The original was not just an important jeep, it was an even more important car. And indeed, a British icon akin to the Mini Cooper.
Time, has indeed, move on
If you’re a purist and the new car offends you however, I’m going to level with you. Hey, it’s 2019. This is how cars look now. The Defender went out of production just three years ago despite at the time looking a lot like the original conceived in 1948 by Maurice Wilkes - some 71 years ago. A sequel for the zeitgeist was inconceivable. It would need to be incredibly clever, ruthlessly efficient and ‘real world comfy’. And possibly a hybrid (at some point). And even then, prepare for backlash.
Well -, check, check and check. And check again as it will be available immediately in turbo- diesel and petrol iterations, with hybrid models further down the road.
What went into the new Defender?
Lots, such as 1.2 million kilometres of mileage and 62,000 separate tests, all conducted after being built in its Slovakian factory.
You’ll get them in (5 door) 110 and (3 door) 90 formats, with the latter featuring a third seat up front for the first time in decades. That’s why the gear lever sprouts from the dashboard. And why the rear-view mirror has the ability to turn into a screen, relaying visuals from a rear camera and therefore still functioning in the same manner whether or not you have an occupant in the middle seat.
The new Defender is all-new from the ground up, nothing is shared between its siblings or forebears. Its monocoque is three times stiffer than the ladder frame chassis that preceded it. And I bloody love the looks. Design Director Gerry McGovern adds that with the new Defender “we must be respectful of the past but not governed by it.” How about McGoverned by it?
There’s a lot to absorb here – like the fact that in its most potent trim the Defender is now capable of whooshing from zero to one hundred kph in just 5.7 seconds. And that you can have one with air suspension – adaptive for on road and off road. Or that it has a mode called Elegant Arrival that lowers itself for town driving.
Jeep Wrangler, you might have a problem here
Then there’s its cutting-edge new Infotainment system that can connect to two smartphones at the same time. And heads up display, 310 degrees cameras plus a Satnav so smart it will shut up when you’re in your usual surroundings.
No wonder the lads at Land Rover have dubbed it an all-terrain supercomputer, complete with Wade Program that will help you through waters as deep as 900m. All of this from a tactile cabin with refined hide, wood and aluminium. No word on pricing for South Africa, of course, but expect the new Defender to slot in just below the Discovery – so somewhere just under R1million. (We know, right, R1million for a Land Rover Defender!)
What a time to be alive.
Our friends over at Carfection have had a first look at the new Defender. Watch it below.
