JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – What do you say about a vehicle that can go anywhere, has refined lines, great looks and European style? In the case of the 2021 Land Rover Defender, you say congratulations to Motor Trend’s SUV of the year.
Style, looks and luxury are not commonly used words when describing SUVs. Words like rugged, capable, off-road ready often fill this niche. For the Defender, all of the above apply.
Originally called the Ninety and the One Ten because of the wheelbase, the last Defender rolled off the production line in 2016 after 2 million Land Rover Series and Defenders had been assembled. Not a bad run after gaining worldwide acclaim for ruggedness and versatility.
“This is iconic. This vehicle has been iconic since the 40′s when it came out, and still is to this day. So, Land Rover really did a fantastic job on building on that styling and keeping some of the key traditions, so that purists on the Land Rover will recognize it, and even those that aren’t will say, ‘Well, that’s a Land Rover for sure,’” said Nick Holledge, a sales and leasing consultant for Land Rover Jacksonville.
In 2020. the Defender made a global debut and returned to the US market. Still offered in two wheelbases, but sharing no technology or components with the past, the all-new Defender leaves its predecessors behind, while still maintaining the legacy started 67 years ago. The award-winning SUV boasts an aluminum monocoque body, and fully independent suspension. Yup, that last sentence got me too. Can a design with comfort in mind compete with traditional live axles or lockers?
“This is a monocoque now. It’s far stronger than anything we’ve ever had before. It has the fully independent suspension which now works a lot better than the old beam axles the old traditional off road has had. And coupled with all the modern technology, this vehicle now is as capable as any vehicle out there off road, but the fantastic thing is, it shares so much heritage with the Range Rover it’s a fantastic vehicle to drive on the road,” Holledge said.
Currently there are two powertrain options, each using the 8-speed transmission and full time 4-wheel drive.
“Currently we have a 4-cylinder turbo, which gives you right around the 300 horsepower. There’s the 6-cylinder engine, which is a hybrid which gives a smooth stop-start transition, and it has an electric supercharger on it which was 400 horsepower. On the horizon within the next month or so we’re going to get to V8 and the V8 is going to have 518 horsepower, so there will be no shortage of finding a car for everyone,” Holledge said.