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Defender of all that’s good: Day-tripping in Land Rover’s newest model

Hiking, history, and some really good tarts, thanks to Land Rover’s newest model

In these strange times of COVID-19 bubbles and limited travel, we need to find adventure close to home. With that in mind, my wife Claire and I embarked on a trek in search of fresh air, postcard vistas, home-baked treats and very large (carved) snakes. Our vehicle of choice was one of the most anticipated vehicles of the year (at least among the off-road and wannabe off-road crowd) – the 2020 Land Rover Defender 110.

Our journey would have us wending our way along some of my favourite scenic roads in Ontario, in the Halton region just north of Burlington. We’d go hiking in two of the seven Halton Region Conservation Parks, and conclude our day at Springridge Farm, where we would pick up some local apples and a few of their famous tarts.

Our Defender 110 P400 SE ($76,000 base price) was a tad over-qualified for the job, having been equipped for press fleet duties with just about every boonie-bashing option imaginable.

But dang, it looked the part in Pangea Green ($900), and sporting the Explorer Pack ($6,000) that bestows such suburban necessities as extra body cladding, an exterior side-mounted gear carrier (for un-muddied Hunter boots), lightweight roof rack (for that mega Holt-Renfrew shopping spree), matte-black 110 hood decal, spare wheel cover, and the all-important engine intake snorkel. This black plastic accoutrement runs up the driver’s side A-pillar and is there for those times when one is fording deep water. You know, those times. However, being just inches away from the driver’s head, in these environs the snorkel mainly serves to make said driver (moi) look like a posing Oakvillian dork. I’ll show those pretenders in their Mercedes G-Wagons.

The first nice stretch of tarmac we find is Sideroad No 2, running west off of Appleby Line, a few kilometres north of the QEW. This tree-lined lane crosses a babbling brook and then emerges onto a lovely open stretch that connects to Walkers Line. The cliffs of Mt. Nemo dominate the view. We turned right on Walkers and then made a left on Britannia, which took us to Guelph Line. Heading a few kilometres north from there had us motoring through the appropriately-named Lowville (fab bistro on the right) and up to Crawford Lake Conservation Park.

Currently, Conservation Halton requires visitors to book a time in advance (easy to do online) with entrance fees being $6.50 for adults, and $5.00 for kids and seniors (under 4 gets in free). Or, if you plan on multiple visits, a one-year individual pass costs $62 (seniors $50.50, family $135).

A cool feature of Crawford Lake is the reconstructed 15th-century Iroquoian village. The three longhouses, with numerous artifacts and displays, give a fascinating glimpse of what life was like for First Nations peoples 600 years ago.

The heart of the park is Crawford Lake, which visitors can circle via a raised boardwalk, built to protect the delicate marshland. This small body of water, a meromictic lake, is unique in that its depth exceeds that of its surface area, meaning little oxygen reaches the lowest lowest levels. Here, deep in the sediment, researchers found ancient corn pollen, tied to the nearby First Nations settlement. No, there are no deep lake monsters that we are aware of, but along the Hide and Seek Trail that leads to the lake, you’ll see larger-than-life wooden carvings of local species at risk that look as though they might have just slithered up from the depths.

A hiking trail connects Crawford Lake to nearby Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area, but since Halton park visits are currently limited to two hours, that trail is closed. Taking the easy route, Claire and I jumped back in the Defender and meandered over to the Rattlesnake Point entrance that sits atop a very steep and winding section of Appleby Line that runs north off Derry Road. This appropriately snake-like stretch of road once hosted the Rattle Snake Hill Climb, a major event for sports car enthusiasts beginning in 1950, with Porsches being dominant from 1960-64. Below is multi-winner Horst Kroll in his Porsche 356 Speedster hanging it out on the then-all-gravel road (thank you to F. David Stone for the photo).

Our ascent was considerably less eventful, as we enjoyed this toughest of Land Rover’s surprisingly refined comportment and torquey turbocharged/supercharged 395-hp straight-six. Once in the park, we trekked a section of the Bruce Trail that offers fantastic vistas from the edge of a rocky escarpment.

After a day of hiking one can get a bit peckish, so our next stop was nearby Springridge Farm to see what treats awaited us. Owned by the Hughes family since 1960, Springridge gradually grew from a pick-your-own-cherries operation in the 1970s into a very popular local destination offering fresh local produce, children’s activities, knick-knacks, cookbooks, preserves, and devilishly scrumptious baked goods that draw on recipes from original owner Jane Hughes. In 2017, John, Laura, Amy and Tom Hughes were officially recognized as a “Canada 150 Farm Family”, receiving a certificate for their commitment to advancing agriculture in Halton Region.

With the Defender suitably loaded with tarts, apples and dill pickles (Claire will not buy pickles anywhere else) we pointed the Landie’s khaki snout south and headed back to the ‘burbs. Not surprisingly, the Defender turned heads everywhere we went, actually attracting a small crowd in the Rattlesnake Point parking lot.

We had a fantastic day of enjoying the local sights and supporting local industry, although for me it was a somewhat perilous adventure. Not because of the Rattle Snake Hill Climb or peering over those rocky precipices, but purely for the reason that Claire has been in love with the original not-for-sale-here Land Rover Defender for years (too much British murder mystery TV) and I feared the availability this fresh world-market edition with its Range Rover level of refinement would cause all kinds of problems. Yes, she really wants her own Defender, but thankfully she’ll do without the snorkel.

Article Credit: Peter Bleakney
Full Article: https://driving.ca/land-rover/reviews/road-test/defender-of-all-thats-good-day-tripping-in-land-rovers-newest-model



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Renders Reveal All-New Land Rover Defender Mods By Startech

Startech is no stranger to modifying various Land Rover products, such as the Velar or the Discovery to name a few. The tuner also came out with mods for the original Defender, so it was only a matter of time before they got their hands on the all-new model.

Even though they don’t have an official car to unveil, Startech released these computer generated renders depicting a sportier-looking Defender with a wide-body kit for improved road presence.

Aside from the larger fenders, other new exterior bits include the custom radiator grille, front fascia vertical elements, air intakes for the hood, roof element and a rear roof spoiler.

The end result is a Defender with a considerably more aggressive stance, especially if you also opt for the 23-inch Monostar E wheels, which are the largest ones available through Startech. You can also get 20-inch as well as 22-inch custom wheels, with colors ranging from silver to black and of course, dual-tone black/silver.

As for the interior, no images were provided, but there will be an available set of aluminum pedal pads, as well as a custom aluminum footrest featuring the Startech logo.

Now, if what you see here still isn’t good enough for you, then allow us to remind you what Lumma Design can do for the new Defender, courtesy of its CLR LD mod. That one even features a bespoke hood with a large power dome, as well as flared front and rear wheel arches that increase overall width by roughly 1.57 inches (40 mm).

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Article Credit: Sergiu Tudose
Full Article: https://www.carscoops.com/2020/11/renders-reveal-all-new-land-rover-defender-mods-by-startech/

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Menacing All-Black Land Rover Defender Has Matching Hybrid Forged Vossen Wheels

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#

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Land Rover’s reborn Defender is no off-road pretender

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

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Land Rover To Introduce “Baby” Defender Model

Why not capitalize on a cool nameplate?

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