Hard not to like

‘CHEAP’ DEFENDER IS THE ONE YOU WILL WANT...

The V8 is the most desirable model in the Land Rover Defender range – but at £100k it’s also the most unattainable. The coolest, however, is the cheapest. And we’ve been testing it over the last few days.

Essentially, our car is the commercial version of Land Rover’s new star – but as a nod to the optional hard top that was available for the 1950s Series One Land Rover, JLR has christened this machine, you’ve guessed it, the Hard Top.

You can buy it in both long (110) and short (90) wheelbase versions. We’re testing the 110 which, in traditional Land Rover blue with a white top and white steel wheels, is very nearly as sexy as the 90.

Here’s what you get in the Hard Top, or more accurately, what you don’t: the rear seats have been removed and instead you get a completely flat load area.

You can fit a Euro pallet into the back of the 110, or 2,000 litres of luggage, which is allowed to weigh up to 800kg.

We drove to Kent and put a small hazelnut tree in the back.

There’s also plenty of underfloor storage available, accessed through two flaps in the top which are sturdy and well made, and two lockable side doors which aren’t.

A useful place to stash your shotguns out of view. Or chainsaw.

The Hard Top is available with a mild hybrid six-cylinder diesel engine that displaces three litres.

It comes in three different power outputs from 200PS, 250PS to 300PS. Ours wears a D250 badge on its tailgate, indicating that it’s the middle-of-the-range motor.

The 200PS engine is only available in the 90 and I suspect it does a pretty decent job in that smaller and lighter Defender.

The Hard Top 110 has an official combined fuel consumption of 29.5mpg. But if there is a fuel panic/ shortage going on and you can’t be bothered to join an enormous queue, this can be improved on by some careful thinking ahead and lightness of the right foot. We managed mid 30s with such an approach.

We didn’t drive the Hard Top off road but JLR assures us it’s every bit as competent as all the other Defenders in the range.

You can specify air suspension on the 110 which increases the ground clearance.

And while it’s hard to imagine the owner of a £100k Defender V8 daring to take his or her car off road, I can imagine the owner of a Hard Top doing so.

This motor will appeal to farmers as a working vehicle that is also comfortable enough for long trips on motorways.

When you’re driving the Hard Top you’ll hardly know you aren’t in one of the posh regular Defenders because the cabin is identical.

The only difference is when you peer over your shoulder and see the grille that prevents piglets, tools or in our case, hazelnut trees, from

whacking you in the back of the head. No Defender is cheap but the Hard Top is the most affordable especially if you’re VAT registered.

Our test car costs £41,968 plus VAT but had a few options that rather cranks the price up. The Tasman Blue paint would be hard to say no to for £895, and the front jump seat which gives three abreast sitting has to be had for £815.

The Land Rover Defender Hard

Top might be an expensive way to move materials and clobber, but show me a rival that’s more stylish.