Catching the back end of Storm Eowyn at least provided an interesting backdrop to a week with the Land Rover Defender 110. High winds and driving rain were far from the worst of it, the bulk of the ferocity having been experienced further west in Ireland. Partially flooded and debris-strewn roads, if there is a silver lining to be taken from such a dark cloud, at least offered a glimpse into the substantial capabilities of the Land Rover Defender 110.
You’ll be familiar with the Land Rover Defender by now, of course. Following on from selling over two million of the first incarnation between 1983 and 2016, Land Rover took a step back, reassessed the landscape and gave the model a complete overhaul, launching what you see here back in 2020. It’s fair to say that it has been a resounding success, with the Defender a regular sight on UK roads.
It didn’t appeal to everyone, however, with the move away from a cheap, easily repairable model better suited to off-road use spawning the arrival of the Ineos Grenadier (which isn’t that cheap, either). Times have changed, though. And besides, the Land Rover Defender 110 as tested here will still do all the off-road stuff, it’s just that owners may be more reticent about putting their £95,000 car through mud ruts, mountainous terrain and deep puddles.
They shouldn’t though. One of the highlights of the week with the Land Rover Defender 110 was deep puddles. Line them up, plough through them, enjoy the waves. It was riotously entertaining and not something you can do in many cars. Despite the upscale move for the Defender, this remains a serious 4X4.
Living with the Land Rover Defender 110
In line with the modernisation of the Defender, the model tested is a plug-in hybrid. Now, this is the part that left me unconvinced. With a real-world range of 16-17 miles, it’s under resourced. If you’re taking one of these on as a company car to reduce your BIK rate, you’ll still pay your tax, just at the petrol pump. Over 667 miles I achieved 27.3mpg and topped the battery up three times.
On a 32-mile round trip commute with a full battery, I achieved 119.6mpg on the way there, dropping to 49.1mpg by the time I returned home. People always ask what the consumption is like once the battery runs out; on a Tuesday evening trip to Henley in save mode (i.e. not using the battery) it returned 23.5mpg over 65.5 miles. It’s essential to keep the battery topped up at home.
On a far longer trip, to Blackpool and back, it returned 26.1mpg over 498 motorway miles. There was nowhere to recharge and using public chargers is more expensive than petrol. If you’re regularly travelling more than 30 miles at a time, it would be best to look at the diesel. Let’s be honest, these cars were made for diesel powertrains anyway, plus you’ll get a significantly improved mpg.
The rest of the car, however, absolutely convinced me. The commanding driving position and box-like proportions give a wonderful view of the road. It’s also really easy to traverse this massive thing because you can see exactly where the extremities are. A car that’s easy to see out of? It’ll never catch on…
Throw in all the surround view cameras and the Land Rover Defender 110 was as easy to navigate around a tight multi-storey as a hatchback.
What’s the Land Rover Defender 110 like to drive?
This was perhaps the most surprising element of the Defender 110, but it’s supremely easy to drive. It’s laidback, relaxed and refined. Given that it has the aerodynamic properties of a brick, I was expecting plenty of wind noise on the return journey to Blackpool. Sure, there was a bit of whistling at motorway speeds, but nothing amounting to anything more than white noise. A scroll up the volume of the Meridian sound system and you don’t notice anything.
Then there’s the long distance appeal. After a five-hour trudge north on a Friday afternoon, I arrived feeling fresh. The Land Rover Defender 110 is a stress-free environment to be in. There’s so much space, your passengers feel a long way from you and it was nice to be able to dip into the fridge in the centre console for refreshments. There was no desire to stop at any point, it was a wonderful companion for such a journey.
Which makes you realise the depth of Defender’s capabilities. Riding on air suspension, designed to tackle treacherous passes, it irons out potholes and speed bumps impressively. The success of this car suddenly starts to make an awful lot of sense. People aren’t green laning in these things, but it certainly removes a significant layer of stress when you’re not bothering about potholes and the general state of the UK’s roads. You quite literally float above it all.
I’d normally mention power and performance at some point, but they feel irrelevant unless you opt for the V8 (which will barely be any less efficient). Here, we have a 2ltr petrol engine mated to a battery. 0-60mph takes 7.4secs and it’ll do 119mph. The steering is entirely befitting of the car, having that oily slickness which is relaxed yet accurate.
Conclusion
I’ve often seen people driving around London in Defenders and wondered why. It’s over 2m wide and 5m long in 110 spec, and a smidge under 2m tall. It’s monolithic and aesthetically at odds with the capital’s tight and clogged lanes. But then you drive it and it all starts to make sense.
The simple aspect of great visibility makes it easy to drive, then it shields you from the outside world. I never felt it to be too large when driving it, even on the tight backroads of Fulham and Hammersmith which have become its more natural environment. Then it proved to be deeply impressive covering long distances with a level of comfort and refinement straying into GT territory.
The Land Rover Defender 110 is also incredibly practical. There’s so much space for everything and everyone feels well spaced out. There are usbc ports galore and the infotainment works supremely well. One nod to the old school is the plethora of physical buttons for various controls, from off-road modes to HVAC. Then everything is easy to clean, which is handy for muddy fields and/or children. Throw in Isofix points in the front and rear and the Defender is a good option if you’ve had triplets. The 130 will even cater for quintuplets.
JLR has developed a knack for making each model in the Land/Range Rover lineup uniquely appealing. I expected the Land Rover Defender 110 to be something of a black sheep in the range, but it retains the luxury appeal inside of its stablemates. By largely eschewing the performance SUV arms race, JLR has built a formidable stable of hugely appealing SUVs. The Land Rover Defender 110 is an integral and impressive part of it all.