Land Rover Defender Reviews

The P400 is the petrol MHEV (mild hybrid electric vehicle) variant in the new Land Rover Defender range. It has a 3.0-litre turbo-charged in-line six-cylinder petrol engine – producing 294kW at 5500rpm and 550Nm at 2000-5000rpm. It has an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a permanent all-wheel drive system, dual-range transfer case, as well as Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system, with switchable modes such as Grass/Gravel/Snow, Sand, Mud and Ruts, and Rock Crawl. It also has centre and rear diff locks.The P400 is available in four spec levels: P400 S ($95,335), P400 SE ($102,736), P400 HSE ($112,535), or P400 X ($136,736).It’s available with the option of five, six or 5+2 seating in the five-door 110.Standard features on the Defender range include LED headlights, heated, electric, power-fold door mirrors, approach lights and auto-dimming keyless entry, and auto-dimming interior rear view mirror.Driver-assist tech includes AEB, a 3D surround camera, wade sensing, cruise control and speed limiter, lane keep assist, and traffic sign recognition and adaptive speed limiter.It also has 10.0-inch touchscreen Pivi Pro system, a smartphone pack (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), DAB radio, sat nav and a 180W six-speaker sound system.Fuel consumption is a claimed 9.9L/100km (on a combined cycle).The Defender has a 90-litre tank.

The D240 is the mid-range diesel variant in the Defender range. It has a 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder diesel engine, producing 177kW and 430Nm.It’s available in four trim levels – the D240, D240 S, D240 SE, and the D240 First Edition – and with the option of five, six or 5+2 seating in the five-door 110.It has an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a permanent all-wheel drive system, dual-range transfer case, as well as Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, with switchable modes such as Grass/Gravel/Snow, Sand, Mud and Ruts, and Rock Crawl. It also has centre and rear diff locks.Standard features on the Defender range include LED headlights, heated, electric, power-fold door mirrors, approach lights and auto-dimming keyless entry, and auto-dimming interior rear view mirror.Driver-assist tech includes AEB, cruise control and speed limiter, lane keep assist, and traffic sign recognition and adaptive speed limiter.It has 10.0-inch touchscreen Pivi Pro system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, and sat nav.Fuel consumption is a claimed 7.6L/100km (on a combined cycle). The Defender has a 90-litre tank.This Defender is covered by a five-year / unlimited kilometre warranty, and five-year service plan ($1950 for diesels), which includes five years roadside assist.

The D200 is the base-spec diesel variant in the new Land Rover Defender range. It has an MSRP of $69,626. It’s available in only standard Defender 110 spec and is available with the option of five, six or 5+2 seating.It has a 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder diesel engine, producing 147kW/430Nm, and that’s teamed with an eight-speed automatic transmission.It has a permanent all-wheel drive system, dual-range transfer case, as well as Land Rover’s Terrain Response system.It also has centre and rear diff locks.Driver-assist tech includes AEB, a 3D surround camera, wade sensing, cruise control and speed limiter, lane keep assist, and traffic sign recognition and adaptive speed limiter.It has 10.0-inch touchscreen Pivi Pro system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, and sat nav.Fuel consumption is a claimed 7.6L/100km (on a combined cycle). The Defender has a 90-litre tank.This Defender is covered by a five-year / unlimited kilometre warranty, and five-year service plan ($1950 for diesels), which includes five years roadside assist. 

You may find this difficult to believe but the Land Rover Defender has quite a bit in common with the Porsche 911. Land Rover and the Porsche 356 each started life in 1948. Fast forward to 2013 and the latest Land Rover Defender and the Porsche 911 are immediately identifiable from the shapes of those 65 year-old

