How difficult is it to re-release an iconic classic? It's incredibly dangerous, that's for sure. You're touching something that's a standalone icon.
That might've been the reason Land Rover waited so long to release a new generation of their Defender.
The old Defender was still pretty successful, despite being on the market for decades. It was the oldest car for sale by far.
If you ask me, they've pulled it off. It was a hard challenge, but they did it. And a lot of people reacted the same way after it was revealed.
So they don't have to worry about public reception anymore. And the goal was clear for Land Rover: they wanted to build the best off-road car...
in the world, again. Better than the G-Class, the Wrangler or Toyota's Land Cruiser. I do have to say, we're not testing it off-road today.
Maybe I'll go for a small round through the grass, but I won't do anymore with it. Why? It's not because I'm scared or because Land Rover doesn't...
allow us. On the contrary, they normally want us to drive it off-road No, it's strange times with this Corona-virus, and this is the only...
Defender in the Netherlands and the parts aren't being produced at the moment. So if anything goes wrong, the car will be out of the running.
Land Rover has said to us we can do anything we want on the road, and when the virus has calmed down, we're allowed to take it off-road.
Right, if we compare this to its predecessor, what stands out? Well, the size first and foremost. This is the 110, so the 5-door, but the 90...
is already bigger than the old 110. This 110 is over 5 metres long. It might not look that way because of the dimensions,
but it's a really big car. And considering there's a bigger version coming up, being the 130. That has much more space behind the rear axle.
Let's throw around some numbers when it comes to robustness, for if you want to go adventuring.
It can tow up to 3.500 kg, which is crazy. It has 2.300 litres of luggage space. The roof can also carry around some things.
You can load up to 160 kg if you want to drive somewhere, but you can hold up to 300 kg if you're standing still.
That means you can camp on the roof in a tent or something, even with a heavier fellow human being.
It has a nice and high entry. Because of the air suspension, you're able to raise and lower the car. Land Rover has named the lowest setting the...
Elegant-mode. Very handy for women with skirts.
The space then. I've got lots of head- and legroom, and it's the same in every direction really. Enough room to look at giraffes.
Right, the boot. It still has a rear door with the handle to the left side. That's handier for the British, because they have the sidewalk on this...
side, whilst we have it over here. It's what it is. What stands out? It has a high sill, but a very flat floor.
You can equip it with all kinds of options. This has some kind of sturdy netting. It's easily removable or adjustable.
The floor is remarkably robust as well, and it continues on the seats. So if you fold down the seats, you can still put heavy stuff on them.
Under here, there's some space for small trinkets and the jack. If you fold down all of the seats, you'll have more than 2.300 litres...
to work with, and that's a lot. Over here, we've got buttons to raise and lower the car which is incredibly handy. Just like all kinds of handy...
hooks and lights. Also, there's a 230V-port, which makes this car ideal for camping.
I've been driving it for five seconds now and this isn't from the same planet as the old Defender. Or even from the same solar system.
What a difference. The previous Defender was one of the worst driving cars on the road, because it just wasn't made for that.
Everything was sacrificed for terrain quality. No matter how iconic you thought it was, how special it looked, it was horrid to drive for long distances.
Almost like a little red wagon. This Defender doesn't have that. It offers comfort, but it's incredibly tight on the road.
It doesn't really heave anymore, because of the air suspension. It's such a big difference. Not only with the previous Defender,
but also with all of the pick-up truck available in the USA. An F-150 or a Ford Everest. Those cars heave incredibly.
You could say they offer comfort and they'll do well off-road, but I think I can trust this Defender to do its work off-road as well.
But in the meantime, it's still very nice to drive on the normal road. You'll come to trust it and it won't be a punishment to take this on vacation.
Of course, every Defender comes with four-wheel drive as standard, just like a transfer box with two gears.
And you don't have to pull all kinds of levers to engage that, or to lock the differentials. You just choose the surface you're driving on...
in the Terrain Response System and the car will take care of everything. Snow, sand, or rocks, it will adjust the revs, the diffs, the four-wheel steering,
the ride height, everything. If you want to cross water, you put it in Wade-mode and you can cross waters up to 70 centimetres. It's a lot...
easier than it was in the previous Defender, because it's all been automated.
Right now, I'm driving the P400. That means I'm driving the brand-new straight-six by Jaguar Land Rover. We already know it from a couple of...
other cars, but it produces 400 horsepower. Also, it has a mild-hybrid system aboard, which means there's a 48V-system producing additional...
boost in the lower revs. It also helps when you're starting the car at the traffic light, because the electric motor makes for a smoother set-off.
That means it's incredibly comfortable. It's even pretty fast. I believe it does 0-100 km/h in only seven seconds.
It's almost overkill for a car like this, I think you can do with less power as well.
Remarkably enough, there's more additional taxes to be paid in the Netherlands over the 4-cylinder diesel version than over this 6-cylinder...
petrol version. Having said that, you'll be in for a shock when it comes to the prices. They start at €95.000 for the cheapest diesel version.
Those aren't fun prices for a fun little terrain-car. The most important version will be the plug-in hybrid for the Netherlands I presume.
It would arrive at the end of this year, but Corona might delay that date. So we're aiming for 2021.
But the plug-in hybrid will be the entry level Defender for the Netherlands. Despite the 400 horsepower coming from the combustion engine and...
electric motor. That'll cost you €85.000, which is still cheaper than the entry level diesel. Even despite the additional technology.
However, just like the previous Defender, a lot of gray license-versions will be available as well.
They'll turn this into a third seat, which is available on every Defender by the way, they'll place a panel over here and you can use it...
with a gray license. No taxes, no additional costs, so ideal for people in the festival-business, or people who own a beach joint.
The previous Defender was popular amongst those groups, and I think the new Defender will be as well.
If we think about the practicality of this car, there isn't any really. It's not really logical to buy this car in the Netherlands.
It's almost more logical to buy a hyper car, because you can take that onto a track. Why would you need this amount of off-road...
capacity in the Netherlands? Well, because of its iconic status, a lot of Defenders have already been ordered. And people like to get the most...
luxurious versions as well, because they tick all of the boxes. Up to the winch and the roof tent. They want that Defender-feeling back.
Also, like I already said, when it comes to driving characteristics, it's so much better than its predecessor.
It's not annoying anymore, it's not something you'll constantly have to explain to yourself. 'Personality' doesn't mean being like this on the...
motorway. It's a pleasant, comfortable car which is able to beat every car with a license plate in the terrain.
So the only thing we have to do now is wait for the V8. Land Rover hasn't confirmed it yet, but this is the perfect car for Land Rover's...
Special Vehicle Operations to build a rival to the Mercedes-AMG G63. If those work in the P.C. Hooftstraat, or in Monaco, why not a...
big Defender with 22-inch wheels and 500 horsepower from a supercharged V8? We'll have to wait and see.