Land Rover 3.5 Reviews

Some of Australia's favourite models will see their safety ratings lapse in 2026.

In what could signal a monumental change in direction, Jaguar Land Rover has farewelled the designer responsible for some of its most iconic models.Gerry McGovern, who served as a design director at JLR since 2004, was responsible for a design renaissance at the company. He led the design of the brand’s comparatively successful era in the 2010s, which included the Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Range Rover Sport (L494) and Discovery 4.McGovern recently oversaw the design of the controversial, but successful, new-generation Defender, which replaced the brand’s historic original ladder-frame Series models in 2019.His last design to make it to the public realm is perhaps his most controversial yet, the Jaguar Type 00 concept. It was said to be inspired by Renaissance architecture, and at the time was seen as a harbinger for a re-booted Jaguar for the electric era.The concept and its associated reveal video was not well received by the public. Jaguar said its evolution would move it into an ultra-premium market segment rather than the BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi rival, which it had previously been.A four-door Porsche Taycan rival, which has been spotted testing, is expected to be the first model in the brand’s new electrified line-up using styling cues from the Type 00 concept.McGovern’s reported exit comes amidst corporate change for Jaguar Land Rover, with a new CEO taking up the reins after recent management departures.The new leader, PB Balaji, was appointed from JLR’s parent company, Tata motors. He was the Indian giant’s CFO previously, and the departure of McGovern shortly after his taking the reins could indicate a change in direction for the storied automaker.Other massive changes in store for the brand include the incoming re-boot of the Freelander marque as a sub-brand, leveraging the company's joint-venture with Chinese giant Chery.The incoming range of Freelander SUVs are expected to use Chery's next-generation E0X platform, which is designed to more cost-effectively support electrified powertrains, and the SUVs will initially be built at the JV's Changshu plant in China. Land Rover has had a decent year so far in Australia, with sales up 8.3 per cent. By far its best seller is the Defender, which is up 22.6 per cent until the end of October, moving 3379 units.Its next most popular model is the Range Rover Sport (1982 units, up 7.3 per cent), while the full-size Range Rover, Velar, Discovery Sport, and fifth-generation Discovery have all amassed less than 400 units this year.Jaguar, meanwhile, has dwindled to just 479 units total this year, moving just 13 units in October, mostly of remaining stock of the F-Pace SUV. The brand has no new product on the immediate horizon for Australia, suggesting its prolonged hiatus will continue.

Audi wants a hardcore off-road SUV to rival Land Rover’s Defender and it plans to do it with the help of the Volkswagen Group’s retro-revival sub-brand Scout.

Land Rover has launched a 35th Anniversary Edition of the Discovery and it enters a small but fiercely contested segment - does it have enough to stand out.

Modern 4x4s are packed with clever tech - but at what cost?

From European airports and Asian defence forces to US retailers and Australian telcos cyber attacks continue to wreak commercial and personal havoc around the globe.

We are on the cusp of a mini 4WD bonanza.Toyota’s mini LandCruiser FJ has been at the centre of rumours for the past few years, and it could be about to be revealed at the 2025 Tokyo motor show in October.New patent filings to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) by Toyota, which include an image of what appears to be a production version of this revived FJ Cruiser, have only poured fuel on the fire.Not to mention Toyota Australia has trademarked the FJ LandCruiser name in Australia.Reports from Japanese outlet, Best Car, have given us a good indication of what it’ll be like.It really will be compact, measuring about 4500mm long, 1830mm wide and 1850mm tall, which is about the same size as a Toyota Corolla Cross or Hyundai Kona.It will have 210mm of ground clearance and full-time four-wheel drive.Power will come from a choice of either a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine or a 2.7-litre petrol motor, which are both found in entry-level HiLux utes.It will likely be based on the IMV-0 platform that is used for emerging market vehicles such as the HiLux Champ in South-East Asia.Toyota isn’t alone in developing a baby off-roader.Mercedes-Benz will build a mini version of its burly G-Wagen according to reports.Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Kallenius said previously the company was considering a baby G-Wagen this decade, but now the company appears to have confirmed it will be here sooner rather than later.It is expected to be based on the MB.EA platform that lies underneath the recently debuted electric Mercedes-Benz GLC.That model can charge at speeds up to 330kW via a DC pylon and 22kW via an AC charging point.The electric GLC has potent performance with 360kW and a driving range of more than 700km.Those figures could translate well in a compact off-roader.Land Rover is getting in on the act, too.Recent spy shots show a heavily camouflage shrunken Defender testing in Europe.It is believed it will be dubbed the Defender Sport, and is expected to be the little brother to the full-size Defender.Spy shots show the test car wears the same blocky, chunky styling of the full-size Defender.The Defender is available in multiple sizes, but will likely be a similar size to the Defender 90, which measures about 4320mm long.It is expected to be all electric, in a similar vein to the baby G-Wagen, and ride on the brand’s new EMA platform.This will enable 350kW charging via its 800-Volt architecture. Dual motors will give it pace and it will need to be more than capable off-road to wear the Land Rover Defender badge.Land Rover is expected to debut the model next year with production slated for 2027.Chinese brands such as BYD's Denza and Chery's Jetour, could also produce something similar eventually, too.For now the the Suzuki Jimny remains the only option for Australian buyers.

We pit the old Land Rover Defender 90 against the new one in an off-road battle! Has Land Rover 'ruined it' by going monocoque, or is the old 4x4 looked at with rose-tinted glasses?

The logo for Land Rover’s forthcoming standalone Freelander brand, which is coming to fruition as part of a joint venture with China’s Chery, has been revealed.

Land Rover has turned to the dark side.The British brand has released a blacked-out version of its V8-powered off-road monster, dubbed the Defender Octa Black.It combines a potent 467kW/750Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 and mild hybrid assistance with muscular off-road performance and primo luxury kit.The man in charge of the Defender program, Mark Cameron, said the Defender Octa is the tallest and widest Defender, enabling it to tackle even more extreme terrain.“The introduction of Defender Octa Black takes things up a notch,” said Cameron. “We know our clients love giving their Defenders all-black finishes, so our designers have applied this principle to every possible surface – inside and out – to create the ultimate tough luxury Defender Octa,” he said.Gloss-black finishes cover nearly all surfaces, including the exhaust tips, Land Rover oval badge, 22-inch inch alloy wheels and even underbody elements.Inside there is black leather upholstery and black seat backs, armrests and dashboard.It also comes with a whopping big 700W 15-speaker Meridian stereo, 13.1-inch multimedia screen and what Land Rover calls Body and Soul Seats that pump the audio signals from the stereo through the seats so passengers can “feel the music".There is advanced air suspension, which Land Rover claims responds to any driving style and gives the driver greater control over any terrain. The air suspension allows for a 323mm ground clearance and approach and departure angles of more than 40 degrees, along with a ramp angle of 29 degrees and a wading depth of 1000mm.This is coupled with a special Octa driving mode for off-road, which has a special ABS calibration that is designed for driving on gravel roads.Its beefy V8 can propel it to 100km/h from a standstill in 4.0 seconds on the way to a top speed of 250km/h. Fuel of 13.1 litres per 100km isn’t great.The Octa Black is only available in the 110 body style and is priced from $313,800 (before on-road costs), or about the same as three Toyota LandCruiser 300s.