the Land Rover Defender over the past decades. In fact, forget Defender all together and ignore the lettering across the front of this new model. Let’s just call it the new Land Rover.
Why, you ask? Because comparing this new Land Rover to any model that came before it is irrelevant. The L663 Land Rover bares no commonalities to the Defender and Series models of the past, save for a few token style elements that pay homage to the classic models.
What we have here is an all-new Land Rover that applies the brand’s ‘Breadth of capability’ slogan to a nameplate that was essentially a commercial vehicle. To do this Land Rover had to retain the go-anywhere off-road ability of the model with vastly improved on-road dynamics and manners. While other recent new Land Rovers have laid on the luxury to extend their breadth in that direction, the L663 is all about practicality and everyday usefulness to appeal to more buyers at a more affordable price point.
When the new L663 Defender arrives in Australia in August as the 110 wagon it will start at $69,990 for the entry level D200 and run through a nine-variant range to the $137,100 X P400. The short wheelbase Defender 90 will arrive later in the year and is expected to reflect a similar model range at a $3-5K lower price point.
The model range includes three engine variants: two versions of the 2.0-litre diesel in the D200 and D240, plus the 3.0-litre sixcylinder turbocharged petrol P400. We’re yet to see a full list of features and equipment but it will be interesting to see the difference between a $70K one and a $140K version of the same vehicle. Notable is that none of the new Defenders will come with full carpets … even at $140K! If you want something a bit more refined over the vinyl floors, carpet mats will be available from the dealer.
It’s hard not to draw comparisons with the old Defenders and the 90 and 110 designations refer to the three-door short wheelbase and five-door long wheelbase wagons which respectively ride on 2587 and 3022mm wheelbases; not quite the 90 and 110 inches from where they take their names. Like all modern Land Rovers, the L663 rides on an aluminium monocoque chassis with independent, height-adjustable air suspension. Some lower spec variants will be offered with coil springs but most new Defenders will ride on air and it’s the height adjustability that allows them to maintain their off-road ability.
While the aluminium platform, dubbed D7X, is derived from the D7U platform that underpins the Range Rover and Discovery models, it is significantly tougher employing steel instead of alloy sub-frames to mount the suspension to the chassis, which in turn employ larger bushes, knuckles and other components for enhanced durability over tough terrain.
The D110 is a large wagon that can be equipped with third-row seating. A novel option is a centre ‘jump’ seat for the front row to allow three across up front so the 110 can be configured as a five-, six- or seven-seat vehicle. The jump seat comes as the Defender will be offered in some markets (not in Australia) as a commercial vehicle with only front seats, with panelled sides instead of windows, and riding on coil springs.
The cabin itself is much more user friendly than anything that has borne the Defender badge in the past. For starters it’s wider so the driver’s right arm doesn’t have to reside outside the cabin and you won’t have a handbrake digging into your left leg and the door handle into your right. The cabin is spacious, open and airy throughout its big glasshouse including the ‘alpine’ windows in the roof that are a nod to the past designs.
Another bit of nostalgia is the dash which incorporates the shelf and grab handle that will be familiar to anyone who has spent time in an old Land Rover. It’s fitted into a modern dash with a small, by modern Land Rover standards, screen for satnav, audio and other displays, while a stubby transmission shifter protrudes from a small panel of switches.
The only transmission offered is an eightspeed automatic with no manual gearbox option. Four-wheel drive is full-time with high and low range and auto locking centre and rear diffs, and Terrain Response 2 is standard. TR2 is now programmable for each setting so you can dial in and save your preferences