The Land Rover Defender has been around forever it seems. From the time it debuted to now, it has always been able to go where no other vehicle has been able to go before, even if that sounds very Star Trek-ish. At the onset, the Land Rover Defender was called the Land Rover 90 or Ninety and derived from the 1948 Land Rover Series, all of them being the British equivalent of the WWII Willys Jeep, the American gamechanger.
The original Land Rover Defender was made all the way till January 29, 2016, and production ended after a little over two million of these had been built. The last of the lot more the number plate H166 HUE, a nod to the first-ever Land Rover which carried the registration HUE 166.
For the US though, the Land Rover Defender was off the market since 1998 because it did not comply with emission and safety regulations. And it’s only in 2019, that the Defender was back in the US for the long haul, and honestly, it's bigger and better than ever.
Let’s Talk Engine & Specs Of The Land Rover Defender
You’d think an off-roader like this, one that can take on just about any terrain, would carry a V8 at least. You’d be mistaken. The Land Rover Defender carries a 3.0-liter turbocharged and electrically supercharged inline-six that jets 395 horses, 406 ft-lb torque, and comes mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
There’s another engine option here as well, a 2.0-liter turbo inline-four but even then mileage in this drops from 2020. The plus-point here, despite alarming fuel economy numbers of 17/20 mpg, is that as compared to the other like-minded SUVs, the Defender is a near saint considering it's far less thirsty than the competition.
There’s a new aluminum-focused D7 platform the Defender rides on with a longitudinally mounted engine and a new monocoque frame that is supposed to be three times stronger than the earlier one. Air springs are optional, and there’s a strut suspension in the front while an independent one in the rear. A 0-60 mph sprint is now 5.8 seconds, and considering the last American Defender took a whole 12.7 seconds, we are blown away.
The one gap we see in the Land Rover Defender, a chink in its armor, is that it has not been crash-tested and neither has its base vehicle, the Discovery because when it comes to the NHTSA, luxury vehicles are given a free pass. But it does weigh 5,719 pounds, so being an elephant should account for something.
The safety features in it are otherwise up to par with assists for lane-keeping, blind spot, driver condition, etc in place. There’s also wade sensing that uses sensors in the door mirrors to keep you safely fording water that also tells you that this Defender can defend itself against a lot of things, including watery terrain.
The Defender Can Truly Do A Lot
Not many of the buyers who get the Defender will use it in the way it is supposed to be used. It’s the car for the intrepid explorer, the guy who is a wildlife photographer or an avid camper, or even an ex-special forces dude who needs to be in the wild to find peace.
For most, however, it’s a comfortable SUV that comes with quiet confidence. You can choose the familiar “90” two-door or the four-door “110” and prices range from $50,000 to about $80,000 – way economical for the kind of stuff the Defender can do. Seating in the 110 is a three-row, five-plus-two while in the 90, there’s a fold-down center seat to add in a person or two.
It’s a serious off-roader. There’s a 38-degree approach angle, a 40-degree departure angle, and a 31 or 28-degree break-over angle for the Defender 90 or the 100, with an impressive ground clearance of 11.5-inches.
It also gives a wading depth of 35-43 inches making the all-new 2021 Land Rover Defender a rather capable underwater beast, considering it is already adept at everything. Mud, sand, water, snow, desert, jungle – the Defender takes it all on, does it, and then shakes it off with ease. Can-do, always, anytime!