The all-new Land Rover Defender, the modern L663 series, arrived last year following a rather lengthy hiatus between its production start and the final build of the original. It was probably Land Rover’s way of making sure fans were being trialed and tested in terms of patience. Now that it’s finally out and about, personalization is the way to go forward if one aims to stand out in a crowd.
A British model that was renowned for its ruggedness above everything else, the Land Rover Defender is now ready to explore uncharted territory. That’s because the all-new reincarnation is adhering to the standard SUV principles rather than being an uncompromising off-roader that doesn’t even know what “creature comfort” means.
And we have seen quite a few examples of the Defender getting a decidedly premium treatment – which is also the case with this all-black unit prepared by Vossen Wheels alongside a Miami, Florida, dealership, and the Warren Henry Auto Group in a menacing all-black configuration.
It was all just for the sake of showcasing Vossen’s HF-2 series of “hybrid forged” alloy wheels. And when we say everything is black, we literally mean that. The Defender’s body sports a menacing matte black wrap, the windows have the matching tint, and the HF-2 wheels sport a pristine black finish. Even all the Defender badges have been swapped for black ones, so we can certainly commend the attention to details.
While seeing this dark take on the Land Rover Defender could easily make our imagination run rampant with Star Wars’ Darth Vader associations, the company doesn’t seem to have such ominous intentions. Instead, it’s touting the Defender as the perfect luxury adventurer – somehow, they found a flooded portion of a road, implying that its inherent off-road capabilities (complete with chunky tires) might one day save the owner even in the middle of a city…
As far as pricing is concerned, the HF-2 series kicks off at $549 and can be had in two standard colors (Brushed Gloss Black, Tinted Matte Gunmetal) and an additional variety of no less than nine custom finishes.
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Article Credit: Aurel Niculescu Full Article: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/menacing-all-black-land-rover-defender-has-matching-hybrid-forged-vossen-wheels-151150.html#
Bronco who? The 2021 Land Rover Defender leads the pack of off-road-ready SUVs
While the original Land Rover arrived after the Second World War in 1948, it was still very much a product of wartime thinking and ingenuity — do more with less. When it landed, the Landy was very much a bare-bones ride, but one with extraordinary off-road abilities.
Not all was good, however, as the original had 50 horsepower, a suspension that was the epitome of crude, and an interior not much better than that found in a horse-drawn buggy. Fast forward to today, and you have the latest Defender packing a classy facade and all the electronic trickery demanded of a multi-faceted SUV.
We recently covered its minimalist yet still luxurious interior, its on-road attributes, the versatile nature of the design, and the ability to add two seats to the standard five-seat configuration — if you really wanted to. This leaves me with the oily bits, and what the Defender can do off-road.
It starts with a 2.0L turbo-four with 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. For many potential punters, this engine will be ample — it brings an 8.1-second run from rest to 100 km/h. The better choice, however, is the 3.0L turbocharged inline-six that works with a mild-hybrid belt alternator/starter setup and a 48-volt lithium-ion battery. So far, nothing too radically different given the current trend towards electrification.
The twist is the engine also works with an electric supercharger. It’s designed to do away with the turbo lag most blown engines display in the early part of the powerband. In this case, when a heavy right foot and the gas pedal collide, the electric supercharger spins up to 65,000 rpm in half a second — rev the engine and you can actually hear the chargers high-pitched whine under the engine’s guttural tones. When blowing full gale, it feeds the need for boost until the turbocharger comes online and builds through the mid-range. The upshot is 395 hp, 406 lb-ft of torque, and a run from zero to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds.
It fires this lot through an eight-speed automatic transmission that works with an advanced all-wheel-drive system and Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system. Most will likely leave it in Auto mode, as it has the ability to configure things without driver input. Along with numerous other drive modes comes Custom, allowing for a more experienced off-roader to tailor the engine, transmission, steering, and traction control in three stages, so there really is a drive mode for almost everything.
The permanent all-wheel-drive system controls the torque distribution on an as-needed basis and features a two-speed transfer case — when low-range is selected, the torque multiplication gives it the grunt to pull the skin off a rice pudding without breaking a sweat. On truly challenging surfaces, the torque transfer is balanced between the axles to maximize traction; adding the optional Electronic Active Differential brings real-time torque vectoring, controlling the flow of power between the left- and right-rear wheels.
