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Every petrolhead should own a Defender at least once in their lives, but which one to get and what to look out for?
My dad bought my mum Land Rover Defender to teach her a lesson after she kept scraping her car down the side of the house. (It was an awkward driveway.) She was horrified and demanded its immediate return. He lost a wedge but she never scraped her car again.
Overview
My Fortunately more than just a new name, it featured a new, more powerful and economical 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine called the 200 TDi, coil suspension in place of the old leaf spring set-up, the option of power steering and updated styling, all without diluting its predecessor’s legendary off-road ability.
The meat of that engine range is now comprised of three six-cylinder, 3.0-litre diesel options (D200, D250 & D300) which offer between 197- and 296bhp, as well as a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre, 296bhp P300 petrol and the petrol-electric plug-in hybrid P400e (which adds in electric drive motors to help out that same four-pot petrol turbo engine, and to boost real-world running efficiency).
ENGINES &
PERFORMANCE
My Fortunately more than just a new name, it featured a new, more powerful and economical 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine called the 200 TDi, coil suspension in place of the old leaf spring set-up, the option of power steering and updated styling, all without diluting its predecessor’s legendary off-road ability.
Its towing limit is 3500kg (3700kg in the US) and its wade depth is up to 900mm on air springs. JLR says this car is a 4×4 and not an SUV, and although it’s not a distinction we tend to make ourselves, we know what it’s getting at.
My Fortunately more than just a new name, it featured a new, more powerful and economical 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine called the 200 TDi, coil suspension in place of the old leaf spring set-up, the option of power steering and updated styling off-road ability.
The meat of that engine range is now comprised of three six-cylinder, 3.0-litre diesel options (D200, D250 & D300) which offer between 197- and 296bhp, as well as a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre, 296bhp P300 petrol and the petrol-electric plug-in hybrid P400e (which adds in electric drive motors to help out that same four-pot petrol turbo engine, and to boost real-world running efficiency).
MPG & RUNNING COSTS
Every petrolhead should own a Defender at least once in their lives, but which one to get and what to look out for?
My dad bought my mum Land Rover Defender to teach her a lesson after she kept scraping her car down the side of the house. (It was an awkward driveway.) She was horrified and demanded its immediate return. He lost a wedge but she never scraped her car again.
Model tested:
Land Rover Defender
Verdict
[stars rating=”4″]
Good
- The meat of that engine range is now comprised of three six-cylinder.
- Spacious and well-finished cabin with loads of storage space
- Spacious and well-finished cabin with loads of storage space
- Spacious and well-finished cabin with loads of storage space
Bad
- The meat of that engine range is now comprised of three six-cylinder.
- Spacious and well-finished cabin with loads of storage space
- Spacious and well-finished cabin with loads of storage space
- Spacious and well-finished cabin with loads of storage space
The meat of that engine range is now comprised of three six-cylinder, 3.0-litre diesel options (D200, D250 & D300) which offer between 197- and 296bhp, as well as a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre, 296bhp P300 petrol and the petrol-electric plug-in hybrid P400e (which adds in electric drive motors to help out that same four-pot petrol turbo engine, and to boost real-world running efficiency).
Whatever your opinion of the Defender, it’s undeniably a practical, modern classic that can be driven in all weathers. Prices are high, but buy a good one and look after it and it’s unlikely to depreciate. Fit mechanical steering and transmission locks and you might get to keep it, too.
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