Automotive
When I was young, I was captivated by the Land Rover. That’s all you called them by back then; sure, they referred to them as Series I or II, based on their production year, but in the olden days, there weren’t any other LR models to choose from. But when they came out with the more family-oriented Discovery, they needed a name for the original, which became the Defender.
Google “Camel Trophy” and you’ll see the Land Rover Defender going to places that no vehicle was ever intended to go. This is the image of the Land Rover that I have had in the back of my mind for decades. I read a quote somewhere that the Land Rover Defender is to the countryside what the black cab is to London. The Queen had one, Sir Winston Churchill had one and Sir David Attenborough uses one for his adventures. It's the ultimate iconic British vehicle.
Problem is, you can’t/couldn’t get them in Canada, due to North American safety standards. But you could bring them into Canada under the 15-year import rule. So you’d see them on the used sites, and there were companies that would import Defenders for you on spec. But these really were a labour of love, as you’re starting with a minimum 15-year old vehicle. And remember that this is when I needed a daily driver, so the Defender was just not a practical fit. They’re also loud, slow, and uncomfortable; leather seating and air conditioning? You must be joking.
That’s why I drove the Discovery instead; first a Series I, then as that one got long in the tooth, a Series II. Relatively luxurious inside, you had all the modern amenities that you'd expect from other manufacturers like power windows, air-conditioning, power sunroof, and leather seats.
And the underlying 4x4 mechanicals were the same on the Disco as they were on the Defender, so I was getting all of the off-road capabilities, but without the drawbacks of the aging Defender design. I did actually put my Disco through a fair bit of 4x4ing when I'd go off camping & fishing in the high country near Kamloops. When I needed service, I'd take my Discos to a shop that specialised in "Landys", and Martin also ran a Defender import business. I'd always drool over the fresh imports that were there when I'd drop or pick up my LR, and it would restart the mental gymnastics of whether I could justify a 15+ year old Defender 110. I loved my Discos, but after 20 years of driving a Disco, she suggested a less ponderous vehicle, so I begrudgingly let the Disco II go.
Just before the time that my Disco run was coming to an end, Land Rover stopped making the Defender! Yep, it was the end of the line for the iconic British 4x4. Was it time to start seriously thinking about bringing in an import? But with the last Defenders rolling off the production line, Defender aficionados were driving up the price of these used ones to astronomical levels. Oh, well.
But wait... the Defender story doesn't end there. Land Rover re-designed a brand new Defender starting from scratch, retaining some of the iconic styling of the original. It. Looks. Awesome. If you're not into Defenders, you probably won't notice all of the little things that they've "kept" from the original design, but they're there. But that's where the similarities end, as this isn't an old, clunky 120 hp Land Rover. No, this one comes equipped with a turbo-charged inline-6 cylinder engine, supplemented by an electric supercharger, producing 395 hp, and 406 lb-ft of torque! Are you thinking, yeah but old must be better than new? Think again!
This video shows a head-to-head between the last production model 110 vs. a new Defender 110; you'll see that in each case, new is better than the old. It's been winning all sort of awards, including
MotorTrend's SUV of the year.
Kitted out with all of the modern tech amenities and more, there's very little else you might want in a Defender. The one I got is called a First Edition, named because, well, it's the first model of this new Defender line. It's got a few more bells and whistles than I really wanted (e.g. refrigerated console, 3rd row seating and 22" rims), but the local LR dealer had a used one in Indus Silver (pictured in the Frankfurt Car Show above) that I really liked. While 22" wheels wouldn't have been my first choice, the previous owner had replaced the factory tires after they wore down with some great Pirelli alternatives; I'll probably never have to replace them in my time. Will I be putting the new Defender through the same type of 4x4 tests that I did with my Discos? Time will tell, but for now, just try wiping the smile off on my face.
