LANDROVER MONTHLY 27
Still in disguise
it’s hardto
discern the finer
details but the
proportions are
clearly Defenderthat’s also likelyto bolster the range not
long after launch.
Still in disguise it is impossible to
discern the finer bodywork details but
the proportions are clearly Defender:
high bonnet, near -vertical windscreen,
an assertive front end and that
classic bluff, bluntrear tr eatment. The
wheelbase looks long – and the leaked
info suggests it is 3022 mm, so more
than 20 cm longer than the last 110–
but theoverhangs are encouragingly
short, to the pointwe can’t wait to see
the approach and departure angles.
Deeks and histeam are into durability
more than dynamic assessment, but
they reveal that the LandRover test
trackat Eastnor hadto be beefed up
to give the new Defender atest of both
agility andstrength.
The wheels are 20-inchers, and we’re
told the options willrange from 18sto
22s. But the test car’s tyres are255/60s,
allowing usefully squidgy sidewalls. And
Deeks makes a pointof telling us that
our car for the day is on air suspension- perhaps an indirect admission that
some versions of the car willretain more
traditionalcoils.
You climb up into the new Defender in
a reassuringlyfamiliarway. But even acres
of black material over the dashcannot
mask how different the cabin willfeel
onceyou get there. The view outof the
windscreenstill has thatcommanding
presence thatwe know and love, but the
packaging is,well, akinto that of any
modernvehicle.There’s elbowroom where
there should be.The rear seat is holding
three people incomfort.