2023 Land Rover Defender

Pros

• Strong ability to go off-road
• There are many ways to change things.
• It can go off-road and has the latest safety features.
• A smooth-riding SUV that can go off-road.

Cons

• Some choices may cost money.
• The heavy hatchback or back door opens toward the curb.

The way the Defender is driven. Off-road performance is often given up for better steering and better control on the road. But that’s not what’s going on here. The Defender’s transmission is smooth and changes gears so quickly that you can’t hear it. It works just like a high-end SUV should. The brakes are easy to use for safe stops in and around town.

We timed the Defender 90 from 0 to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds and the Defender 110 with an inline six-cylinder engine in 6.7 seconds. That’s fast for an SUV made to go over rough terrain. You should expect more from a car with 395 horsepower. We tested two-door 90 Defenders and four-door 110 Defenders. The two-door 90 weighed 5,207 pounds, and the four-door 110 weighed 5,571 pounds.

The Defender is as smooth to drive as you would expect from a high-end Land Rover. Even when the optional 20-inch wheels and all-terrain tires are added, the cabin is pretty quiet and doesn’t shake much. Our test vehicle had a firm ride when going over potholes and other rough spots on the road. This was probably because it had heavier wheels (18-inch wheels are standard).

There are many ways to adjust the driver’s seat. Heating and airflow are not required. The climate control system can keep things comfortable, but you may need to change the vents and set a lower target temperature to get the airflow you want.

The Defender’s large second row and high roof make the cabin feel very roomy. It’s important to know that the 110 and the 90 hold the same number of people. Headroom, legroom, and shoulder room are all good, but some drivers may find that the steering column gets in the way of their knees when they get in. The front-centre jump seat is not recommended because it is useless and takes up a lot of storage space that could be used for something else.

The 110 is easy to get into because it has an adjustable air suspension, many grab handles, and large doors. However, most people will need help getting into the back of a two-door car. Some of the controls inside the car need help to figure out. For example, the dials for climate control also change the driving mode and heat or cool the seats. If they were touchscreen controls, they would be much easier to use and understand. Large windows and well-placed mirrors make it easy to see what’s going on outside, and the cabin is much quieter than we’d expect in an off-road vehicle.

The large entertainment touchscreen and digital gauge cluster are nice to look at and usually respond quickly to inputs. In our tests, the native voice command system didn’t always work well. We could easily change audio channels using natural language, but we needed help understanding simple navigation commands. Standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay let you operate voice commands from your phone. There are many ways to connect, such as multiple USB ports and charging without a cord.

The surround-view camera system is one of the best driving aids for parking lots and off-road driving. It gives you a complete view of any nearby obstacles. Adaptive cruise control is also fun and makes it easy to change the speed when needed.

When the back seats are up or down, there is a lot of storage space in the Defender with four doors. Back seats can be hard to put back in because they are heavy. If you choose the 90, everything changes. More than half of the cargo space is lost, and folding the rear seatbacks requires removing the bottom seat cushion, which is a big hassle.

The Defender’s air suspension lets you change the ride height from the back of the truck, which makes it easier to load big things. The tailgate on the Defender swings out instead of up like most SUVs. Some people might not like how it swings out toward the curb because it might make it harder to get in. Because of the spare tire, it is cumbersome.

The Defender has a centre console with a lot of storage space and extended shelves for the front seats. There are a lot of places to put small things, but they need to be more significant for a medium-sized handbag. Because the second row in the 110 is so big, it’s easy to put in a car seat. In the 90, finding a spot by the front pass-through was hard. But once there, it’s pretty easy to get to the places where the attachments are.

With a tow package, the Defender can pull up to 8,200 pounds behind it. On the other hand, there is no trailer brake controller, which you’ll need to help you control and manage the brakes on a large trailer.

The 3.0-liter turbo six-cylinder engine in the Defender 110 and 90 gets an estimated Combined fuel economy of 19 mpg (city/highway). This is more than most off-road SUVs, like the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, the Toyota Land Cruiser, and the Toyota 4Runner. Most of the engines in the Jeep Wrangler promise to get better numbers.

The starting price for the Defender is around $50,000, which is a fair price. When it’s well-equipped, it can go off-road and be comfortable on-road in a way that makes it worth paying more than a Jeep Wrangler or Toyota 4Runner. Even with everything on board, it costs less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Unfortunately, some body panels on the test vehicle were not in the right place, and some noises were made inside. The interior materials already had marks, stains, and other signs of wear, so they looked like they were worth less than $72,000. Because it was built so long ago, our test vehicle was able to take a lot of abuse. A Defender should be able to do the same.

The Defender is about personality, and the new model stays true to the classic Defender’s key dimensions. The front end is still a little soft, and the optional diamond-plated metal-looking plastic pieces on the hood make us laugh. From most points of view, it looks fantastic. We’d like it to be rougher.

The Defender handles with grace and respect, on and off the road. Although the level of electronic control is excellent, we prefer to engage the diff locks and low range by physically pressing buttons and levers. Even so, it’s difficult to deny how flawless the Defender’s strategy is.

Because the Defender is known for its all-terrain prowess, we recommend upgrading to the X trim for the height-adjustable air suspension and enhanced Terrain Response system. Your preferences and needs will likely dictate whether you choose the Defender 90, 110, or 130 models, though the 90 will provide you with a greater break-over angle for off-roading.

Land Rover Defender variants

Three distinct body configurations will be offered for the 2023 Land Rover Defender. The Defensive Ninety has two doors and a shorter wheelbase than the Defender 110 and the Defender 130. The Defender 90 and Defender 110 can be outfitted with an optional front jump seat and a third row with seating for two passengers However, this is not in conjunction with the front-facing jump seat.