By Sala Masindane

The best kept secret has finally hit the streets or should we say the Cape to Cairo route. After almost more than a half a century of anticipation and waiting the new Land Rover Defender is finally here and it has been worth the wait. A lot was said about its possible looks and seeing it in the flesh (or in the metal), it is clear that Jaguar Land Rover have nailed it. The previous generation is a legend in the off-roading circles, but it often felt like a one-dimensional vehicle that was not too convincing in the city. The new Defender appears to fend this off quite well and ready to assume an all-rounder mantle.

What has changed outside?

The car retains its proud heritage but also embraces the future. A distinctive shape makes the new Defender instantly recognizable with its minimal front and rear overhangs which have been designed to provide excellent approach and departure angles. The new 4×4 has a purposefully upright stance and alpine light windows in the roof while retaining the side-hinged rear tailgate and externally mounted spare wheel much like the original Defender. Our test unit also had the optional side storage bin.

What about the inside?

This is where the old Defender was underwhelming and did not resonate with the rest of the brand’s interior. You will be forgiven if you felt like you are in the Discovery when you step inside the Defender 110. The interior design and material choice are a clever balance between comfort (read luxury) and ruggedness. There are exposed screw heads and powder-coated aluminum surfaces to give it that old generation look and feel.

The new Pivi Pro touchscreen infotainment system in the Defender is one the most impressive we have seen from JLR. It connects quite easily to smartphones and has Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility. There’s also the ClearSight, in Mirror. We used this rear-view mirror in the traditional sense or a camera feed that will assist if the back window is dirty or if you have luggage obscuring your view. All the passengers of the SUV have their own designated USB charging ports.

Upfront, the larger than life central storage is just of the many areas that shows of the spaciousness of the Defender. Others include deep door pockets and a glove box shelf. During our time with the Defender, we traveled as a family of five adults down to Durban for a wedding and there was enough space for everyone. The luggage space also catered for all our bags.

Drive and Performance

Our test unit was the D240 that has a 2,0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbodiesel engine that pushes out 177 kW and 430 Nm. These number may seem small in terms of what you get from its other siblings, but power is adequate. It is agile and capable on-road, which could never be said for the previous generation. It has really matured on-road and the proof is in how it manages to deliver a superbly comfortable ride quality. The 2.0-litre twin-turbodiesel engine could be more willing take off. That said, it is smooth and compliant when on the move. We managed a relatively good fuel consumption of 10.9l/km (against a claimed 7.7 -7.8L/100km) in our time with the Defender.  It is not bad since we had 50/50 split between the city driving and the highway. The steering feels a bit light yet remains responsive. The brakes can be on the sharp side, but it is something that you adjust to. Before we forget, the Defender is still capable when off-roading as expected. Add the optional Off-Road pack and Advanced Off-Road Capability then the adventures are endless and accessible to even the most novice of off-roaders.   

Would we buy it?

The Defender is great company when it comes to off-roading capabilities against contenders like the Jeep Wrangler or the Mercedes Benz G-Wagon. Unfortunately, the former doesn’t have much of a great interior and is still not the best daily commute vehicle. The latter has a starting price of almost R3,5 million. The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is probably its closest competitor in terms of on-road capability and capability. Only time will tell about quality.

Much has been said about the new Land Rover Defender 110 and our humble opinion is that it has come off age and now offers the best of both worlds – a refined ride quality in the city and amazing off-road capability. We would not think twice about recommending it – although we do feel that the addition of grab handles and side steps would make the climbing into the large SUV a much more pleasant experience.