Member Since: 25 Sep 2015
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 3760
Well I've now driven the new Defender off road..and a bit on
So this morning I drove the new Defender at Peckforton Castle near me at the LR experience venue.
Due to covid unlike other drives here, we were un-accompanied instead my son and I had the car to ourselfs and a walkie talkie with an instructor.
Anyone who has been to Peckforton will know its a lovely place and driving Landrovers even better
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So on arrival we had a drink and cookie and then a brief talk about how the morning would work. Also a brief guide on more models coming out with different engines, and more trim levels. Two tone seats etc...
Outside there were around 8 cars, I think one in almost each colour, this is some.
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We had a silver one, similar to above but with a Paint protection self healing film.... it gave it sort of a mat finish, it looked better in the sun than the pictures suggest.
So onto the course....
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Interestingly this time we could go one part of the 'old' defender course as this is normally closed off to the more modern LR due to not being high enough / and causing damage. Last time I was here we were in a FFRR and my dad asked why we could not go this way..... oh that's Defenders only. I felt quite smug as they are saying how good the RR is...
Just like the RR it has high mode, then if it bottoms out it can go even higher (but you cannot choose this) almost to the top of the Air ride system.
Some pictures of the course, this was all tame, I was holding on when doing the more tricky steep and rutted bits (not taking pics)
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Click image to enlarge
while I would not choose this colour I quite liked it... as I followed it round the course.
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This was our car... 380 miles on it a 2.0d 240se ?
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My little lad was playing with this lot.... rather than keep the terrain response in Auto they had us using the wade mode, ruts, hill decent etc and using the screen / toggle buttons to do it.
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A very nice morning was had by my lad and I, so what did I think....
Well yes its nice, drives nice (sounded a bit revy when going slow like it really wanted to change up but was just on the edge of gears). I guess this is the smallest engine.
No idea on cost of this model, as I forget now what's standard and they even mentioned something about the surround cameras will be standard soon. The reversing camera was very good for hooking up a trailer( A view looking down at car). I did think the rear view camera was great as camping I regularly fill my 110 to the brim with a tiny window to see out the back... with this feature I could just fill the car.
Inside, its nice and has probably got all the gizmos but its a bit bland, Like most cars now the screen and toggle buttons do more than one thing. Its functional I guess, I just like buttons you press. It looked fairly basic when in fact it probably had a lot of kit.... ( I could see, heated wheel, radar cruise, heated seats, sat nav, cameras, blind pot mirrors, ooh electric setas)
The seat buttons are at the bottom of the seat , why these are not up high like a Merc on the door I don't know as you try and work out which bit does what.
Driving it, well its like most modern medium range cars now, auto everything, the air suspension was very smooth. This however was why I swapped my previous car for a 'old' defender as you really don't have to do anything.... ok that's a good thing maybe and in another 20 years I may will want all this comfort again. The guy asked what I thought it drove like and I said its good, very good but it like driving a Range Rover with more rugged looking body. Your just not involved in it. I used to drive places in my old car and you don't actually remember the journey... even in my wife's car it tells to to brake on the head up display if it thinks your too close.... driving seems to be less driving these days....
In fact just watch people these days trying to park, with all the sensors beeping, cameras, and pop up gear sticks I'm sure people are getting worse. Just looking screens and hearing sounds rather than judging it and looking properly.
anyway...
So I drove around the course and a little on the road, my first drive of it.... Its a good car, I still don't think it should have the defender badge, I got back in my old one to drive home, with its manual gears, rattles and character. Then I fitted a pair of new headlamps, bowls, side lights to my series 3.
As I'm sat there, tools out (including drill to get the old bolts off) bits all over the floor my little lad came out. I said can you imagine people doing this with that new one. He said not a chance and the bits will be Hundreds and hundreds (he's 9 and loves Landrovers)
Its a different car now, it feels like it would go where you point it and keep going. I'm not sure I would park it up and look back... even now 5 years on with my old one I have more pictures of it than the kids. Also and this seems the norm, the models are already changing. How soon before they change the interior or handles to match the others in the range..
Thanks LR for the drive and opportunity, I was looking forward to this coming out and should have been excited over possibly ordering one. Maybe one day I will so I'm not dismissing it and I know this is a LR forum but the price this is now opens up a whole load of different models from other high end manufactures, even models in their own range...
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