versus the lighter but larger 19-inch
alloys on the P400 we’d been piloting.
But we quickly miss the power of the I-6,
especially in soft sand—leading to our
momentum-saving jump over the dune.
I miss it even more a few hours down the
road as we cut through the mud, muck,
and washes of the Hoarusib.
Each vehicle in our convoy, spaced
and spread out as we make our way up
the river back toward Opuwo, sets its
own line as we attempt to avoid getting
stuck. It quickly becomes clear, though,
that the P400s are having an easier time
than we are. With all of 236 horsepower
on tap and a redline just over 4,000 rpm,
the diesel Defender frequently runs
out of power, or worse, cuts it with an
early upshift or refused downshift at
the most inopportune times—like mid
water-crossing—making the trail farmore difficult than it needs to be. It isn’t a
surprise that the first Defender that needs
a winch out of the brown, knee-deep river
is a D240. Thankfully, it isn’t mine.The race to the finish:
18°5 2 ’ 2 3.4”S, 13°15’3 2 .3”E
Muddy but no worse for wear, we clear
the Hoarusib in the mid-afternoon and
sprint back to our Opuwo start/finish line
through the colonial German outpost of
Sesfontein and Namibia’s loose gravel-
packed roads.
As the desert gradually disappears
behind us, the lush mountains and bush
surrounding Opuwo loom into view. Our
convoy of battered Defenders pulls into
our final stop a little over 30 hours and 500
miles after we had departed.
As I shut off my Defender’s engine for
the final time, I can’t help but reflect on
its accomplishment. There are, perhaps,
a handful of factory-built off-roaders that
could’ve handled the complicated hash of
terrains these Defenders navigated. But I’m
not convinced that many could have done
it as comfortably and capably as the Land
Rovers did—especially those outfitted with
the more powerful I-6.
I’m sure there’s a certain type of off-road
enthusiast that’ll want to dismiss the
Defender for its reliance on electronics and
for its lack of live axles, traditional lockers,
or even a traditional suspension. What
matters, though, is not how the Defender is
built, but how well it gets its job done.
To that end, the Defender excels. Like
the ultimate off-road grand tourer, the
Defender expertly balances modern
construction, technology, and comfort
with the off-road capability, performance,
and payload that hardcore rock crawlers
and overlanders demand. The new 2020
Defender may not be built like the old one,
but it faithfully delivers the go-anywhere,
do-anything ethos of the original. Q*Diesel engine not offered in the U.S.PRICE $50,925-$81,925
LAYOUT Front-engine, 4WD, 5-8-
pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINES 2.0L/296-hp/295-lb-ft
turbo DOHC 16-valve
I-4; 3.0L/395-hp/406-
lb-ft turbo & elec
s’chg’d DOHC 24-valve
I-6; 2.0L/197-236-
hp/317-lb-ft DOHC
16-valve turbodiesel I-4*
TRANSMISSION 8-speed auto
CURB WEIGHT 4,800-5,150 lb (mfr)
WHEELBASE 119.0 in
L X W X H 197.6 x 78.6 x 77.4-80.3 in
0-60 MPH 5.5-9.0 sec (MT est)
EPA FUEL ECON Not yet rated
ON SALE Spring 2020Namibia has been in a drought
for much of the past six years, but
thankfully many rivers still flow.The cross-beam
framing the Defender’s
dash is a structual
element. It’s also a
handy place to stash
maps or mount radios.
FIRST DRIVE