AUTOSLandMarkBy focusing on off-road fundamentals,
the new Land Rover Defender proves to be
worthy of its name. BY DANIEL BENTLEYTIME WELL SPENTPASSIONS
THE NATURAL INCLINATION when getting behind a
completely reengineered vehicle like the Land
Rover Defender is to compare it to its predecessor.
In this case, that earlier model was an icon: an overlander
that went largely unchanged from the Land Rover Series 1
of the 1940s until 2016, when the long-in-the-tooth
Defender could no longer keep up with modern require-
ments for safety and emissions.
That Defender provided decades of admirable service
for those heading off-pavement, whether it be UN peace-
keepers in Rwanda or a sheep farmer in Wales, and it won
a rabid fan base who still keep them rolling over muddy
hillsides today.
Among those fans, this writer included, the 2019 unveil-
ing of the new Defender raised eyebrows. It is big—very
big—and swaps flat-sided steel panels for bulbous alumi- COURTESY OF LAND ROVER