All of this makes the Defender an extremely good plodder. Head off-road and it just keeps plodding along almost without regard for the severity of the terrain — the Defender 110 has an off-road ground clearance of 291 millimetres, along with 38-degree approach, 29-degree breakover, and 40-degree departure angles. It also has the ability to climb a 45-degree incline and wade through 900 millimetres of water. New to the Defender is a mode optimized for wading; as well as setting up the drivetrain, it ensures sensitive bits don’t get water-logged.
The true test came in the form of an off-road jaunt that saw the Defender climb, clamber over, and otherwise make light work of the muck along a gnarly drive route. Yes, the wheels slip and slide as they scramble up steep grades and across muddy ruts, but everything is very much in control. It was more of the same through moguls and a side-slope that tilted the Defender to an unnerving degree. These obstacles proved to be little more than minor hindrances to forward progress.
One big off-road plus is Defender’s camera system. Edging up to a precipitous drop while looking at nothing but an up-close view of the hood always leads to an unnerving pucker-factor, but the camera allows you to see “through” the hood and at the terrain — knowing what’s there, even though it’s hidden by the body, certainly inspires confidence. It can also shows 3D exterior views of the Defender that can be rotated. It’s all heady stuff, but the lone nits proved to be the brake pedal — a little too grabby for my liking — and a shifter that needs a push-button to switch between drive and reverse, and vise-versa.
Yes, I did wonder who might actually use this off-road craziness, but anyone shopping the Defender needs to know its abilities are real and not just marketing hype. Think of it as not having to blow off every car on the road just because you’re behind the wheel of a Porsche Taycan Turbo S.
Normally, this sort of off-road ability comes at the expense of on-road civility — think Jeep Wrangler. That’s simply not the case with the Defender. First, the lightweight aluminum monocoque framework gives the long-travel air suspension and adaptive dampers a solid base of operations. Second, said suspension has the ability to raise the ride height when off-road or lower the body by 40 millimeters to ease ingress and egress. Beyond this, the computer-controlled suspenders monitor wheel and body movements hundreds of times a second, meaning the setup is doing the right thing at the right time.
The resulting on-road ride gives the Defender the sort of compliance and quietness that would not be out of place in a Range Rover. On the flip side, body roll is limited to a handful of degrees, even when pretty serious liberties are taken. Throw in a connected steering feel and a series of corners actually becomes something to look forward to — unlike the original, which left the driver with white knuckles.
The original Defender was so off-road focused, it was a drudge to drive on-road. While the latest model has lost none of Land Rover’s heritage, nostalgia, and famed off-road ability, it has gained excellent on-road driving dynamics thanks to the judicious use of 21st-century tech. Bronco-schmonco, the Defender is the king of the off-road SUV castle.
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Article Credit: Graeme Fletcher Full Article: https://driving.ca/land-rover/reviews/first-drive/2021-land-rover-defender-off-road-test
The new 2021 Land Rover Defender is a long-awaited return of an iconic vehicle. The Defender’s launch was anything but smooth due to the global pandemic, but the new SUV is now arriving at dealerships, while Land Rover is making a major recovery. Now that the Defender is back, it seems hard to believe that Land Rover won’t take advantage of the model’s name recognition to build a second variant.
Much like the new Ford Bronco, which arrived alongside a more affordable and mainstream Bronco Sport model, Land Rover won’t be content to offer just one Defender model. In a report about upcoming Jaguar and Land Rover products, WhatCar reports that a smaller, “baby” Defender model will arrive in 2022.
This is not the first time we’ve heard a rumor about the expansion of the Defender lineup. The Defender could grow to become its own sub-brand within Land Rover, much like the Range Rover lineup. This expansion would begin with a more compact model with less space, less equipment, and a smaller engine. That engine would likely be a new 1.5-liter three-cylinder (the same one in the new Evoque plug-in hybrid), sending power to the front wheels. All-wheel-drive versions would also be available as well as hybrid and plug-in hybrid models.
The report claims this new model will receive a new name that Land Rover hasn’t used before. If we had to guess, Land Rover would follow up on the Range Rover Sport and Discovery Sport naming scheme, calling this new model the Defender Sport.
Before the Defender Sport arrives, Land Rover will reveal an all-new Range Rover next year with a brand-new platform. The Range Rover will offer multiple engines and plug-in hybrid options, possibly even an electric version. Later in 2021, the smaller Range Rover Sport will arrive, followed by the rumored all-electric Road Rover in 2022.
Article Credit: Jared Rosenholtz Photo Credits: Land Rover Full Article: https://carbuzz.com/news/land-rover-to-introduce-baby-defender-model
And it is. It’s the version of the new Defender that’s fastest on the road, and most capable off it.
