You might recognise this face as that of the legendary Land Rover Defender.
72 years old, a British off-road icon.
Well, this is the face of the re-imagined Defender for 2020.
It's arrived in Australia promising to be more luxurious, safer, yet just as capable
away from the beaten track.
Question is, does it live up to the legacy?
This is a brave new direction for the Defender, a new aluminium monocoque chassis, fully independent
suspension and new safety and technology sandwiched into a modern but still familiar design.
Available initially in four-door long wheelbase 110 form only, the Defender is available with
a choice of three engines and six trims, with nine derivatives in total.
Such is the local demand for the new model, allocation for the two diesel entry variants
have been completely exhausted until early 2021.
Well, this is command central for the new Defender, and I've got to say it's a huge
departure from the predecessor.
A big 10 inch screen now conveys all your important infotainment functions, as well
as the latest generation of Land Rover's terrain response 2 software.
Bringing six different off-road settings in total.
There's a great mix of storage, there's also timber in-lays, leather seats, leather on
the panels as well.
But happily there are some throwback touches to the previous Defender, these big bolts
are fixing the door panels, the side-mounted tail gate at the rear, and for this car, a
hose out rubber floor.
Let's go get it dirty.
If you wanted proof of the Defender's off-road focus, simply peruse its features catalogue,
air suspension, 38 degree approach and 40 degree departure angles, wade sensing and
much, much more.
The new Defender purportedly features Land Rover's, most advanced four-by-four system
yet, so in addition to all those features I've mentioned, you also get locking centre
and rear differentials, low range hill descent control and a lot more.
There's also a water wading depth in the new model of 900 millimetres, which compares to
500 millimetres in the predecessor.
That same center screen, in this particular car that I'm in, also displays an optional
see-through bonnet function.
So you can virtually see exactly where your wheels would be on the road and pick out the
best line on something like a gnarly hill climb, where you might not normally see the
surface underneath you.
When you combine all of those things, this truly is the affluent man or woman's way to
off road, there's no getting out and locking the hubs or anything else, the steering 's
light, the throttle tipping and modulation is really smooth, predictable and progressive.
And I've gotta say, for the surfaces that we're covering, there's barely any head toss
inside the cabin.
It's smooth, and I think that's an extension of the platform that this car rides on, I've
gotta say it works.
This is incredible.
Powering P400 variants, is a three-litre turbocharged straight six petrol engine, which includes
a 48-volt mild hybrid system and sequential turbochargers.
Officially, you get 294 kilowatts and 550 Newton meters along with a claimed fuel consumption
figure of 9.9 litres per 100 Ks.
Well, this is where the biggest steps have been made with the new Defender on the road.
That same air suspension and multi-link rear really endow this car with a polished set
of on-road dynamics.
I've gotta say, I'm quite shocked at just how competent it is on the road for a 2380
kilogram SUV.
The steering's light at low speeds but wakes up nicely through the corners, it's accurate.
This car doesn't wander on the road at all, like Defenders of old, and it's quiet inside
the cabin.
It suppresses a lot of the road noise, and wind noise.
So when you are making your way to a snotty track, you're gonna be doing so in comfort.
The petrol In-line Six does a really good job across the board.
You've got the 48-volt sub-system and supercharger taking care of things at the lower end of
the rev spectrum, and that then segues into sequential turbochargers.
Meaning that you do have power virtually everywhere right through to the 7000 RPM cut out.
Inside the cabin, the new Defender brings the option of five, six or seven seat layouts,
each offering excellent passenger space and amenities.
The cabin fit out feels first rate.
Underlined by quality materials with an inherent durability, and as a bonus, the Defender is
now backed by a five year warranty in Australia.
You'd have to argue, this is the most rounded Defender we've seen yet.
Well, traditionalists might not be sold yet on its technology and features, and diesel
fans will lament the fact that it's only available with petrol power until at least early 2021,
but it's clear that the new Defender is tangibly better than the vehicle it replaces in every
single area.
This is the brave new guard for the Defender.
Yes, it's different.
Yes, it's new.
Yes, it's a slightly different path, but the fact is that it future-proofs this nameplate
for decades to come, and that's something we can all be happy about.