Selwyn Times: September 30, 2020

Find your way to the edge of the world with the new Discovery Sport. Packed with exciting
Wednesday September 30 2020 Selwyn Times 29
Land-Rover Defender joins plush company
I CAN SEE buyers heading
into the Land-Rover dealership
thinking they want a Range Rover
or Discovery, but coming out
with a Defender.
I say that because the latest generation
Land-Rover Defender is
plush, refined and sophisticated,
it draws on the luxury that has
made Range Rover and Discovery
so desirable.
The Defender has always been
based on the post-war Land-
Rover that was characterised by
its aluminium body shell, ladder
chassis, and live axles front and
rear located by leaf springs, a
design which didn’t change much
over the decades.
However, today’s Defender is
a quantum leap, it has a monocoque
chassis, and fully independent
and electric air adjustable
suspension. There interior has
state-of-the-art fitment and ultrahigh
comfort levels, it also looks
nothing like the barren interior of
previous generation models.
Gone, too, is the V8 petrol
engine that characterised the
range-topping variants, although
there is still some association with
the past, the evaluation car was
fitted with a 2-litre diesel engine.
If you think that is a little underwhelming,
there are other engine
options, petrol and diesel sixcylinder
units. However, don’t be
fooled, the 2-litre diesel is up to
par, it is honest and fits well with
the concept of Defender.
When designing the new Defender,
Land-Rover didn’t want
to jeopardise its off-road ability,
it has the drive systems, with ride
height and construction built to
go anywhere and take the knocks.
There are also many, many variants,
the Defender can be ordered
in a multitude of guises, depending
on what you have in mind as
a purchase.
The evaluation car was SE
specced which sits at $114,900,
other prices range from $89,900
and end at $164,900, and you
have to bear in mind that with all
the options and accessories on
offer the Defender can almost be
tailor-made to suit each and every
individual requirement.
Even though the Defender is
engineered for a life off-road, it
has civilised on-road manners,
and because of its construction
it deals to all uneven surfaces,
the Defender simply absorbs the
hits and cocoons the occupants
through the suspension and softly
padded seats. Interior comfort is
LAND-ROVER DEFENDER: Huge off-the-seal potential.
high, the Defender simply glides
as it travels. Sure, you know the
set-up is tough and rugged, but
the way that is translated into ride
comfort is simply amazing.
As you would expect from a large
sport utility vehicle, the Defender
gets seven seats, the rear row is best
for children only, but space back
there is no better or worse than
other vehicles of its type.
Land-Rover rates the twin-turbocharged
diesel at 177kW and
430Nm, the power outputs are
healthy and structured to meet
the demands a 2300kg vehicle requires.
Peak power is delivered at
4000rpm, while maximum torque
with the solid turbo boost comes
in at 1400rpm. Together these figures
promote useful performance,
and beneath the accelerator it has
the feel of solid impetus, there
is eager motion, acceleration is
ushered in decisively.
Land-Rover claims a 9sec run
• Price – Land-Rover
Defender, $114,900
• Dimensions – Length,
5018mm; width, 2008mm;
height, 1967mm
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,
four-wheel-drive,
1999cc, 177kW, 430Nm,
eight-speed automatic.
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 9sec
• Fuel usage – 7.7l/100km
from a standstill to 100km/h,
it can also complete a highway
overtake (80-120km/h) in 7sec
and pull through to a 188km/h
top speed.
However, the Defender is all
about life off-road and it is a
champion in that respect. I can
report that it tackles humps and
mounds with much ability, all the
time affording the perfect ride that’s
associated with air suspension.
Of course, the Defender gets
the high and low ratio systems of
its predecessors and stablemates,
gearing through the eight-speed
transmission is structured for
every type of journey. Off-road, it
simply crawls in low range mode
while at highway speed the gearing
keeps the engine working in
the area of maximum efficiency –
the rev counter pointing to a lazy
1600rpm at 100km/h.
At that speed it is returning a
seven-litre per 100km/h instantaneous
reading that had the effect
of ushering in a 10l/100km average
during my time in the test car.
These figures sit relatively well
with Land-Rover’s 7.7l/100km
combined cycle claim.
Land-Rover has had a long and
chequered history, as a company
it could have disappeared without
trace the way many other great
British nameplates did when
finances weren’t fluid. However,
once it fell into Indian ownership
through the huge Tata Motors
conglomerate,the brand has gone
from strength to strength.
I’m pleased to report the
Defender is a smart piece of kit
design-wise, and it will appeal to
a broad cross-section of buyers.
While farmers, contractors and
those who bought previous generation
Land-Rovers and Defenders
may look at the newcomer
as being soft and too impractical
for a working role,it is still the
rugged go-anywhere champion
underneath that commands grip
off-road.
THE NEW LAND ROVER DEFENDER
WORKING REMOTELY
THE NEW DISCOVERY SPORT
CONFIDENT IN
ALL CONDITIONS
AVAILABLE NOW. BOOK A TEST DRIVE.
The new Land Rover Defender relishes challenges and doesn’t care much for impossibilities. With permanent
all-wheel-drive and world-first configurable Terrain Response technology, it has the capability to push boundaries
even further. Tested in every condition, in every environment, and on every surface you might encounter, it
always comes out the other side, ready for the next challenge. Defender. An icon in a category of one.
Yours from $89,900 plus on-road costs. *
Archibalds
38 Tuam Street, Christchurch
021 907 961 - Darren Griffith
archibalds.co.nz/newdefender
*Terms and conditions apply. Price shown relates to Defender 110 and is the Maximum Retail Price (MRP). The standard scheduled 5 Year servicing is included (different terms and conditions apply to different models). Contact Archibalds for more details or visit archibalds.co.nz/newdefender.
Image contains optional extras and is not representative of MRP price.
THE MOST VERSATILE AND COMPACT SUV