Car of the Year and five star NCAP rating for new Defender
IF you care what Top Gear thinks then you might be interested to hear that the new Defender has secured both the overall Car of the Year and the Unstoppable Force award, adding to its 30 global accolades to date. Judges of the prestigious prize praised the new Defender for being one of the toughest vehicles on the road today, and a brilliant successor to the original iconic Land Rover. While it admits that the high price tag will put off the farming and rural community, it says its still one of the toughest, most capable off-roaders they’ve ever tested, and, at the same time a refined, well-equipped family car. We wouldn’t disagree there. To celebrate the achievement, Land Rover teamed up with the well-known motoring magazine to prove the structural toughness of the Defender’s D7x aluminium platform by suspending three standard 110s from a 60 metre crane solely through their towing eyes. Nothing went wrong and it was just as successful when it came to being assessed by the safety experts at NCAP, too, achieving a maximum five-star rating. New Defender scored 85 per cent for Adult and Child Occupant protection, 79 per cent for Safety Assist and achieved a 71 per cent score for Vulnerable Road Users.