A hard core military style vehicle, Land Rover has been producing the Defender for nigh-on 60 years, with 25,000 examples sold in more than 100 different countries and in over 100 different variations each year.But the past is finally catching up with this British icon, which could well be nearing the end of the line — deemed no longer safe by modern standards.In the meantime, however, Land Rover has produced a special 60th anniversary model, complete with Recaro seats which incidentally are heated.It's almost a contradiction in terms.Only 82 of the individually numbered Defender 110 SVX's will be sold in Australia, out of a total 1800 units worldwide, making it a highly collectable version.It's a striking looking vehicle finished in glossy black with contrasting metal trim.While the SVX bears a strong resemblance to its 1948 predecessor, many of the features have never been seen in a Defender before — things like aforementioned Recaros, satellite navigation, leather steering wheel and iPod compatibility — to name a few.In addition the SVX features satin black 60th decals, five-spoke alloy wheels, tubular side-steps, reinforced aluminium bash plate, sunroof, aluminium gear knob, and a Clarion audio system with a separate sub-woofer and amplifier.But don't get the wrong idea because this is no suburban taxi.No sireee. It's built for strength, reliability and ease of repair.We can verify the latter because we managed to punch a hole in the crankcase of one last year.It was back on the road within the hour after plugging the hole with metal putty.Anyone who has ever driven one of these vehicles can attest to the love-hate relationship that many drivers share with their cars.It can be a pig to drive, especially in traffic, where it's more like a truck than a car with low gearing and a terrible turning circle _ but off road it has few peers.Defender is not as you may think powered by five, but by a 2.4-litre four cylinder diesel that produces 90kW of power and 360Nm of torque.The engine is hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission, with drive fed to all four wheels.It sits on a separate ladder chassis, preferred for off road work, with a full time four wheel drive system and low range gearing.It even comes with traction control and anti-lock brakes.The wagon has a maximum speed of 132km/h and uses 11.0 litres of fuel per 100km.Zero to 100km/h takes a long time _ 15.8 seconds.It's a big sucker at 4639mm in length, weighing in at just over two tonnes and standing just over two metres tall.Torque is normally split evenly between the front and rear wheels, but it can transfer up to 100 per cent either way as required - unless the conventional centre diff is locked.Front and rear diff locks are optional.Ground clearance is an impressive 314mm and it has a wading depth of 500mm, which combined with short front and rear overhangs, means this truck can go almost anywhere.The limited edition SVX is priced from $63,320 and that includes seven seats, but you'd better be quick because there's not many of them left.

This is the modern incarnation of the Land Rover.It boasts 50 per cent better ventilation and a new integrated dash with an upgraded sound system and new, more comfortable seating. Ergonomics is not a strong point - the Defender's cabin design has little that falls into the category, with an average driving position, oddly placed switchgear - the horn is on the end of the indicator stalk - and the door is too close. But much of that matters little if you're looking to head way off the beaten track, as this machine has all the skills without resorting to electronics.Low-range, wheel travel and a centre diff lock allows it to climb just about any terrain at which you point its bumpy, square nose.It all but stops on steep, tricky descents, allowing the driver to pick a perfect path downhill with ample grip from the off-road tyres.The Defender is powered by a 2.4-litre 16-valve turbodiesel four-cylinder engine that works well with the low gearing off-road, but offers leisurely sealed-road performance. Filling the tank is also something of a low-speed thrill - the near-horizontal filler neck makes pump blow back a regular occurrence - don't even bother with a high-speed “trucker” diesel pump.You have to admire the courage of convictions in sticking with the Defender in a form that flies in the face of modern design. While it works beautifully in serious off-road environs, many will never experience its rough-terrain abilities; they've been spoiled with modern SUVs and won't put up with the idiosyncrasies. SnapshotLand Rover Defender 130 cab-chassisPrice: $50,990.Engine: 2.4-litre 16-valve common-rail turbodiesel four-cylinder.Transmission: Six-speed manual.Power: 90kW at 3500rpm.Torque: 360Nm at 2000rpm.Performance: 0-100km/h 15.8 seconds. Top speed 132km/h.Fuel consumption: 11.1 litres/100km, tank capacity 75 litres.Emissions: 295g/km.Suspension: Live beam axle, coil springs, dampers, Panhard rod (front). Live beam axle, coil springs, dampers, A-frame, co-axial helper springs (rear).Brakes: Front and rear discs.Dimensions: Length 5170mm, width 1790mm, height 2021mm, wheelbase 3225mm, track fr/rr 1486/1511mm, approach/departure angles 49/35deg, ground clearance 314mm, weight 2120kg.Wheels: 16in steel. In its class:Toyota HiLux SR 4x4 dual-cab chassis, from $40,890.Mitsubishi Triton 4x4 GLS cab-chassis, from $51,990.Nissan Navara D40 dual-cab ST-X, from $45,990.Ford Ranger 4x4 XL turbodiesel crew-cab chassis, from $36,990.Holden Rodeo 4x4 LX crew-cab chassis turbodiesel, $41,290. 