How so?
It’s the short-wheelbase 90 body motored along by the new 3.0-liter gasoline straight-six engine, with 400bhp. It has mild hybridization, too, but this is not a vehicle to which the term ‘mild’ naturally cleaves. Being short in the wheelbase, the 90 is even more insanely handy in the rough than the 110—it can wriggle its way out of tighter spots, and is less likely to ground its belly.
But it’s not the only new version we’re testing here.
Go on.
We also tried the base-model P300 on steel coil springs.
Wow, entitled motoring hack gets bumped into the base version. You don’t often see that.
Enough of your snark. Think how often this website tests the expensive options and tells you they aren’t worth it. You could almost call it public service.
Anyway. The coils are available only on the 90, as all 110s have air springs. Air springs bring adaptive damping, so you miss out on that. This base variant also has a simpler terrain response system (no configurable mode). It goes without an active rear diff, too, and the off-road speed system they call all-terrain progress control. You can add all those things back as option packs, though.
It still has a low box and diff locks, mind. And 3D cameras and wade-depth sensing. And the Pivi Pro navigation.
With the 300hp four-cylinder gasoline, which is cheaper than the diesels, this is a Defender that slips under £44,000 (P2.77 million). Albeit at 260g/km, it’s hardy a thrifty company-car choice. But it would take titanium-willed self-control to run through the configurator and not tick one or multiple options boxes. This can very easily become a £60,000 (P3.78 million) vehicle.
So, the P400 in X spec is going to be crushingly dear?
With no options, it runs £77,000 (P4.85 million). But that has most of the attractive kit already on it, so you won’t stray far above that. And hey, it’s far less than a Mercedes-Benz G350d.
Okay, start with that six-cylinder engine.
It’s a fancy thing. Two chargers pump air to the cylinders. One’s a normal turbo, the other’s an electrically driven compressor, as a means to get rid of lag at low revs. Audi has a similar thing in the SQ7 diesel, and Mercedes-AMG in the 53 gasolines. It’s powered by 48V electrics, and so the mild-hybrid starter-generator can also take advantage of 48V. Plus, the cylinder head has continuously variable valve lift.
It’s a straight-six, nothing to do with the supercharged V6 that Jaguar and Land Rover have been using in recent years. But it uses lots of parts in common with the other Ingenium three- and four-cylinder jobs. It was introduced on the Range Rover Sport and Velar last year.
How does it feel?
It’s got broad shoulders, shoving the heavy off-roader forward meaningfully from about 2,000rpm to 5,000rpm-plus. It’ll even go to 6,500rpm but you wouldn’t, as it’s not exactly dripping with high-rev aural charisma. It’s pretty smooth in the midrange, though. While we’re on the subject of the sound, at very low revs, it’s strangely diesely, albeit quiet.
The eight-speed transmission shifts smoothly and anticipates your needs well, so you’re seldom stuck at low revs wanting instant torque—it’ll just shift down. But for experiment’s sake, hold it in a high gear with the paddles and you find the electric compressor does suppress the lag even if it doesn’t entirely get rid.
Zero to 100kph is 6sec, which is pretty perky but never outright fast. It overtakes smartly enough. If you floor it even at speeds higher than 100, the nose perceptibly lifts as you gather more speed.
Is it fast enough to overwhelm the chassis?
Not a bit of it. This is a vehicle that manages itself with dignity provided you work it smoothly. There’s roll, and the tall tires squirm a bit, but it’s honestly in another world from the new Jeep Wrangler. And the ride is properly supple and controlled.
Once up to highway-speed-and-a-bit, the Defender hums quietly. Engine and wind and tire noise all fall to the background, and it tracks straight ahead gamely.
Will my family fit the 90?
If you’ve got a primary-school-age kid, spec’ing the center jump-seat option will make you the best parent in the world. The rear bench gives plenty of leg- and headroom for adults, and the upper ‘alpine’ windows make it feel airy. But getting there is a palaver—you have to squeeze into a tight gap or have your patience tested as the front seats motor sluggishly forward.
The rear cargo area is just under 400 liters, which is hardly enough for six active campers. If you have a lifestyle, you’ll want to plunder Land Rover’s huge range of external carrying accessories—roof racks, ladders, panniers, clamps, and the rest.
Well, if you’re truly going to get muddy, you’ll want a more basic spec. What’s that like?
