Practicality, Costs, Competitors

The Land Rover Defender’s long history is comparable with only one other car: the American Jeep Wrangler. But while the Wrangler revels in its reputation as a military-spec machine with nearly infinite customisation options, the Defender has moved on to become something quite different while still retaining its ability as a true off roader.

There’s a lot of character to the car, and by that, we don’t mean ‘quirky and unreliable’. It’s a thoroughly modern luxury SUV, but the traditional Land Rover Defender toughness is evident under the skin. The short front and rear overhangs give the car exceptional climbing and descending ability, and with the air suspension raised to maximum height with a push of a button on the centre console, the car can wade through water 90cm deep. With the regular amount of flooding that we still get in urban Singapore, it’s good to know that you are very unlikely to get stranded while driving a Defender.

Land Rover knows that Defender customers are likely the sort that need to stand out or at least be genuinely adventurous, so the options list is packed with an incredible amount of parts that includes regular off-road accessories like the air intake snorkel and roof rack to add-on bits like external storage boxes and a pressurised 6.5-litre portable rinse system for washing muddy gear out in the middle of nowhere.

The most heavily specced Jeep Wrangler you can buy in Singapore now is the 270hp, 4-door Rubicon for $259,999 with COE, so that’s not really a fair comparison with the Defender even though they are both designed to do similar things.

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A closer match can be found in the Land Rover Discovery, or the BMW X5 xDrive40i which is also priced in the mid-$300k range. Yet the BMW and Land Rover both appeal to very different target audiences, despite all of them being highly competent in everything that they do.

However, if you are still hankering for the classic off-road vehicle look and have the means to maintain it, the Mercedes-AMG G63 still looks the part. It will set you back $681,888 with COE (which can pay for two Land Rover Defenders), but it buys you a twin-turbo, 4.0-litre V8 with nearly 600 horspower. There’s also a G 350d turbodiesel version, but even that’s a salty S$457,888 with COE.

Conclusion

The original Land Rover Defender was one of the longest-serving chassis in modern automotive history, and for better or worse, every Singaporean who has served National Service in the army will recall the Series III Land Rover Defender that was part of every outfield training exercise.

Now the new Defender has grown into a more upmarket vehicle, and hot on the heels of this long wheelbase version is a smaller three-door, short wheelbase variant.

Other engine variants including the diesel version and a plug-in hybrid that is still in the works are expected to be launched here in time, but for now, this looks like the new King of the Offroad.

Land Rover Defender 3.0 SE MHEV

Engine	2,996cc, inline 6, twincharged
Power	400hp at 5500rpm
Torque	550Nm at 2000 – 5000rpm
Gearbox	8-speed automatic
0-100km/h	6.1 seconds
Top Speed	191km/h
Fuel Efficiency	9.9L/100km
VES Band / CO2	C2 / 227g/km
Agent	Wearnes Automotive
Price	$314,999 with COE
Available	Now

Verdict: A classic fully updated, comfortable, powerful, and full of character – but much larger, more expensive and a world apart from what it used to be.

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