At a time when most makers are launching their 2008 models and already have their EU4-compliant diesels available, Land Rover has launched its EU4-spec 2007 Defender.But, having taken nearly 60 years to come this far, the Defender has never been a vehicle to rush into anything.The “new” Defender is a stop-gap until an all-new Defender arrives about 2010.To be sold between now and then, it needed an EU4-compliant engine, and the 2.4-litre unit from the Ford Transit fitted the bill (if not the Defender's engine bay).The defining exterior feature of the '07 Defender is the bonnet bulge required because the Ford engine is taller than theTd5it replaces.For the engine to meet Land Rover's criteria for off-road use, ancillaries such as the alternator and air-conditioning compressor were moved higher on the engine and sit snugly under the bump.The new engine is a 2.4-litre iron-block, alloy-head design with 16 valves, common-rail direct injection, a variable-nozzle turbocharger and an intercooler.It produces 90kW at 3500rpm and 360Nm at2000rpm, with more than 315Nm of that torque available from 1500 to 2700rpm.Power is the same as in the Td5, but there's 60Nm more torque. ADR combined fuel figures are 11.0L/100km for the 110 wagon and 11.1L/100km for the 130 double-cab.A new six-speed manual gearbox offers a broad spread of ratios to keep the Defender's modest power on the boil.The torquier engine and wider gearing make it a more relaxed vehicle to drive, delivering 50km/h per 1000rpm in top gear and sub-2000rpm highway cruising.You can now hear your passenger speak at a normal level on the freeway, even though the cabin still lacks the sound deadening and carpet of most modern vehicles.The Defender's interior is now a much more comfortable place, thanks to a new dashboard with integrated air-conditioning.Keen spotters will have noticed that the old vent flaps under the windscreen have been removed — that's because Defender now has a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system that brings it into the 21st century.Land Rover quotes a heap of figures about improved airflow and quicker heating and cooling, but the improvements simply provide what you would expect in a modern vehicle that is sold around the globe. Air-conditioning is fitted as standard equipment.In yet another concession to modernity, there's an all-new dashboard incorporating a Discovery 3 gauge cluster, a modern audio system and simpler heating controls.Combined with the improved seats, you could almost forget you were driving a Defender if it wasn't for the 1950s ergonomics and the handbrake digging into your left leg.The new seats are taller, with proper headrests to make them more comfortable and safer.In the 110 wagon, the second-row seat is also improved. It splits and folds to allow easier access to the rear, where a pair of third-row seats are a $2000 option.Basic as the Defender's interior is, it has to be said the optional third-row seats are among the best and most comfortable available.The Defender's high roof and square sides allow a more upright seat that is raised off the floor, providing proper leg-room and headroom for anyone up to 182cm in height.The two seats sit outboard in the cargo space, leaving a passage between them for passengers to access the rear door.When not in use, the seats fold up to the sides, where they take up a fair bit of cargo space. The third-row seats are a factory option that can't be retro-fitted, and all seats have three point belts.The Defender range in Australia comprises just two models, despite the multitude of variants available in Britain.Only the 110 wagon and 130 double-cab are sold here, although Land Rover Australia says it would like to be able to come up with a viable business case to sell the 90 here.That should be easier now the 90 is available with the option of two extra seats.The 110 and 130 share their driveline components, including full-time 4WD with high and low ranges. Live axles front and rear are suspended on long coil springs which provide plenty of axle travel.The 110 has ABS and electronic traction control, but the 130 doesn't even get a limited-slip rear diff. I can hear the farmer swearing from the bottom paddock, where his Defender ute is stuck in a boggy hole.The value of electronic traction control was clearly shown over a section of deeply rutted track with holes almost perfectly placed to lift diagonally opposing wheels.When the 110 lifted its wheels and stopped, the ETC could be heard braking the spinning wheel and sending drive to the wheels with grip, keeping the wagon moving.When the 130 reached that spot, it simply stopped, wheels spinning in the air. It could advance only by using a lot more momentum.Although the Defender now has a bit of refinement, this has never been a model bought for its comfort. It's a purpose-built enthusiast's vehicle, not a soccer mum's SUV.It continues this tradition for the time being, but it's anyone's guess what will come after 2010.With the Jeep Wrangler's resurgence and the introduction of the Hummer brand to Australia, there's a swell of popularity for military-inspired four-wheel drives — and, in that regard, the Defender is the real deal.

