The British are known for things like putting milk into hot tea and adding extra vowels to words. They are not, however, known to bring back nostalgic nameplates just for the marketing of it, which is why I test-drove the Land Rover Defender.
At a Glance
- Lots of customization options
- Three sizes to choose from
- Not cheap
- Serious off-road capability, if outfitted well
- British quirks
- Land Rovers are not Jeeps
The past 20 or so years have seen a resurgence in off-road vehicles. The pandemic just spurred it further, as people tried to find ways to have fun and social distance at the same time. For some, the night club, bar, or other social-gathering spot was replaced with activities such as outdoor camping and off-pavement driving. That trend has stuck around, and now off-roading is serious business.
Land Rover saw this and embraced it, having never really dropped its heritage to begin with. The new Defender debuted in 2020 with mixed results. I thoroughly liked it, but many enthusiasts were less than thrilled. “Yet another modern SUV with a nostalgic nameplate,” they cried. Like Ford debuting a “new Bronco,” the Defender looked like it could be just another carmaker cashing in on well-loved old names. Also like the Bronco, the new Defender proved itself worthy of its name’s return.
The 2024 Land Rover Defender comes in three body styles, a bunch of trim levels, and with a long list of engine choices and vehicle options beyond that. My test drive was the Defender 110 S P400 with a bunch of add-ons. Its price tag was about US$68,000 with delivery; the $950 Tasman Blue paint job included. That’s about $10,000 more than the base model in the smaller size would cost.
The three sizes for the Defender are designated by numbers. The bigger the number, the bigger the SUV. The 90 is the smallest, a two-door model with seating for five. The 110 has four doors and the same number of seats, though a two-seat third row is an option. Both the Defender 90 and 110 can have the option for a front passenger jump seat to replace the storage bin between seats, adding an extra spot. Finally, the 130 comes with three rows of seating (seven seats in total), unless the Outbound model is chosen, in which case the third row is dropped in favor of more cargo space.
Then there’s engine options. Also designated by numbers. But it can depend on the size of the Defender chosen. The base level Defender 90 and 110 in P300 is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that outputs 296 horsepower (218 kW). The Defender 130 P300, however, has a 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder with a mild hybrid system, producing an equal 296 hp. The P400 models have the same six-cylinder turbo, but it’s tuned to output 395 horsepower (290.5 kW). The P500 is a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine that outputs an aggressive 493 horsepower (363 kW). Followed by the P525, a souped-up version of that which boosts power to 518 hp (381 kW). All of these engines are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission with full-time four-wheel drive via a low- and high-range transfer case.
To further prove that options make for confusion, the Defender has several trim levels, but each is only available with some body sizes and a few engine options. Beyond that, there are a host of options packages to add things to each trim level. Packages that are standard when one upgrades to some trims. But since not all engines or paint options are available on every trim, one can build a Defender with options to make pretty much any configuration desired. The 110 S model I drove, for example, comes standard with only minimal off-road capabilities. But options added the Off-Road Pack and Advanced Off-Road Capability Pack, which brought all-terrain tires and more electronic controls for off-pavement going. Including Terrain Response 2, which automatically adapts torque vectoring and shifting to match terrain changes. Outside of off-road goodies, standard equipment on the 2024 Defender is pretty plentiful.
On the road as a daily, the 2024 Land Rover Defender is a pretty good ride. It’s smooth, especially with the optional adaptive air suspension, and it’s easy to live with. The step-in and exit height isn’t too bad and can be improved with that optional air ride, automatically lowering and raising the SUV when parked or leaving a parking spot.
The Defender, like most Rovers, does have some British quirks. Right-hand drivers in the UK and former colonies who haven’t turned to American ways will not mind the right-swinging rear hatch. The rest of us will have it blocking the curb. As with words with extra vowels in them–like the “aluminium” the bodywork on the Defender is made of–we Americans just shrug at the oddities of our odd over-the-pond cousins. Seriously. The Brits still put milk in hot tea. Even after our forefathers threw that stuff into the harbor in favor of coffee. Yes, we know they said things about taxes and stuff, but most Americans realize it was really about milked-down hot tea.
Odd British quirks aside, the Defender is also a luxury SUV that has great off-road capabilities. No, it probably won’t be seen cruising the deserts of Africa in pursuit of cheetahs or whatever like its forebears. But to be fair, most of today’s drivers aren’t doing that either and have no plans for it. Instead, we drive around on mostly paved roads and complain about potholes and traffic while ensconced inside a ton of metal and cushy upholstery. But when we do decide to go off the pavement, we like to know that we can do so without a lot of modifications to our daily comforts being required.
At no time in the brand’s history have Land Rover owners said things like “we should take all of these parts off and drive around without them” like Jeep owners do. That’s not who drives Rovers. So if your idea of going off-road means you have to be able to remove doors and roof panels and windshields, you have no business looking at a Land Rover as any kind of rival. Land Rover drivers don’t want to have to shift a bunch of levers and turn knobs to make things happen off-road. They’d much prefer to just turn off the pavement and have the vehicle automatically change itself in a “oh, we’re doing this now. Right-o” kind of way. Which is basically what off-roading in a Land Rover is like.
The 2024 Defender will happily throw dust down a dirt road, bounce across some dirt and rocks to get to a lake, or climb up some trails to find a rocky ledge for a photo op. And to make that happen, all the driver really has to do is turn off the pavement and keep driving. The only adjustment really necessary is in the use of the Defender’s throttle. Everything else, while there at a mere button push, is kind of arbitrary. As it should be, if you’re into Rovering instead of Jeeping.
Product Page: 2024 Land Rover Defender
