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Find your way to the edge of the world with the new Discovery Sport. Packed with exciting Wednesday <strong>September</strong> <strong>30</strong> <strong>2020</strong> Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz BAY HARBOUR PAGE 21 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 4<strong>30</strong>Nm, the power outputs are healthy and structured to meet the demands a 2<strong>30</strong>0kg 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, 4<strong>30</strong>Nm, 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
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