At the same time Defender's loyalists are drawn to the minimalist design, to a vehicle that can take you just about anywhere, that you can treat badly, but that will still bring you home in one piece again.Available in a myriad of variations world-wide, it's a vehicle favoured by the military, aid organisations and government agencies as well as those who simply love the great outdoors.We take two models, the 110 wagon and the 130 cab-chassis, which misses out on traction control.Designed primarily with functionality, practicality and reliability in mind, it's also a vehicle that you can literally hose out when it gets too dirty.But the underlying design could well be the Defender's undoing, with no plans to continue production beyond 2010 when it no longer meets minimum safety standards.The problem here is that with only 25,000 sales a year world-wide, redesigning the car for the 21st century could simply be uneconomic.So, with two years to run, Land Rover has just updated the current 2002 model for what is perhaps the last time, to produce what is arguably the most comfortable Defender ever but one that is still just as tough.Having said that we managed to crack the engine case of our test vehicle, a 130 cab- chassis through bad luck more than bad management.On a particularly tough section of bush track, a stone is thought to have been flicked by one of the front wheels with sufficient force to punch a hole in the crank case in an area otherwise shielded from hard knocks.It was a million to one chance but some putty and a top up for the oil later and the vehicle was back on the road.In a nutshell, that describes what the Defender is all about.For the new 07MY model the TD5 five cylinder diesel has made way for a Ford 2.4-litre four cylinder unit, a six speed manual has been added and cabin comfort has been greatly improved.The new 2.4 litre diesel is the same engine that can be found in Ford's Transit van and is good for 90kW of power and 360Nm of torque, with 90 per cent of torque available from 1500rpm.In comparison, the old engine was good for 90kW and 300Nm.The six-speed manual is a welcome addition with a lower first gear for extreme off roading and a higher sixth gear for more relaxed highway cruising.Fuel economy is rated at 11.0 litres/100km.We reckon second gear in high range is still a little too tall for the speed we wanted to maintain.Defender runs a full time four-wheel drive system, with low range selectable via a traditional transfer lever. We found changing between high and low range tricky at times and the turning circle is terrible.Inside, more elbowroom has been created by moving the front seats towards the middle of the cabin. The seats themselves are surprisingly comfortable and in the wagon a third row of front facing seats are now available as an option.The padded dash draws on instrumentation from the Discovery with a centre mounted analogue clock. You even get a CD based sound system but surprisingly no iPod connection.Gone are the pop up air vents replaced by standard airconditioning.Land Rover has lost count of how many Defenders it has sold in Australia and indeed how many different versions of the car it currently produces.The bushy's bushy has been sold here since 1949 and many a back paddock can attest to its rust resistant alloy body.Defender 110 is priced from $48,990 and 130 from $50,990. 

