Defender makes its mark

The modern Defender and its Series 1, 2 and 3 forerunners have won favour in 130 countries, fought for 60 military forces, taken aid to the most desolate places and ensured explorers not only reached their destination but came home again.

“No matter how exciting our other models may be, it is the prospect of a new Defender that genuinely excites,” Land Rover Australia general manager Roger Jory says. “The Defender remains true to its DNA — it is at the core of Land Rover.

“It is also one of the few cars you can simply hose out after your activities.”

The new Defender, destined to be the last in a line stretching 60 years but due to end in 2010, has all the blunt, square, aluminium-bodied charm of its ancestors with just a couple of external changes.

“The Defender has been resisting the wind tunnel for nearly 60 years,” Land Rover Australia's Brett Lewis-Driver says. “The design was so right at the beginning that it has not had to be changed.”

However, evolution will not be denied and the bonnet now has what Land Rover, tongue firmly in cheek, refers to as a 'power bulge' to accommodate the higher Ford Transit-sourced 2.4-litre common-rail turbodiesel (90kW and 360Nm) with high-mounted alternator and air intake.

Gone are the iconic airflaps under the windscreen, made redundant, says Land Rover, by an air-conditioning unit that heats higher and cools lower 40 per cent more efficiently. Also gone is the Defender lettering across the bonnet, replaced by the family Land Rover badging. And that is it for the exterior.

Inside, however, is another story.

It would be going too far to say the Defender has been sissified, but the interior has been given a right going over.

The new fascia with Discovery-sourced dials clustered in front of the driver is a single moulding to help reduce noise, vibration and harshness. The sound system is of good, if basic, quality and for the first time adds a pair of tweeters to the speaker line-up.

Seating configuration for the 110 wagon now has the optional ($2000) fold-down third row as a pair of front-facing adult-rated seats that are among the most comfortable in the AWD segment.

Functionally, the Defender remains a genuine offroader in every sense of the word with dual-range gearing, constant AWD and a lockable centre differential.

Airbags do not make an appearance in either model but the 110 gets ABS and traction control. Both models are rated to tow 3500kg.

While the Defender's powerplant is Euro 4-compliant for emissions, it is not class leader on fuel economy. The 110 has a combined cycle rating of 11L/100km; the 130 comes in at 11.1L/100km.