The new Land Rover Defender can get you almost anywhere… and now they’ve even provided somewhere to sleep when you arrive…
If you are lucky enough to own a new Defender, you’ll probably want to live in it or maybe, well, on top of it… and now you can. The big wigs at Land Rover have teamed up with Italian based adventure-gear specialist Autohome to create a roof tent that’s just as comfortable when you are outside as the driving seat is on the inside.
Before we get to the all-important tent talk, let’s delve into the Defender. I had a long drive from the sunny Kent coast up to Land Rover’s Yorkshire HQ to get fully accustomed to its domineering nature.
In all honesty, the only word to describe this machine is: tank. Or maybe two words: luxury tank. Its road presence and driving position are like nothing else. It makes you feel like a king whether you’re wafting up the M1 or parading through the Yorkshire Dales.
My luxury tank was the D300, with its punchy straight-six and 296bhp. Up until the V8 was released earlier this year, the D300 had been the most powerful diesel engine within the Defender. Still, it’s certainly no slouch, 0-60mph in seven seconds in a car this size feels pretty surreal.
We took it off-road with the Land Rover experience team and it was just as impressive. The car’s tech makes it feel like a routine drive to your local Sainsbury’s petrol station (when they have fuel). The heads-up display shows wheel positioning and balance, making it a breeze to get through deep waters, down rocky heights or when navigating the most difficult terrain.
It actually looks just as good as it performs, which is obviously saying something. Land Rover has really nailed this one. It’s the perfect combination of Defender ruggedness and Range Rover luxe that we all know and love. Even putting it into one of its many off-road settings is a doddle. Couple this with its new hotel (roof-tent) option, and you are ready for any oncoming doomsday or apocalypse scenario you can think of.
The tent itself is seriously impressive and is housed within a stylish, lightweight fibreglass shell, which is aerodynamically designed to not create a drag on the Defender and reduce the 4×4’s fuel efficiency (handy on the motorway).
The Defender’s hotel can be erected single-handedly, within seconds, by unclipping the rear fastening and allowing the internal gas struts to release the tent. When erected, it measures 2.3 metres long, 1.3 metres wide and 1.5 metres high, giving you ample space. The tent sleeps two adults on a full-size luxury cotton mattress and comes with pillows, an interior LED light and a stowage net, meaning all you need is a comfy sleeping bag to complete the set up.
Access to the tent can be from either side of the car, via its lightweight aluminium ladder, which can be stored easily. Now, all of this doesn’t come cheap, with prices starting at around £45,000 for the 110 Defender – couple that with the £2,500 for the roof tent and you’ve got a large bill. But is it worth it? The answer is a colossal yes. If you can afford it, it’s worth every penny.
The new Defender lets you go anywhere – “Above and Beyond” to the most remote, staggering, off-road locations that no other car will. And now you can set up camp and spend the night there.
I now refuse to go camping unless it’s on top of a 110 Defender.
Article Credit: Oliver Hazelwood
Full Article: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifestyle/article/land-rover-defender-roof-tent-camping-cool
