The highly anticipated 21st-century successor to the original beloved of country folk is here.
By Maggie Barry
Including of course Her Majesty, currently not that far away in Balmoral Castle. The owner of this rambling 145k acre estate the Duke of Atholl commands the only legal private army in Europe, the Atholl Highlanders. They are hand-picked by him and act as his personal bodyguard, each one armed with a Lee Metford rifle.
It’s a unique and special privilege which the Duke enjoys and today he has even more defenders to hand – or Defenders to be precise.
The New Defender has arrived and has divided opinion. Whereas in its previous incarnation it was decidedly boxy and angular, this new model is more rounded at the front – very much the signature of Land Rover’s design guru Gerry McGovern.
The rear, however, retains the sharp, vertical features of the old model with square tail lights, a side opening door and importantly, the spare wheel mounted traditionally on the rear.
Inside it is a car for today. The old model could be uncomfortable and not always an easy drive but this new 110 Defender (with the longer wheelbase) is nothing like that with a formidable suspension design.
The seats are comfortable, practical and durable, with the option of five, six or seven. There are easily cleaned and wiped down surfaces but this Defender also comes with a huge amount of tech and no loss of capability.
The dash is clean and thankfully devoid of hundreds of buttons and switches yet it takes the mere touch of a finger to access nav, driver aids or infotainment on the new Pivi Pro system. The simplicity ethos of the original Defender… Read more