The P300 gasoline is pretty much like anyone else’s four-cylinder turbo: not exactly inspiring, but torquey and useful. The coil springs ride decently when the Defender is empty, and have helper springs within them for when you’re loaded up or towing. Given the diminished performance versus the P400, you can probably manage without adaptive damping.
And off the road?
Oh my, oh my. Even without the air suspension to levitate the body in extreme circs, it’s amazing. Remember, ground clearance between the wheels is determined by the wishbones, and raising the air springs wouldn’t help that. Of course, you don’t get the advantage of using air to increase your breakover, but in the SWB, that angle is so insanely good that it’s seldom a worry.
The gasoline engine and the auto ’box dispense torque gingerly when you need to ease across slippery mud, but with vim when you’re pointing up a precipitous slope. Traction is awesome. Clearance and articulation are pretty colossal. Wading depth is almost scary. Downhill is control near-supernatural. It just paws along like a hippo, so don’t stand in its way.
Article Credit: Paul Horrel Photo Credits: Toggear.com Full Article: https://www.topgear.com.ph/drives/car-reviews/2020-land-rover-defender-90-p400-first-drive-tguk-a2602-20201101-lfrm
These days, every manufacturer is jumping on the rugged rig bandwagon. Those cute little urban crossovers you see by the dozen in the mall parking lot are probably offered with some sort of “Trail Edition,” “Adventure Pack,” or “Crunchy Granola” flavour. It’s all a bit ridiculous since few will ever venture any further from the pavement than the manicured grass at the local county fair.
Land Rover is different, though. Even its highest-performing road machine, the Velar SVAutobiography I drove last autumn will not only hit 100 km/h in four seconds, but it can also ford a river more than two feet deep. The folks at Land Rover aren’t just putting on hiking boots to go glamping; this is a company with more than seventy years of serious off-roading credibility at stake.
So, when Land Rover unleashes a new Defender – its most serious and rugged machine – off-road enthusiasts around the world drop what they’re doing and pay attention.
A Contemporary Homage to Classic Land Rovers
The new 2020 Land Rover Defender’s styling has received some flak from the online armchair experts, but in many respects it does a good job capturing some key Landie elements. Its profile, for one, remains boxy and upright, which gives the interior a bright, airy feel, and offers a commanding driving position.
The roof edges have a pair of glass skylights as classic Land Rovers have had for generations, and the rear lights are scattered around in a way that’s reminiscent of the olden days, too. There are even plastic panels on the outer edges of the hood made to look like the flat fender tops of old Rovers.
The interior is functional and clever, especially for the number of nooks, crannies, and cubbies throughout. Thoughtfully, the designers have also integrated grab handles into the design along the dashboard; and those who’ve spent time in a vehicle crawling off-camber over rocks will appreciate the extra places to hold on.
The seats are decently supportive and comfortable, and they’re cleverly trimmed in leather, with the outer edges and high-wear zones covered in a durable-feeling tweed-like textile. The rubber flooring throughout can be hosed out, of course.
The back seat is roomier than most midsize competitors, and the cargo hold is capacious thanks to the big, boxy shape of the Defender itself.
On-road Manners
The first Land Rovers (which eventually evolved into the Defender) were constructed from surplus materials from World War II, and offered as much refinement as one would expect from the multi-seat farm implement it was. As time went by, the Defender remained unapologetically rough and rugged, and a fervent cult following emerged.
This new Defender is not only the first to be brought to North America in more than two decades, it’s also the first major redo of the basic Defender since 1983. There are going to be a lot of drivers surprised by the level of refinement and sophistication of this new machine.
The drivetrain of my P400 test unit was a 3.0L inline-six-cylinder gasoline engine, augmented by a turbocharger and an electrically powered supercharger, plus a mild-hybrid system. With 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, the Defender is legitimately quick to accelerate – a trait previous Defenders were never known for. The entry-level engine in the P300 models is a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder that’s down roughly 100 points for both horsepower and torque.
An eight-speed automatic is the only available transmission, but it does an excellent job keeping the P400 in its admittedly meaty powerband. Shifts are smooth but swift.
And while the steering lacks any appreciable road feel, the handling is still competent enough that I found myself actually pushing the Rover hard into corners on the road, resulting in very little drama. Short of the Mercedes-AMG G 63, I’ve never piloted such an adept off-roader with such enthusiasm or speed on-road.
