Land Rover Defender 110 road test

Iconic is a term that has been overused in the car industry, but the Land Rover Defender is a genuine motoring icon.

The Defender can trace its roots back to 1948 where it first earned its reputation as the most rugged and versatile off-road vehicles in the world. This workhorse reputation means it’s one of the best-loved cars around the world and after our experiences, on- and off-road, this seems more than justified.

New for 2012 is a 2.2-litre engine that replaces the outgoing 2.4-litre diesel. This new smaller engine matches the larger engine for power, torque and fuel consumption. Land Rover has also replaced the splash cover with a full acoustic engine cover to help keep engine noise to a minimum and helped improve refinement.

On the power front, the 2.2-litre diesel engine (a derivative of the engine that was launched in the Freelander last year) has an output of 120bhp. Performance is slightly better with top speed has increasing from 82mph to 90mph. Things haven't got any greener though and CO₂ emissions are the same as the previous model at 295g/km.

We drove the Defender through river crossings, up muddy descents, steep inclines and on-road, and it conquered all that was thrown at it. This is still one of the most capable machines on UK roads. Overtaking will have to be well planned as it lacks any real acceleration, but once you get up to motorway speed it will happily trundle along. It is still quite noisy when at speed but this will be used as a tool on the Peak District or Scottish Borders rather than journeying up and down the M6.

The same six-speed manual gearbox has been retained for this model year with excellent ratio spread from a high top gear to low-speed crawl capability. This is especially useful when towing on-road or tackling steep off-road descents.

There’s also some good news for those who have longed for a bit more comfort on the inside of the Defender. Land Rover has made two new option packs available. The Comfort pack includes aircon, CD player with auxiliary input, electric windows and remote central locking and costs £1,650. The second optional kit is the Off-Road Pack, it includes ABS, heavy-duty rim and MTR tyres, tow ball and under-ride protection bar and costs £1,500.

In response to customer feedback, Land Rover is offering a plain black Pick Up hood as an option while a plain beige hood will be introduced for the 110 Double Cab Pick Up. Both options are in addition to existing styles. A further enhancement for 2012 includes the addition of tinted glass on all models.

On the inside it is largely the same as before. There are few creature comforts, this is a workhorse not a plaything. The instruments are driver focused and lit by LED illumination but it is still rather dark on the inside when night driving.

Versatile stowage shelves are conveniently located for both the driver and passenger and two console options are available: a practical open-tray design that keeps contents handy and a large, lidded design that provides 14-litres of stowage. Up front the tall seats give the driver and passenger brilliant back support and offer excellent visibility. 

The 2012 Defender is available from £20,995 on the road and is on sale now.

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