After all, in today’s field of cosseting off-roaders and outright marshmallow soft-roaders, the rugged Defender still steps up to the plate with pretty the same slab sides, hard edges and very basic design the badge started with about 60 years ago.It’s so far removed from the rest of the Land Rover range it may as well be a separate marque, and as such, it’s a dinosaur squaring off against a modern world of complex technology.And that’s its unique charm. There are absolutely no pretensions about the Defender. What you get is a truck as tough as a stegosaurus, and just as capable of ploughing through the primordial landscape.Unfortunately the stegosaurus has a few problems with tight turning circles and cornering at full gallop on bitumen — but the kind of person who wants to go riding a steggie isn’t going to consider saddling up a Siamese cat simply because it’s a bit more acrobatic.The newly arrived Defender has made a few changes but you’ll have to be a fanatic to spot most of them. The most noticeable is that there’s bump on the bonnet to accommodate the new higher-positioned engine, a 2.4-litre four-cylinder common rail diesel engine sourced from the Ford Transit and given a lubrication and sealing system upgrade to help it deal with the extreme conditions the offroader gets into.The engine develops 90kW of power and 360Nm of torque (20 per cent more than the five-cylinder turbo diesel it replaces). It meets EU4 emissions standards, but there’s also a specially tuned version for countries with especially poor diesel fuel.The new engine gets and anti-stall system and a sixth slot on the manual gearbox that controls the full-time 4WD transfer cases, but there’s still no plan for an auto — although Land Rover Australia general manager Roger Jory says there has been discussion.“An automatic gets talked about a fair bit, but nothing is planned,” Jory says.The springs and dampers have been revised and the Defender name has been replaced on the bonnet by Land Rover badging, but otherwise it’s very much the same tall and narrow box that the company proudly admits has been 'fighting the wind tunnel for 60 years’.However the interior has been given more comfort and style - at least by Defender standards. There are a redesigned fascia and instruments, more comfortable seats, tweeters join the two speakers for the audio system - and extra noise damping gives it (and you) a better chance at being heard.True believers will miss the dashboard vents that used to open straight to the outside, and probably won’t be consoled by the fact that the airconditioning/heating is now much faster and stronger.There are non-skid mats on just about every horizontal surface in the hose-out cabin, and traction control and anti-skid brakes will help you get through the kind of spots that will require you using the hose when you get home.But don’t expect to see airbags, cruise control, buttons to adjust the mirrors, any adjustment at all on the steering column or anything as luxurious as a vanity mirror.The new Defender is offered in the 130 Crew Cab Chassis version for $50,990 and the 110 Station Wagon for $48,990, with the only options being metallic paint for $900 or two comfortable forward-facing extra seats for the cargo area of the 110 for $2000. The company isn’t giving any sales predictions, but is confident of improving the slide that has seen this year’s figures so far down by almost half at 65.It’s a lot less noisy in the new Defender cabin. Land Rover says it’s 30 per cent quieter than the previous model, and while it’s not whisper-hushed at least you no longer have to yell a conversation between the seats.The diesel engine sounds agricultural - music to some ears - and while it seems on paper to be short on the numbers it doesn’t have any trouble doing the job. You get that extra torque across a wide rev range, and hit both torque and power peaks around a reasonably low 2000rpm.You have to reach for the gear change, and the shift action is extremely long throw, but the new top gear is tall and allows you to calm things down a bit for highway cruising, while first gear has been given a lower ratio for even more impressive crawl ability.The suspension improvements give it slightly more composure on the road, but it still bounces around like a Jack Russell on amphetamines. There’s also a lack of steering response, noticeable body roll in cornering and the narrow body means that the interior is cramped.But most Defenders only want to see bitumen in between getting from one gnarly spot to another, and it’s in the dirt that you really see what the stegosaurus can do – clawing its way up and down hillsides, though washouts and (with a 314mm ground clearance and 500mm wading depth) water that would stop most of its rivals.Offroading is helped with short overhangs and the ability to easily judge where your corners are, coupled with some impressive geometry. Maximum gradient is 45°, approach angle is 49° and traverse is 35°, while the 110 has breakover and departure angles of 30.3° and 34.6°, and the 130’s 27.5° and 35.2°.The second hand will sweep a quarter dial before you get to 100km/h, and then some time after that you’ll get to the top speed of 132km/h – with a bit of patience. But this is not a vehicle you buy because you want a drag car, it’s the one you buy because you have a job to do and the Defender can do it.But there’s a price to be paid in comfort, with the ground clearance making it a chore to climb into, and the narrowness that gives it access to virtual goat tracks also meaning it’s cramped for shoulder room, while leg room for the driver is challengingly tight.Jory describes the Defender as "an involving drive". What it involves is as much physical effort as a solid hour in the gym, coupled with having to keep your brain engaged at all times. This is not an idiot-proof offroader that will do all the work and thinking for you. If you don’t know what you’re doing out there, you could get into real trouble. If you do know what you’re doing, there’s probably nowhere on earth you couldn’t tackle in the Defender.Close to 1.9 million of them have been sold, and Land Rover says about 1.2 million of those are still on the road _ and some very rough road at that _ all over the world, many in various defence and emergency services or aid missions that have to deal with remote regions.The factory at Solihull in Britain builds only 25,000 each year, and since a lot of the vehicle is hand-built, it’s unlikely Landy will try to increase production.But the question is whether they’ll keep producing them beyond the current model’s sunset in 2010, when the EU changes emissions regulations for the commercial vehicle classification that has allowed Defender to ignore the passenger vehicle levels other offroaders must meet.That makes this tough and honest dinosaur an endangered species, but we hope Land Rover manages to save it — because its extinction would be a huge loss.Is there really anything tougher than a Landie? Have you owned one? What beats it? Tell us your story in the feedback area below...

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