Stuff - UK (2020-04)

2

TESTED LAND ROVER DEFENDER (2020)

3

4

GOOD

MEH

EVIL

A supremely

comfy place

to sit

The new

off-road

tech rocks

Diesel

model lacks

punch

You can

spec a

winch!

But you

can’t hose

the interior

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Traditionalists will be choking on their

Pimm’s, but Land Rover’s all-new

Defender is as techy as it is tough

It was never going to be easy to

replace one of the most iconic

cars in the automotive landscape.

Land Rover’s decision to unleash

an ultra-modern, technologically

advanced replacement for its

Defender was sure to ruffle some

pheasant feathers.

But you can’t accuse the

company’s engineers of taking

any shortcuts, because this

model rides on a new, rugged

D7x architecture, uses the latest

Terrain Response 2 off-road

system, comes in two body styles

and has more nods to the original

than you can shake a tan leather

shooting stick at.

Toughness is built in, yet it’s

possible to flatten your nearest

mountain while digesting that

latest Spotify Made For You

playlist thanks to the addition

of always-on dual LTE modems.

The chuntering, stripped-out

farm-patrollers of yesteryear

might be a distant memory,

but the go-anywhere attitude

still remains.

from £40,290 / stuff.tv/LRDefender

Roverview

That Pivi Pro infotainment

system runs through a rather

smart 10in interactive display

(2). Powered by Snapdragon

chips, highly configurable

tiles and over-the-air software

updates make it one of the most

customisable and futureproof

in-car tech systems.

Roverweight

This new Defender is as tough

as old Barbour boots. It can carry

a payload of 900kg and a static

roofload of up to 300kg, and can

tow up to 3500kg (3). Inside, the

materials have been selected for

durability and there’s a choice of

old-school steel wheels. Because

blingy alloys are for oiks.

Roverboard

Floods ahead? Hit a button on

the touchscreen and it softens

the throttle response, sets the

heating to recirculate cabin air,

locks the driveline and adjusts

the ride height to its off-road

setting (1) while activating the

Wade Sensing screen on the

infotainment system.

We’re not

sold on the

styling