CC doesn’t really do scoops or sneak previews, not least because there are no scoop shots left to publish on the Chevrolet Vega, Oldsmobile Cutlass or Hillman Minx. And you can argue that this is not a scoop shot anyway, since the new Land Rover Defender has been seen in public across the world, although not on CC in the flesh. As this was the first example I’d seen, about 40 miles from its development home in Gaydon, Warwickshire, I thought it worth sharing, and sharing a few thoughts.
First impressions count a lot – in people, in job interviews (both ways, incidentally), in houses, towns and restaurant dinners, and, of course, car showrooms and pubs. Given that, and the starting point of the new Defender as the successor to the old Defender and the inheritor of the one of the strongest (perhaps the strongest to many of us) off road vehicle pedigrees there is, the first impression was going to be vital and had to be good. The converse, of course, is the risk of being seen as a modern pastiche or facsimile of the original. They don’t always work – see VW Beetle, Ford Thunderbird and Mini Countryman for further information. Or closer to Gaydon, the folk history of the Jaguar S Type and Rover 75.
So, what was my first impression of the new Defender? Well, I spotted it, even in “hide me black” without being caught by any gargoyles. The stance is there – strong, square, planted but also contemporary. At the front, the traditional raised bonnet is there, as are the reinforced wing tops, or at least a nod to them, as the inlays are plastic not checkerplate. The bluff Defender nose is there too but looking considerably more modern and cohesive than anything seen before, and linking to the Discovery 3 (LR3) whilst looking a bit tougher. The black colour hides some of the details, especially around the base cladding and on the C pillar, where the body panels would normally show clearly.
Working backwards, the side profile is recognisably Defender, though clearly it’s bigger, and the rear even more so.
The absolutely vertical tail, the Alpine roof lights, the lip on the window line, the side hinged door and external spare wheel (I suspect lifting that spare wheel up is a two man job) are spot on to the old car, and underline the functional nature of the whole vehicle.
The rear lights look like the 1950s lights of the Defender, brought bang up to date.
Land Rover Defender 110 Interior
A quick look through the window showed a cabin that is clearly designed to look sturdy and modern, with a strong practical, almost industrial vibe coming through. Again, Land Rover, but up to date.
To me, that is what the whole car is though. It has been said that this Defender is what the Land Rover Series 1 or 2 would have become if they had been developed as the Porsche 911 has been for nigh on 60 years, and I think it pulls that off. Its grown in size like the 911 as well – the 110 has a wheelbase of 120 inches and is 18 inches longer than the old model
Questions have been asked as to where this vehicle fits in the Land Rover range. It is clearly more sophisticated, likely more comfortable and probably ultimately more capable than the old Defender, and also considerably more expensive. This car, with the 2.0 litre diesel, black paint and 20 inch alloy wheels would retail for around £47,000.00, which is to going into Discovery territory. Is the Defender going to cannibalise Discovery sales, which have been down over recent years?
I can’t tell you that for sure, but my hunch is that as the Defender has moved upscale, the Discovery will too. Already, the current Discovery 5 is trimmed and equipped like a Range Rover was just recently, and without the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport could easily be sold as a credible full upscale SUV. If the next Range Rover, due in 2021, and from 2022 with electric power options, moves in the same way as every Range Rover has for the last 40 years, there’ll be plenty of space for the Discovery to move into, and let the Defender take the slot the original Discovery used to hold, of the vehicle that bridged the utility, practical and comfort conundrum.
As I wrote this piece, the first driving impressions of the new car appeared in the UK press and websites. The impressions seem to be very positive (though we must caution about a certain amount of national interest), providing you need the capability the car can offer.
Let’s see what happens. Initial orders are said to be better than expected. And my first impression is that this is a modern Land Rover Defender.
A Land Rover Defender 110 has a wheelbase of 120 inches? Why not call it a Land Rover Defender 120? Didn’t the Land Rover 88 become the Defender 90 and the Land Rover 109 become the Defender 110? Maybe Tata is having a laugh. From most angles it looks like an early RAV4 and a Geo Tracker had a baby. I guess you can’t offer to put the spare on the hood when it would block most of the view.
I suspect after the attention-deprived get theirs it will all be for naught anyway. When I moved in here a year and a half ago, I had a neighbor with three models from the Range Rover line that were in the age range of vehicles being leased. Lately, they’ve been replaced by Teslas, although there is no legitimate way to charge them here. I saw one parked illegally by the power hookups for my boat slip, but didn’t think to look at whether or not they were stealing power. Should that be the case, hilarious hijinks will ensue.
Who still buys these anyway? What an irrelevant vehicle and company, everyone from Audi to Toyota is pumping out similar SUVs. What makes this so unique aside from the name, large sticker price and sub-par reliability.
Pic 3 looks like an enlarged Kia Soul.
Sorry for the rant and nothing against your write up. Just my thoughts. Maybe someone can enlighten me.
It’s another choice in the marketplace. No reason for you to be rude about it. If it doesn’t interest you at all, then move on to the next post or a different site, no need to leave a comment about it.
Only Jeep and Toyota make similar SUV’s. Maybe the Mercedes G Class, although it’s larger and even more expensive, and Nissan, though the Patrol isn’t sold worldwide in any numbers. Now whether or not people will use the new Defender as a serious 4wd, as Jeeps and 4Runners are used in the MidEast and the America’s, is another question, but certainly it’s irrelevant to compare this vehicle with anything from Audi, Porsche, BMW etc. I’ll almost certainly never own one but I like it and think JLR has hit the nail on the head with this one.
