Land Rover Defender II

The Land Rover Defender is known to be a living legend in the offroading world because of its legendary reputation that traces back to Series I. From conquering all directions of the world, the Defender truly is a legendary icon that deserves no explanation. After almost a century, Land Rover laid the legendary Defender to rest and in its wake, it has been reincarnated into a brand new Defender. The one that promises to carry on the legacy of the legend while incorporating cutting-edge technology to get through the wind of the times.

2020 Land Rover Defender

Starting at 43,625 Pounds, the reborn Defender comes with two different body styles; the three-door 90 and the five-door 110 which is longer than the first one I mentioned. Whichever style you choose, you will be glad to witness the modern take of the legendary offroader who is revered the world over.

2020 Land Rover Defender

Before checking out, let's observe the design. Weirdly, the new Defender shares nothing in common with the old Defender because while the Defenders of the past are square but tough, the 21st-century Defender is like an old Discovery LR3/LR4, and when you park between them, it's hard to tell the difference. Sounds odd but this is how the new Defender rolls.

2020 Land Rover Defender interior

2020 Land Rover Defender interior

The new interior is pretty much the same story as the exterior because while the old Defender is mostly driver-focused, the new model is pretty much disturbing for purists. After all, it's been festooned with lots of toys to mingle around on the dashboard, which is nice for Gen Z offroad enthusiasts but its highest level of fancy living really ruins the Defender's character in a pinch if you know what I mean. Despite that, it's still as roomy as any SUV in the market today and in the 110 variant, it's family-friendly as well because of the choice of five, six, or 5+2 seats. Very nice but the purists aren't very happy about it.

2020 Land Rover Defender

If the new look disappoints purists of the original Defender, is the new model still as tough as the legend itself? As a matter of fact, it is. Armed with the all-aluminum D7x architecture, monocoque body construction, offroad-focused suspension setup, Adaptive Dynamics with available Electronic Air Suspension, and the next-gen Terrain Response, the new Defender really works and feels just like the original and despite its posh look, it can still tackle all directions of the earth just like the original.

The new model offers a wide range of Ingenium petrol and diesel engines with a PHEV to follow later but the most powerful offering at launch comes with the 3.0L petrol engine producing 400HP of power and 550Nm of torque. Mated to an 8-speed AT with low gear ratios suitable for offroading, it does 0-60mph in around six seconds and has a top speed of 119mph. Slow but the new Defender doesn't care because going anywhere is what this new model's born for and it's not afraid to take on risky shortcuts in case of heavy traffic ahead.

Because this is the most technologically advanced Defender ever made, it features a wide array of features not only on the road but off the road as well, meaning this new model has all the eyes it needs to study the conditions carefully and use whatever means necessary to get through any path safely and confident. Those offroad tech and safety techs really put the new Defender a class apart from the competition.

So, what can I say about the new Defender? It may not look the same as the original but with all of the tech, the performance, the comfort, and the legendary Defender reputation carried over, this is by no means the greatest offroader at the turn of the decade and if you are willing to get your hands on one, do so now because the new Defender is worth the envy of anyone wishing they want to drive one someday. Why wait?

Photo: Jaguar Land Rover