Land Rover Defender
REPORT 8
£51,295 OTR/£74,146 as tested/£1,004pcm
WHY IT’S HERE
To live the life most Defenders can only dream of
DRIVER
Ollie Marriage
REMEMBER SPEED? THIS ISN’T A REFLECTION ON THE DIESEL performance but the film Keanu Reeves was stuck on a bus with a bomb that would blow up if the bus’s speed dropped below mph I’m south of Lyon heading for the coast alongside the entire population of France and from random observation most of the Netherlands They’re the ones with caravans
The aircon’s been playing up since we arrived at the Eurotunnel yesterday Haven’t been able to put my finger on exactly what’s going on though Until now Above mph I get cool air Not as cold as it should be but way more acceptable than what happens when we run into yet another bouchon C outside and there’s only hot air coming through the vents Legs and arms start to stick to trim then the surfaces become too hot to touch We can’t even speak water supplies run low You don’t even give aircon a thought until it’s gone do you?
So we’re on back roads trying to maintain momentum Fine through the green bits but even a brief slow jaunt through a small village is enough to have the cabin temp spiking Airflow through the engine bay seems to be key I get Land Rover Assist involved and they find me a slot at a dealer in St Raphael in two days’ time
It’s not pleasant but we adapt all is fine early in the morning we park in the shade and lift the bonnet at lunchtimes It’s irritating but we cope The dealer has it diagnosed and fixed in a jiffy Overpressurised aircon That’s it?! That’s what’s been causing all the heat frayed tempers and hassle? It is simple as that
From that point on the Defender clearly on its best behaviour doesn’t miss a beat And we have such a good time with it Three paddleboards on the roofrack three of us sitting across the front shoulders jostling We bumble around to village markets hidden beaches and then off to the Alps where it carries ebikes and investigates remote lakes It shrugs off wet cossies and sandy feet rubber mats for the win wears the dirt and dust with pride There’s a churning chunky honesty to it
It’s not efficient We manage just mpg over miles reckon the stuff on the roof knocked at least mpg off And getting into the back seats is awkward enough that the generous space back there doesn’t fully appease The ladder and outside locker remain frustratingly flawed pieces of design Land Rover should have got Thule involved The BackSpace XT tow bar box is a revelation Easy to use great quality and design clips easily onto a tow bar bike rack is lockable and at litres far more than doubles
the Defender’s litre load bay And because it tilts you can use it with the side hinged tailgate
Yeah the requires more planning than the but that makes it more part of the adventure And the issues? They haven’t dented my relationship with the LR I love it it tries its best a goofy Labrador of a car It wants to be a good boy but sometimes it gets it wrong Luckily for Land Rover it’s too lovable for me to remain angry with it for long