Oh boy, where to begin. First, the shame of admitting that I like it. The looks, the capability, the interior design, the rear-mounted spare, the probable on road demeanor. I’m fine with the independent rear suspension as well; I don’t think I’d exceed its capabilities in the type of off road driving I do. I wish my 4Runner were styled less like a cartoon monster and more like this. Once it has been on the Rover showroom floor for awhile, I will be certain to waste a salesperson’s time by test driving one.
It will be a waste of the salesperson’s time because I would ever buy one despite it being a near perfect on-paper match for me. Vehicles capable of taking you far from the pavement also need to be capable of getting you back out. The amount of technology employed by this vehicle, from the electronics to the airbag suspension, would worry me–doubly so because of who made them.
I have other nitpicks. This vehicle is quite large: several inches wider than the 4Runner that I think has hit the maximum usable width on tight two-tracks, every bit as long, slightly heavier, yet has nearly 30% less cargo capacity behind the second row. With the two liter turbo four this is no quicker than the 4Runner, which is disappointing for a luxury-branded vehicle.
The $50K starting price isn’t absurd in the world of $50K TRD Pro 4Runners, but do not check any option boxes or look at the next trim level or you will hit $60K very quickly. The optional “Accessory Packs” are hilarious in their frippery and extortionary price tags. Check out the $4800 Explorer Pack and see if you can find anything worth five thousand dollars.
Finally, I have no idea what Land Rover resale values are doing, but I’d be concerned this will be a vehicle you can’t depend on long-term, but will take a bath on if you sell it within 5 years. I wouldn’t want to lease my overlanding vehicle.
I suppose I don’t fall within the targeted demographic, because if I were suddenly possessed by the urge to trade in my 2016 on a new $50K 4×4, I would upgrade to a loaded Off Road Premium 4Runner with KDSS and still be five grand ahead, right up front.
Well said, I agree although in my case I prefer a pickup to SUV; I’d take a 4Runner too. I’m not sure a few inches of width make a huge difference though, as in my experience there are places where any vehicle would benefit from being a few inches narrower. Or, conversely, a good driver could squeeze through in a slightly wider vehicle. But overall Land Rover seems to design more for wide open spaces than for American-style rock-crawling, which is fine. Here’s a good video review by an American.
https://youtu.be/Dgx_RDTLpwQ
I read that review by Expedition Portal, it’s quite good and removed any doubt about the new Defender’s stock capabilities.
And I agree that a few inches rarely makes a big difference and probably wouldn’t with this LR, but some of the best roads for getting away from people in my area are the two-tracks that are too narrow for full size pickups and used more by ATVs and side-by-sides. My 4Runner is barely able to get down some of these (whereas the old first-gen Tacomas were perfect) and I get more brush scratches than I’d like. So I don’t want anything wider!
I think “a modern pastiche or facsimile of the original” and “designed to look sturdy” just about sums it up.
Overall, I like it. My gripes are few: I could have done without the simulated diamond plate on the fender/wing tops, I expected a bit more British elegance from the front end, and those taillights look perfectly engineered to become invisible in daytime because of accumulations of road dust and dirt getting sucked into the indentations.
I really like the dash design and the overall shape. Does it still come with a V8 engine option? What would a Range Rover be without that old aluminum V8? I doubt that I could deal with the price, but I think it is a nice update, overall.
I love the British way of subtly labeling the vehicle as “Prototype vehicle” instead of slathering it with urban camo to fool the photographers.
Turbo four or turbo six only, in 2.0 & 3.0L displacements. Why have an eight when you can force feed a four?
A force-fed four? Has anyone yet taken to calling a turbocharged four a fore gras yet? If not, I call it. 🙂
Brilliant!
I will now!
LWB Landie was 107 then 109 the 110 now 120, my how youve grown, I guess it will do all the normal Landrover things that other off roader fail at on the special courses Landrover used to set up, all very carefully designed so that only a Landrover could complete a circuit all the weaknesses in other brands were known and exploited.
Still has a PSA/Ford diesel engine I think that must have been part of the sale contract from Ford.
This has the JLR Ingenium diesel 4 cylinder or petrol 6, built in Wolverhampton. No more Ford built engines at JLR now, or V8 in the Land Rover
I’m pretty sure that in the US the options are gas (petrol) turbo 4 or a mild hybrid 6 cylinder. A straight 6 no less!
Ford hasnt built its own diesel since it went into the joint venture with PSA all Ford cars including Jaguar under Ford management and Land/Range rover used PSA engines, even the Aussie Territory had the 2.7 PSA diesel but with single turbo until its demise.
I agree with the poster who said this looks like an overgrown Kia Soul. Particularly in that front 3/4 view. From the back it looks like a Kia Soul that has undergone some back yard repairs with the sheet metal and trailer lights they found lying around.
The 3/4 halo headlights also make it look seriously dated.
I quite like this – but NOT as a “Defender”.
Why are the wheelarches flared ? Did the chassis engineers widen the track without telling the body engineers ? If so then the flares should be screwed on plastic parts so that they can be easily replaced if damaged.
Why are the right and left headlamps different ? Why are they Land-Rover specific ? They should be standard 7″ round lights.
This looks like a vehicle that has been styled to look good, rather than looking good because it is functional.
> This looks like a vehicle that has been styled to look good, rather than looking good because it is functional.
Exactly. Unsurprising, but disappointing nonetheless.