BETTER ON BITUMEN: Defender 90 . . . big shoes to fill.

LAND Rover calls this new car a Defender, but it doesn‘t look or feel much like the last one we drove. In reality, it‘s a Defender in name only.  For starters, you no longer need to stick your elbow out the window, just so you‘ve got room to turn the bloody wheel. Nope. Time has moved on and so has the Defender, thank goodness, which is now much more accommodating and finally safe – as safe as airbags and electronic assistance can make it. The question is . . . can it do the things its predecessor could? And who pray tell is this sensitive, new age off–roader aimed at?  STYLING Defender‘s unique retro design is the work of Gerry McGovern, who we‘ve met.  It‘s something else, with nods to the original, but unlike anything else on or off the road, and definitely pitched upmarket. Back in 2015 when the old Defender was in run out, the car was suddenly in hot demand.  But you could pick up the runt of the litter, a Defender 90, for as little as $42 grand plus on–roads. Fast forward and prices for the all–new Defender start from $81,950 for the two–door, turbocharged 2.0–litre Defender 90 P300.  I‘m no maths whizz, but that‘s almost twice the price of the vehicle it replaces.  Four option packs are available that bundle accessories. Our test vehicle, the SE P400, is $105,690 or in this case $124,254 with a few extras thrown in – plus on–roads. INFOTAINMENT Infotainment consists of an 11.4 curved touchscreen, with Pivi Pro (Connected) which includes a remote, built–in navigation, AM/FM/DAB digital radio, wireless phone charging and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with 400–watt Meridian audio with 11 speakers including a subwoofer. ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS The powerful six–cylinder P400, with the support of a mild hybrid setup produces an impressive 294kW of power at 5500 rpm and 550Nm of torque from 2000–5000 rpm. Drive is to all four wheels through an eight–speed automatic transmission, with auto stop–start and a torque on demand ‘two–speed‘ all–wheel drive system. SAFETY With a five–star safety rating, it comes with six airbags, 3D surround camera, 360–degree parking aid, driver condition monitor, cruise control and speed limiter, lane keep assist, emergency braking, rear cross–traffic alert, traffic sign recognition with adaptive speed limiter –– while the SE adds blind spot assist. DRIVING Designed primarily to go off road, the previous diesel–powered Defender was a slug and was not happy doing more than 100km/h on the bitumen. Not so this one.  It can sprint from 0–100km/h in an amazing 6.0 seconds and on to a top speed of 191km/h in standard form or 208km/h with 22–inch wheels. It drinks premium 95 unleaded and fuel consumption is a claimed 9.9L/100km. Land Rover says the aluminium–intensive D7x body architecture is three times stiffer than the best body–on–frame designs. But the chain–driven transfer case, axles and propshafts and suspension elements have all been beefed up to cope with the rigours of off–road driving. The biggest and most apparent transformation is the way the car steers and handles on the road, where the new Defender is now up to being a daily driver. A walkaround of Defender 90 reveals many body parts are made of plastic. That includes the entire front grille, checker plate bonnet top inserts, front quarter panel vents and the dark grey wheel arch flares. Like aluminium, plastic saves weight but any or all of the parts could easily be damaged off road. ClearSight Ground View technology provides a view of the area in front of the car that is normally obscured by the bonnet, and that can be handy off road. Fresh from bagging a top–of–the–line Jeep, however, we were hesitant to take the Defender off road. Permanent all–wheel drive, low range gearing, a centre differential and optional active locking rear differential provide the basis for exceptional off–road capability. In conjunction with air suspension, Terrain Response 2 includes a new Wade program for calculating the depth of water. No need to pack the Wellies. Push the off–road button, watch the bonnet rise in front of you and you‘re ready to hit the dirt.  You can play with the controls via the touchscreen or simply let the Defender do its stuff, with Mud–Ruts, Grass–Gravel–Snow, Comfort, Sand, Eco, Rock Crawl modes.  While the interior is reminiscent of the Disco, off road the Defender feels a lot like Range Rovers of yesteryear with their air suspension and pioneering terrain response settings. So does the fuel consumption quietly.  The big six was getting 12.1L/100km after close to 500km and this is where a diesel is desirable. Off the line, Defender will show a clean pair of heels to the drivers of most utes. The more you drive the car, the more it inspires confidence. SUMMING UP It‘s nothing like the old Defender and that‘s a good thing. First and foremost, it‘s a much better device to drive, fun even on bitumen with its potent six–cylinder petrol engine. With air suspension fitted and the six inches of extra ground clearance that brings, the Defender 90 has the makings of an off–road champion. Defender‘s cool looks and mix of on and off–road prowess will appeal to a much broader range of buyers and we‘re guessing that‘s Land Rover‘s main objective.

RATINGS: Looks: 8.5 Performance: 8 Safety: 8 Thirst: 6 Practicality: 7 Comfort: 7.5 Tech: 8 Value: 7 Overall: 7.5

Defender 90 S P300: $90,150 Defender 90 D 250: $97,450 Defender 90 SE P400: $107,850 Defender 90 X P400: $149,200 Defender 90 V8 P525: $221,300 Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Land Rover dealer for drive–away prices.

SPECIFICATIONS (Land Rover Defender 90 SE P400, 3–door wagon, 3.0–litre twin turbo in–line six, with 48–volt mild hybrid, 8–spd auto, AWD)   

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