New Rover Defender is ready to conquer all in its path
spare wheel mounted traditionally on the rear.
Inside it is a car for today. The old model could be uncomfortable and not always an easy drive but this new 110 Defender (with the longer wheelbase) is nothing like that with a formidable suspension. The seats are comfortable, practical and durable, with the option of five, six or seven. There are easily cleaned and wiped down surfaces and this Defender also comes with a huge amount of tech. The dash is clean and, thankfully, devoid of hundreds of buttons and switches, yet it takes the mere touch of a finger to access sat nav, driver aids or infotainment on the new Pivi Pro system. The simplicity ethos of the original Defender thankfully remains. Fortunately, the gearbox does not and the new model comes with an excellent automatic gearbox with a Sport option, which you can also use in manual. I drove the 2.0-litre diesel version, although it also comes as a mild hybrid petrol and a PHEV.
The diesel Ingenium engine was quiet and powerful as we drove through the Perthshire countryside. Then we took the Defender off-road, which is where you realise just how able this car is. It is really stiff and very strong with a multitude of modes – grass, snow and gravel, mud and ruts, rock claw, sand, comfort. That’s why people buy this car… to push it to the limit.
It may look plush but underneath it has a heart of steel. What is more, you can see through its beating heart thanks to cameras around the Defender – and there’s the rear-view mirror feed which comes as a video.
The 110 wheelbase is now joined by a shorter Defender 90 with a choice of half a dozen trims, along with the opportunity to customise vehicles with accessory packs such as Explorer, Adventure, Country and Urban.
A tough commercial vehicle is also available and you can even specify your Defender with an optional folding roof.
All models come with all-wheel drive and Land Rover boasts that tests on this car have gone above and beyond the normal range for SUVs. Prototypes have covered more than 1.2million kilometres, from deserts to the Arctic.
It is more than 70 years since the first Defender straddled our hills and glens but this model shows its mettle pitched up against any challenge – a new tool in the armoury of the Atholl men.