DEFENDER OF THE FAITH

Land Rover’s reimagined icon blends unrivalled off-road abilities with a modern driving experience, writes Matt Allan

You have to feel sorry for the team behind the new Land Rover Defender. They were essentially told to go and reimagine one of the most iconic, best-loved vehicles of the last 60 years and make sure it kept the old fans happy while appealing to the discerning 21st-century buyer.

Personally, I’d have run for the hills but they are made of sterner stuff and what you see before you is the fruits of their labours – a car designed to evoke memories of the old one, match its envious reputation as a 4x4 and offer a refined, comfortable modern driving experience.

From the outside, the thinking is clear–emulate but modernise. The looks a red ivisive but they’ve grown on me a huge amount since the first images appeared, and in the metal it works. There’ s an overly-styled Tonka toy vibe about it but it’s been done with commitment and consistency that make it irresistible. The chunky, almost car to onish aesthetic has been followed through everywhere and it feels like a cohesive design package, not a gimmicky homage. But it definitely is a homage, from the bluff upright front end and rubberised grab handle on the dash to the tailgate-mounted spare tyre and tiny LED tail lights, this is meant to evoke memories of the old icon. It’s a cynical ploy but it’s so well executed that it’s hard to dislike.

The interior is as focused on emitting the rugged image as the exterior. There are exposed screw heads, heaps of open rubber-lined storage pockets, rubber floor mats and a tough part-leather, part woven textile upholstery that feels a lot more utilitarian than anything else in the Land Rover range. But there is also shared switchgear with other JLR vehicles that means this still feels like a 21st-century product. That’s emphasised by features such as the six cleverly placed USB sockets and the new internet- connected 10 -inch Pivo Pro infotainment system.

Sadly, some of the materials, especially the lesser-noticed ones, don’t match the rugged image. A small example but the sor t of thing that’s likely to break is the tablet mount/ charging point in the back of the seats. It is a nice idea but the unit is made of thin, brittle plastic that doesn’t feel made to last.

Likewise the optional sidepod luggage holder which looks good but feels very flimsy.

I don’t want to get too hung up on comparing this model to the old car – it’s been four years since that old thing was killed off and although the name remains everything else is new. That said, this is a far bigger beast than the old one – longer, taller and wider. In some ways that’s a blessing. It means you’ve got somewhere to put your arms, for a start, and gives you a commanding view of the world around you. But it also means the car feels unwieldy on the narrow rural roads intended to be its home and trying to squeeze through countryside villages or twisty off-road trails can leave you fearing for the paintwork.

The extra size does, however, contribute to stellar practicality. In the tested five-seat version there’s loads of space in every direction in every seat. Things will get a bit cramped if you go for the optional front jump seat but if you choose the armrest/storage bin there’s loads of room on top and a deep well inside. There are storage and charging points left right and centre and the boot’ s a

healthy 646 litres, expanding to as much as 2,380l, with a deep, wide opening and tough rubber flooring. Towing capacity is 3,500kg and the Defender has a max payload of 900kg, including up to 300kg on the roof. The flat, broad windscreen and thin upright A pillars mean forward visibility is great and the large glasshouse all around makes it far easier to see out of than many modern cars.

That’s a huge help on road but also away from the Tarmac, where the Defender is imperious thanks to smart physical design and a wealth of digital assistants.

A lot of engineering work went into ensuring the Defender is the most capable car Land Rover has ever produced. Overhangs are short, ground clearance is high and a flat underbody protects components as well as improving aerodynamics. For stats geeks, the new Defender has approach, breakover and departure angles of 38 degrees, 28 degrees and 40 degrees respectively, can climb a 45- degree slope and wade through 900 mm of water. With adaptive air suspension, it offers up to 291mm of ground clearance and 500mm of suspension articulation. In other words, this is still a proper 4x4.

At the wheel, the manual transmission and low-range shift levers are gone, replaced with a touchscreen and the very latest version of Land Rover’sterrain Response 2 system. This uses dozens of sensors, cameras and a tonne of computing power to observe, measure and adapt to whatever surroundings you are in. There are drive modes for everything from gravel trails to sand dunes, rocky hillsides and wading. Each adapts the throttle, braking and traction control as well as the eight-speed automatic transmission with high and low range, lockable centre and rear diffs, and the optional air suspension. The Defender is also the first Land Rover to let you configure your own settings for Terrain Response if you think you know better than the computer.

That configurability will go some way to appeasing oldschool off-roaders who want manual control over every element but the technology is so adept that virtually anybody could be let loose in auto mode without fear of getting stuck. That’s something we proved during several hours over the muddy h i l l s i d e s a n d r o c k y woodland trails of Highland Perthshire which the Defender soaked up with barely a shrug.

If Land Rover was determined to maintain the old Defender’s off-road abilities, it was equally determined not to emulate its on-road behaviour. The old one was noisy, unrefined, heavy and didn’t “do” handling.

Happily, on the road it’s light ye a r s a h e a d o f t h e o r i g i n a l and you could easily use it ever y day and on long runs. The refinement and noise insulation is good, the ride is comfor table and the handling is acceptable. There’s still some lean but you learn to adapt to that. However, it’s not a huge lot better than the best of the current pick-ups. Something like the Ford Ranger is just as quiet and the Ranger and curr e n t Mi t s u b i s h i L 2 0 0 b o t h come close to the Land Rover in terms of body control. And if you buy a Defender expecting the refinement and handling of a “regular” SUV you’ll be disappointed. This is not a match for the BMW X5, Mercedes GLE or Volvo XC90.

But it’s not meant to be. The Defender straddles an odd middle ground between the schoolrun SUVS and “proper” utilitarian 4x4s. It’s too comfortable, high-tech, trendy and expensive to compete with workhorse pick-up trucks but it’s more rugged and capable but less refined than the large SUVS that’ll never get a wheel dirty.

“The off-road technology is so adept that anybody could be let loose without fear of getting stuck”.