I say avoid, but if you’ve been in this situation and have a convoy of vehicles,

you will get stuck. If you don’t, as they say, you’re not trying hard enough.

Despite our best efforts (or worst depending on how you look at it), the winches were used liberally, even needing to suck the lead car out after it had sunk deeply in the clay. Here, the 6.5 ton snatch load through the recovery points again pointed to the vehicle being a proper Defender.

Hours later, covered in mud and after a packed lunch, the long stretches of Namibian main roads beckoned towards Sesfontein and home base.

Some of the Namibian dirt roads are better than locally previously tarred roads, so using a heavy right foot when you’re behind the wheel in a vehicle loaded with electronic safety features becomes almost obligatory. On the long stretches of hard, smooth dirt, the Defender couldn’t get enough, and on long sweeping bends, a gentle drift had us asking for more.

The reality of driving like that though is that things get a bit hectic at the petrol pump, and after a day’s hard driving in low range in soft sand, mud, quicksand and hard and fast playing that saw the cars covered in plumes of water, consumption was almost touching on 30L/100km.

The previous day in the 240 diesel, consumption showed 23L/100km, slightly better considering again there was a lot of sand driving in low range.

When we pulled back to Opuwo Country Lodge, we had done almost 800km, the third rotation to have done so and another one 24 hours behind us.

Land Rover had built a full workshop with the latest equipment, including diagnostic equipment and a hoist to properly clean and service each vehicle. On their return to the UK, this would become the lodge’s laundry room.

What made this trip different is that because the Defenders were still pre-production units, technicians and engineers were constantly monitoring real-time live data and feeding it back to HQ in England where it would be analysed and changes made to the soft and hardware where necessary. There was nothing hidden from us or sanitised. That’s difficult when you’re up to your knees in mud and clay.

As an example: the tyre pressure monitor keeps blipping under a certain pressure, way more than you would normally drive on in sandy conditions, and this will be updated when production starts.

The engineers also picked up a small issue with gear changing when in sand mode, nothing noticeable when you drive, but a minor software tweak will improve it.

They also found that constant hard water driving would shorten the lifespan of the wheel arch protection material, so the guys in the workshop designed and built something on site which will end up on the finished product.

I’m happy to also report this Defender is now fitted with a sun visor that swings across to the side window. It has a very decent set of headlights, and your feet don’t get wet in the foot-well when the slightest bit of water, forging or rain, threatens.

When McGovern said he wanted to make this the best off-road vehicle that Land Rover had ever made, the team he surrounded himself with had the same mission, and they have done a sterling job that could not have been easy considering the heritage of the vehicle.

There is one nagging elephant in the room though that pertains to Land Rover’s reliability, perceived or real.

Orders for the new Defender are streaming in world wide. If those owners don’t have to resort to social media to vent their frustration and the engines, drive-trains, suspension, technology and overall quality are as enthusiastic and hard working as the the team that put it together, the Defender will again take its rightful place in the JLR stable.

And if you’re lucky enough to get to own one, please be lekker and continue to wave to your fellow Defender owners.

◆ Go to www.landrover.co.za for a comprehensive summary of the technical specifications,pricing and to build your own Defender.