Overview

The first Land Rover Defender has been around since 1990 and was a glacial evolution of the first Land Rover launched way back in 1948. Replacing what is probably the world’s best-known off-roader, was always going to be tough. That’s why it took so long. But the wait was worth it because what emerged was rather special – from mud plugger to one of the best luxury hybrids you can buy today.

And that’s why today’s Defender is a smooth, sophisticated – and expensive – off-roader. Its rivals are a selection of SUVs including the Toyota Land Cruiser, Volkswagen Touareg and even the significantly pricier Mercedes-Benz G-Class. But it offers more choice than most, available in two guises: the long-wheelbase 110 and the shorter 90. The Hard Top commercial version went on sale in 2020.

The 110 is a roomy five seater, but you can optionally equip it with a pair of additional rear pews, to make it a seven seater. Alternatively, you can have an additional fold-out jump seat up front in place of a centre console to seat six at a pinch. That makes the Defender 110 uniquely adaptable in its class.

The Defender’s engine range consists of turbocharged, mild hybrid straight-sixes, with a plug-in hybrid and a powerful V8 bookending the efficiency and performance offerings respectively. On the road, it’s comfortable and surprisingly agile for a car of its size and has brilliant steering and handling – an astonishing achievement. 

As you’d expect, the Defender is Land Rover’s most capable off-road vehicle, too. It rides 20mm higher than other models in the range and is very agile off-road, able to traverse sharp inclines with ease. To find out what the Defender is like both on and off road, how practical it is and what it’ll cost to run, keep reading our full review over the next few pages.