A cult hero was how this was described to me, once you get behind the wheel of a Defender you will really know what driving is!
After a run of more than 60 years, the Land Rover Defender finally stopped production on 29 January 2016. It marked the end of a true British motoring legend, one that is a classic the world over.
The old-school philosophy means it's pretty archaic inside and is noisy and uncomfortable to drive, but if you're thinking of buying a Defender, you'll probably be happy to overlook its shortcomings and revel in it’s sheer character.
The Defender’s versatility, off-road ability, and rugged appeal has housewives in Herne Bay wanting one and farmers in the King Country testing them out.
All Defender models are basic - to the extent that airbags aren't available, even as an option - but that does mean there's very little to go wrong, and it's likely if there is it will be easily repaired. This means a Defender should be able to go on forever.
The Defender's 2.2-litre diesel is from the Ford Transit, and while the last version was the smoothest and most powerful engine seen in the Defender it's not going to set the speed limit on fire, but that's not why you would buy one.
Our test car was a six speed manual which on the open road all jokes aside was actually pretty good at 100kph. Off road the low ratio was perfect for crawling up and over almost anything.
We fitted this Defender with a new set of Kahn 18 inch wheels and wrapped them in a set of 265/65R18 BF Goodrich Tyres. The difference from when we drove the truck with the factory 16 inch wheels to now - I can't tell you how much better it drives. I wouldn't say it goes around corners like a Porsche but it has improved the handling out of sight, not to mention that it sets the vehicle off and makes it look so much tougher.
What I really love about the Defender is all the accessories you can get, roof racks, new grills, running boards, there is so much after market equipment available it's crazy.
After we fitted the test car with new wheels and tyres, I thought we were best to get the Defender out in it’s natural environment, so we headed out to Woodhill Forest for some serious off road action. It has high ground clearance, four-wheel drive with low range gearing. This means it can cope with almost anything the elements throw at it. We were in the mud and on the sand and there was no stopping it. The Defender is a serious bit of off road kit and there is not much (in the right hands) that could stop it off road.
Then it was back to Herne Bay and the housewife test. First of all we had to find “one” who could drive a Manual - the Defender only comes in Manual. After we completed that, we then went for the parallel parking test, this was very funny. No reverse camera, no parking sensors and very little lock make the Defender one tough customer to park on Ponsonby Road.
The interior of our test car had seven seats so again the housewife tick was gained, as it was perfect for those after school kid pick ups and drop offs!
All in all the Defender is a fantastic machine but you are going to have to really have a love for a car that doesn't have many of the creature comforts of a more modern SUV.
We love the Defender though, for all that it is, a classic timeless style that can go anywhere, even the city!