Useful Technology
Land Rover has struggled with its infotainment systems in recent years, first because the units were so archaic, and recently, with systems that tended to glitch frequently. The latest rendition of the system found in the Defender operated flawlessly during my drive. Apple CarPlay connected easily and input responses were quick; menu navigation, meanwhile, was smooth and logical. The buttons on the steering wheel, however, are tricky to find and operate without taking one’s eyes off the road, which defeats the purpose of their convenience in the first place.
The infotainment system also serves as the connection point to the myriad off-road settings a driver can activate. One of the most interesting is the series of camera angles that can show all sides of Defender’s surroundings, and even create a 3-D depiction of the vehicle in its space. This is a wonderful feature that could prevent a lot of muddy feet when a trail can be scouted without even leaving the cockpit.
Land Rover calls its configurable drive modes Terrain Response; they adjust everything from throttle response and wheel slip to which differentials are locked, depending on pre-sets for various conditions like sand, mud, rocks, or customizable to the driver’s preference.
For our brief off-road experiences, the setup involved simply selecting the low-range button, plus lifting the air suspension to tippy-toe mode. The computers sorted out everything else on the fly.
Off-road Prowess
All of this sounds impressive in theory, but on the trail it all comes together remarkably well. While there wasn’t any intense rock-crawling, mud-slinging, or high-speed desert runs during our drive, there were some key functions explored that proved Land Rover still has its off-road chops.
Over one particularly gnarly set of moguls, even at a moderate, consistent pace, the Defender would systematically have one wheel in the air, before dropping slightly to the opposing corner, all the while seamlessly apportioning power to the wheels that had traction.
The air suspension keeps the Defender’s cabin relatively level and exceptionally calm while tackling all manner of terrain imperfections below. Likewise, during a climb up a steep, sandy hill, the all-wheel-drive system kept the Defender climbing smoothly all the way to the top. During a climb back down a slick mud hill that required both a change of direction and two 250-mm drops, the Land Rover never lost composure.
There were occasions when the Defender felt particularly long on the trail. Trying to turn around within the woods, the Defender’s size can be tedious to work with, and its turning circle is large compared to the competitors. [There is a two-door version, dubbed the Defender 90, for those so inclined.–Ed.]
Using the current-generation Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as the off-road benchmark – a vehicle I have used several times for some serious rock-crawling and trail drives – the four-door Defender 110 I drove stacks up very well.
Despite the Defender’s notably greater overall length, its air suspension can lift the rig high enough to best the Wrangler Unlimited in both breakover and departure angles. Its front approach angle isn’t quite as aggressive as the Jeep’s, but it’s close; with a very slight off-centre approach to a near-vertical rut wall that stood about 250 mm high, the Defender had no problem crawling up without stuffing its nose nor bouncing its butt off the trail.
However, as good as the air suspension is, it still cannot provide the same level of articulation as a Wrangler Rubicon, with its electronically actuated sway bar disconnected. As a result, the Defender will have more time with a wheel uselessly in the air instead of gripping terra firma. The Defender could also benefit from a more aggressive all-terrain tire option.
The Defender’s fording depth is greater than the Wrangler’s as well. But don’t be fooled by the elevated air intake riding up the A-pillar: it doesn’t increase wading depth, but rather reduces the risk of dust being ingested into the air intake, presumably during desert running. It also makes a wild sucking noise under acceleration that threatens to give the driver the world’s biggest hickey.
Final Thoughts
The new Defender’s on-road performance is excellent. It drives very much like the premium sport utility vehicle it is, and not as agriculturally as the old Defenders, or even Jeep’s most-polished Wranglers. There’s no creaking or groaning from the body or underpinnings, even as the Defender crawls over terrain that would cause a Wrangler to broadcast its flexing against seals and joints.
The insulation and stiff body structure do a remarkable job hushing outside noises, and the finishes, while rugged, still speak to a very premium design.
The new Defender 110 is surprising for its comfort, technology, and refinement, creating an incredibly capable off-road vehicle that effortlessly consumes whatever terrain it encounters, even if that’s smooth, twisty pavement.
Never has genuine off-roading been as simple as it is with the Defender. It’s almost too easy and drama-free, lacking the driver involvement required in a Wrangler, or an older Defender.
Land Rover has created a feat of engineering with the new Defender that is sure to exceed the expectations of most buyers. With significant help from its bounty of technology, the new Defender appears to live up to its heritage promise as being the most capable Land Rover.
The 2020 Land Rover Defender is available now at dealerships.
Article Credit: Jeff Wilson Full Article: https://www.autotrader.ca/expert/20201030/2020-land-rover-defender-110-first-drive-review/
