Hunters Land Rover | Range Rover

DEFENDER OF THE FAITH

With an uprated diesel engine, the latest Land Rover Defender goes on the offensive. Andy Enright reports

Ten Second Review

The Land Rover Defender is one of those iconic cars that almost everyone recognises. It's hardly changed - visually at least - in over half a century, though under the skin, this is actually far more of a hi-tech vehicle than you might expect. Its status as one of the world's ultimate 4x4 go-anywhere workhorses remains however, further enhanced by the introduction of a more powerful 2.4-litre 122bhp diesel engine.

Background

Land Rover customers are some of the most demanding and knowledgeable of any car marque. Most will put up with any kind of lifestyle stylings applied to the Freelander, Discovery and Range Rover lines as long as nobody messes with the Defender, the vehicle better known to most as the definitive 'Land Rover.' That wish has been granted but it hasn't stopped Land Rover from making substantial upgrades to the vehicle over the years. The latest Defender features a superior diesel engine and gearbox and a whole host of detail improvements.

As nearly everyone knows, the car was originally developed as an agricultural vehicle out of post-war necessity. Rover engineering boss Maurice Wilks wanted a 4x4 for his farm. So he built one, using aluminium rather than steel (rationed at the time). In this way the `Landy` legend was born. More than 1.5 million Land Rover vehicles have been produced since the original was launched in 1948 but all stem from that genesis.

Driving Experience

There can certainly be no complaints about ditching the old Td5 powerplant in favour of a 2.4-litre four-cylinder diesel that offers a similar 122bhp power output but which trounces the old powerplant when it comes to torque. Where the Td5 managed a peak of 221lb/ft, the latest engine is significantly brawnier, offering up a full 265lb/ft serving. What's more, that figure is delivered at a mere 2,000rpm, with at least 232lb/ft available in a broad sweep from 1,500rpm to 2,700rpm. This means that the lugging power of your Land Rover has been markedly improved. You won't need to snatch a gear change when trying to accelerate away when towing and climbing up steep off-road inclines will require less of a run up.

The boost in off-road performance is reason enough for the fitment of this engine but even the most leathery backcountry diehards won't begrudge a little more on-road refinement and driveability. The six-speed gearbox offers an even lower first ratio which can really capitalise on the improved torque, while sixth gear has been stretched out to offer cruising ability which doesn't require passengers to converse via loud hailers.

Design and Build

There's been an improvement to the Defender's notoriously utilitarian facia, this model now featuring a single large moulding supported on a robust steel rail. It's still not something you'd mistake for an Audi Q7 part but it is a lot better at eliminating the sort of twitters and squeaks that made the old Defender's interior sound like an audio track for Bill Oddie's Wildwatch. Instruments have been filched from the Discovery3 production line and there are numerous ergonomic advantages. A passenger side grab handle offers two-handed support during gnarly off-road manoeuvres, while there is also a lot more useable stowage. Two console options are offered: a practical open tray design that keeps contents handy or a lidded design that offers 14-litres of storage out of harm's way.

Improved front seats and ventilation are fitted, as well as upgraded audio systems. The in-car entertainment systems have been augmented to take advantage of Defender's improved refinement. For the first time, high-mounted tweeters are available in Defender and work in conjunction with the revised speaker installation for significantly improved clarity and sound reproduction. An auxiliary/MP3 audio input socket is also available. The facia now houses a beefed up heating and ventilation system that warms the cabin 40 per cent quicker than before and can achieve cabin temperatures a full 12°C higher. The air-conditioning system can cool the cabin in half the time of the old unit, and achieve cabin temperatures 7°C lower too. The addition of side window demist vents helps maintain visibility whatever the weather.

Market and Model

As before, the chassis is available in three wheelbases - 90, 110 and 130 - and in both standard and heavy duty guises. A total of fourteen different body styles, including pick-ups, soft tops, crew cabs and station wagons, are available, with many more custom-built by Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations team. Examples of these include airport fire tenders, ambulances and mobile hydraulic platforms.

The exterior has been changed very little, the revised bonnet profile being the only clue that this is the latest Defender. As the project's chief designer points out, "Defender's timeless exterior has become synonymous with functional design. Every line and surface seems to be linked to the vehicle's extraordinary capability, so we deliberately changed very little." It's a wise move as the basic vehicle is as popular now as it was 50 years ago. Indeed, the Ministry of Defence recently ordered nearly 9,000 of them to keep the armed forces mobile, with no rival offering anything like the value and functionality of the Defender. Even today, Land Rover shifts over 25,000 Defenders per year. In other words, it's a more successful vehicle than many people realise.

Cost of Ownership

Only a Luddite would claim that the changes are a retrograde step, particularly with prices very little changed. Although you'll need to do without many of the luxury features that most buyers spending this sort of money will come to expect, the Defender nevertheless represents decent value for money and isn't expensive to keep on the road. Parts are cheap, most servicing can be carried out with a lump hammer, things rarely break in the first place and this reflects in very good residual values.

The 2.4-litre diesel engine is also more economical than the old Td5, especially at motorway speeds where the longer sixth gear also plays a part in making a gallon go further. Insurance is also very cheap.

Summary

Despite the Defender's recent refurb, it'll still come as a bit of a smack in the chops to anyone more accustomed to vehicles designed from a blank sheet of paper at some point in this century. It's still herky-jerky to drive around town, it's noisy, uncomfortable and most of the interior remains an ergonomic disaster. This will all remain of peripheral concern to those looking for the hardest wearing, most capable and most cost effective proper off-roader that sensible money can buy.

Equipped with the beefier 2.4-litre diesel engine, the Land Rover Defender is the go-to choice if you're looking for something that will keep going when other 4x4s have ground to a sorry halt. It's no great secret that Land Rover is already in an advanced stage of planning a fresh from the ground up Defender but until that arrives, this old stager is still the toughest thing out there.