New Land Rover Defender: the return of a legend

I don't know about you, but for me there is no more charismatic and iconic travel car than the good old Def. A car with history, with a recognizable Land Rover image. Although it would probably be more correct to say that he himself formed the basis of this image.

I can imagine what it was like for the company to make the decision to discontinue the production of the legend, and what an outrage this caused among fans of auto adventures. But!

Every true hero always comes back. Returned and Defender, in a new reincarnation and with new features. Just like Gandalf the Gray in one notorious book?

Well? Let's take a closer look at the handsome man? How noticeable was his transformation? At first glance, it is clear that this is not a restyling and not an attempt to put a new stuffing into the old body, as several manufacturers of brutal SUVs do. The creators of the new Defender have found the courage to move away from the traditional design that fans have been waiting for, and created a completely new car.

The “Defender” has ceased to be a retro monster, but acquired a respectable appearance, behind which one cannot understand at first glance how severe its character and strong muscles are for off-road testing. But overall, the view is impressive. The machine, as it were, tells you “don’t be shy, buddy, we’ll break through.” Let's go to the salon.

The salon met and exceeded my expectations at the same time. Yes, this is a classic modern Land Rover with its recognizable trim materials. This is no longer an English UAZ. Rather, it is a modern “space research vehicle” and the driver's seat looks like the cockpit of a space shuttle.

The instrument dials have changed to digital, and now there is a large screen behind the wheel with the usual instrument scales and useful information about the operation of the car's systems.

I really liked how the car combines prestige, comfort and at the same time a sense of adventure.

There is a lot of “cosmic” stuff here. When the engine is turned off, the buttons on the steering wheel are matte, it is not at all visible that they have pictograms on them. But it is worth starting the engine and the steering wheel “comes to life”. Similarly, this is implemented in Discovery Sport.

The transmission selector also looks like a joystick in a space fighter jet, or at least a modern airliner.

The control panel is balanced. Looks both technologically and concisely. In addition to the usual climate control, it has air suspension control systems and various assistants.

The car has many different niches, cup holders and hiding places for storing pirate maps, ancient artifacts and rare animals. Hehe

And the massive handrails and handles throughout the cabin seem to say: “Well, now hold on!”

The seats are made from a combination of leather and special fabric. And the whole interior combines not only a sense of high cost and prestige, but also utility. It can be seen that the materials have a decent margin of safety.

In general, I really liked Defender. Unfortunately, I was offered to meet him on the day of my departure on a business trip, and therefore I did not have time to make a full report. But! I'll be back in a week, and I'll definitely analyze this car in detail, tell you about the technical equipment, and interesting engineering solutions, and about what the designers made me happy about.

So don't switch, subscribe to my channel if you don't want to miss the big review of the new Defender.

In the meantime, you can read my detailed review of the new KIA Sorento, which appeared in showrooms last month.