The iconic Land Rover Defender — the one most people know from safari shows — had an aluminum body, didn't have carpets — or air bags — but did have a 182 horsepower V8 under its hood that averaged about 13 miles-per-gallon.
It was last available new back in '97.
A new Defender arrived in 2020 — and this time, it came standard with carpets.
Plus a few other things.
What It Is
The Defender is a medium-small (depending on configuration) SUV known — back in the day — for being one of the most off-road capable SUVs ever made.
The original model, which was sold without major updates for decades, was marginally capable on-road, due to its spartan/uncarpeted interior, underpowered and gas-hungry ancient (even then) V8 engine and a rugged but primitive suspension system that was great for tracking lions in the African bush but alarmingly unsteady on American highways.
The new Defender attempts to retain the off-roading capability with the luxury — and on-road stability — most SUV buyers expect today.
And now it's available with a supercharged V8 that makes 518 horsepower.
The modern Defender comes in 90 (two-door/two row) and 110 (four-door/three row) versions, just like it used to — with the base P300 90 trim stickering for $47,700.
The same trim with a third row (110) stickers for $50,500.
A top-of-the-range 110 Carpathian Edition — with the new V8, unique-to-this-trim grey satin paint, 22 inch gloss-black-finished wheels and a rotary knob-controlled trailer back-up feature stickers for $112,200.
What's New
The V8 returns!
When Land Rover resurrected the Defender for the 2020 model year, it was only available with the four and the six. That was apparently not enough for traditionalists, who prefer their Defenders with more than just that under the hood.
And so, it's back — with nearly three times as much horsepower as the Defender's '90s-era V8 conjured
There's also a new/larger LCD touchscreen option as well.
What's Good
Tremendous off-road capabilities are standard — without the formerly standard on-road costs.
Unique and useful features such as the '90's available/configurable first row jumpseat in between the driver and front passenger's seat that lets three ride up front, expanding the two-row's seating capacity to six.
The V8 is back!
What's Not So Good
The V8 is expensive ; six figure starting price for three times the power of the old V8.
Two-row/two-door 90 version hasn't got much room for cargo (15.1 cubic feet).
Hugely useful first row/three-across jumpseat option isn't available with the 110.
Under The Hood
The new Defender's standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine makes 114 more horsepower than the old V8 (296 versus 182 from the '97's V8), and it makes much more torque, sooner (295 ft.-lbs. at just 1,500 RPM versus the old V8's 233 ft.-lbs. at 3,300 RPM).
Instead of the four-speed automatic transmission with one overdrive gear, the new Defender has an eight speed with multiple overdrive gears. This is why it can manage 18 city and 21 highway versus the previous Defender's 14 MPG in the city — and not much better on the highway.
The next-up option is a 3.0 six that's both turbocharged and hybridized. A 48 volt electrical system cycles the gas side of the drivetrain off as often as possible, as during coasting and deceleration — providing additional boost during acceleration.
The combo produces a total of 395 horsepower and 406 ft.-lbs. of torque, both figures competitive with today's V8s while more or less matching the mileage figures of the 2.0 liter four. City mileage is slightly less — 17 MPG. But highway mileage is slightly higher — 22 MPG.
Performance is also better.
A Defender 90 with the turbo'd six/mild hybrid set-up can get to 60 in about 6.5 seconds versus about 7.4 for the four cylinder-powered iteration.
The new V8 option knocks that down to just over five seconds.
Regardless of engine, every Defender comes standard with a beefy full-time four wheel-drive system and two-speed transfer case.
On The Road
The new Defender can pick its way over ruts and rocks that would strand — or break — most other vehicles while not making you wish you'd bought something else to get you to work.
This is an engineering miracle equivalent to designing a Corvette or Porsche that could pick its way over rock and ruts and still run the fastest lap around a racetrack.
You won't win a road race in the Defender.
But you won't lose - on the street.
At The Curb
You also have your choice of either two doors or four doors — and two or three rows of seats.
Both versions come standard with carpets.
The four-door 110 is significantly longer (197.6 inches) than the 90 (180.4 inches) with either-ors to match.
Because it's more than 17 inches shorter, end to end, the 90 is more cramped. Not so much for passengers (though second row legroom is about two inches greater in the 110 (39.1 inches versus 36.6 in the 90) but rather for their stuff. You've got 15.6 cubic feet to work with, which is about what you'd have available in a current mid-sized car.
Or you can go with the 110 — and more than double the space available, to 34 cubic feet.
The Rest
You can custom-outfit your Defender with an array of cosmetic and functional upgrades and optional equipment, some of it is factory available and some of it is dealer-added. These include a high-mount air snorkel (to prevent water from being sucked into the engine while fording deep water), side-mount ladder to get up to the roof — and a tent that mounts on the roof — to keep you out of range of lions and tigers and bears, oh my.
The Bottom Line
It's no longer either — or.
And that's pretty good!
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
View the Land Rover Defender this week.
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