New Land Rover Defender SVX review

Land Rover will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year with a new special edition of the iconic Defender – the SVX.

Whilst most of the 25,000 Defenders produced each year, 6,000 of them sold annually in the UK, are working tools for everyone from farmers and foresters to aid agencies and the military, the SVX is the most stylish and feature-packed Defenders ever.

Although the SVX will be sold worldwide, a total of 200 will be made available to the UK, 140 two-seat Defender 90 soft tops and 60 four-seat 90 station wagons with production beginning in the Spring and deliveries to customers starting in the Summer. Prices are yet to be announced.

History of the Defender

Of the 1,900,000 Defenders sold worldwide since the first Land Rover was launched in 1948, the manufacturer estimates that 75 per cent of them are still going strong today.

The latest versions of the Defender still have their engineering roots and design cues going back to the original production model of 1948 with its steel chassis and separate alloy panel body and all wheel drive system.

Since that time the workhorse Land Rover and the range has evolved along a rocky ownership path but in 1990 the name Defender came into being. The brand’s ownership has changed many times but it still remains a British icon.

From Rover to its merger with Leyland to joining with the British Motor Corporation to become British Leyland, to state ownership in 1975, to becoming a separate company Land Rover Limited in 1978, to being owned along with Rover by British Aerospace in 1988, to being acquired by BMW in 1994, to being sold to the Ford Motor Company in 2000.

Land Rover - with the additional Range Rover, Discovery and Freelander model ranges - has not only survived but pioneered authentic 4x4s with a true breadth of capability.

Today’s Defender is available in 90, 110 and 130 variants, these figures more or less equating to the wheelbase length, 93, 110 and 127 inches to be precise.

Derivatives

Looking through the latest price list I counted 27 different derivatives based on 14 body styles but then there are the additional special vehicle conversions ranging from tipper chassis cabs to dropside chassis cabs to hydraulic platform variants.

In addition to those there is a huge range of specialist options to tailor the vehicle to the customer’s exact requirements whether it is a specific workhorse or fashionable country style transport.

However the mainstream models are Pick-Ups, Hard Tops, Station Wagons and Double Cabs and body style availability depends on which of the three wheelbase lengths is chosen.

Prices for standard production models are just as diverse as the body options. Broadly the on the road retail prices, including VAT, currently range from £19,480 to £27,730.

My test model was the latest Defender 90 XS Station Wagon which has an on the road price of £26, 235. XS is the top luxury specification and then the vehicle had several extra including the smart chequer plate protection panels at an extra £278 and a tow ball and electrics which add a further £260. Like all new Defenders this model has a Ford-sourced 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, common-rail turbodiesel engine producing 120bhp and 320Nm of torque available from 2,200 to over 4,350rpm but 315Nm is available from just 1,500rpm, giving this engine a very wide torque band as it needs for on and off-road work.

An anti-stall device is also fitted which adjusts the fuel mapping so it can operate at low engines speeds in deep mud conditions. Land Rover claim the engine is 30 per cent quieter than the previous unit.

As always permanent four-wheel drive is standard fit with a high and low ratio transfer box and differential locks. A new six-speed manual transmission has a much wider spread gear ratios which improves in particular off road towing performance and on road cruising speed refinement.

Other specification changes and design tweaks for the latest Defender include a revised bonnet, the only notable exterior change, but inside we have a much improved full width facia of improved quality and ergonomics including a new higher output, easier to use heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

The seating comfort is improved and the command seating positions give good all-round visibility. The Defender 90 Station Wagon has four individual passenger seats, the rear ones which are forward facing fold sideways. Access to the rear seats is via the rear side hinged door.

Specifications

The XS specification has a good array of equipment including air conditioning, electrically operated front windows, stereo radio/CD system, carpeting, central door locking, alarm, part leather upholstery, heated front seats, anti-lock braking and traction control.

Be warned though - cheaper version come with very little in the way of specification as they are working vehicles and appeal to people who buy them for their off-road and towing capabilities. Buyers into the country lifestyle fashion are more likely to go for the XS variants.

Because the core function of the Defender is to be a working 4x4 and durable vehicle it is not very sociable to drive or ride in if you are fashion user. By its very nature the Defender has long travel, firm coil spring suspension. That is great off-road but on-road it gives a bouncy, rough, uncomfortable ride with lots of cornering bodyroll.

On-road the power steering is vague, the clutch heavy and the gearchanges cumbersome. Off-road it is simply the best there is and because it is tough and durable like all good tools it should last a lifetime if used and treated with respect.

Defender´s off-road ability

The off-road capabilities are legendry. The short front and rear overhangs mean the body’s approach and departure angle combined with the extra ground clearance are such that clearing obstacles is generally easy. The all-wheel drive system is terrific and having low ratios and locking differentials copes with just about anything the countryside can throw at it.

Defender engine options

The new diesel engine is Euro IV compliant and should prove durable. It is geared well enough to give a top speed of 85mph but the legal maximum of 70mph is plenty fast enough given the poor quality of road holding. The acceleration figure isn’t important but for the record 15.1 seconds gets the vehicle from zero to 60mph.

Average fuel economy is 28.3mpg, which is more or less what my test car achieved. Of more important interest to real Defender users are the facts that the maximum braked towing weight is 3,500kg and the wading depth through water is 500mm (20 inches).

If you are royalty, farmer, land owner, lord of the manor or construction worker, to name but a few, the Defender is right up your estate.

If you are not one of these but an urbanite buying into a country lifestyle, buy a Discovery, Range Rover, Nissan X-Trail, BMW X3, Jeep, anything but a Defender, it will not suit you, or you it.

MILESTONES

Land Rover Defender 90 XS Station Wagon

Price: £26,235 plus options

Engine/transmission: Ford 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, common-rail turbodiesel, 120bhp, 360Nm, six- speed manual with high and low ratio transfer box, locking differential, permanent all-wheel drive and traction control

Performance: 85mph, 0-60mph 15.1 seconds, 28.3mpg, CO2 266g/km, VED Band G £300 or £400 from 1 April 2008 Tax liability: 35%

Towing weight braked: 3,500kg

For: Designed for off-road work, excels at off-road work, tough, durable, a British icon

Against: Crude on-road handling, uncomfortable, vague steering, soon to be owned by TATA

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