Land Rover Defender 110 V8 review: The king of the terrain

The Land Rover Defender 110 V8 is an impressive mix of traditional off-road capability and modern performance. Land Rover and Jaguar have belonged to Tata since 2008. We were able to test the Defender, our first car from the Indian company. You can read what we thought of it in the following test report.

The Defender looks impressive even in pictures, and even more impressive in person. You also have to spend some time looking at the interior to understand everything. But more on that below.

tl; dr

Design

It surprises me when I, a man of just under 1,90 m, can slide into the seat from a standing position. But at 5,02 meters x 2,11 meters x 1,97 meters (length including spare wheel x width x height), that's just as normal as the fact that there is a special chassis height called "entry height". If we go from front to back, we notice many straight lines in the body. At the front, these start from the straight ventilation slots, which curve downwards under the body to allow an approach angle of 37,5 degrees. The headlights are also very rectangular. Here you get a really unique light signature consisting of a semicircle and two small squares that function as daytime running lights and indicators. The many edges make the already very present front look even more aggressive and fit into the overall image of the vehicle.

There are two full-size mirrors on the sides, from which an exceptionally large "Defender" projection is projected onto the ground in the dark. Of course, there is also a V8 badge on the lower A-pillar and two illuminated ones in the front door sills. On the C-pillar, the familiar panels with the Land Rover logo add some structure to the side view. Above the panels, which do not obstruct the view at all, there are two small roof windows that are reminiscent of skylights. These windows still bring pleasant light into the car when the electric sunroof is closed and I also noticed them very positively visually. Since our version of the Defender was the Carpathian Edition, you also notice the successful mix of matt "Carpathian Grey" paint and high-gloss black elements. Given the size of the vehicle, the 22-inch rims with "Defender" lettering are just the icing on the cake.

At the rear, the familiar spare wheel is on the side-hinged tailgate, which requires a bit of force to open and tends to slam shut on slopes, which is not so convenient. The spare wheel can also be given a box as an option. Personally, I think the "raw" wheel on a rim is a bit prettier than hidden in a box. Two open towing eyes are quickly accessible under the tailgate in case you get stuck. A straight line in the body leads you down to the 4 tailpipes, from which a wonderfully raw V8 sound can be heard. On the sides, the familiar mix of daytime running lights and indicators, consisting of four individual elements, lights up in a square.

inner space

The interior is a perfect balance between high-quality leather upholstery and rustic open elements. The perforated seats with pleasantly soft headrests are heated and cooled in the front area, and at least heated in the rear. The dashboard is criss-crossed with storage areas, all of which are conveniently illuminated by ambient lighting. Grab handles for getting in and holding on off-road, as well as a long DEFENDER logo, are also included here. Everything seems very robust and nothing creaks or creaks. However, it must be said that there were a few small gaps here, which really shouldn't be there at this price.

In the rear, in addition to 2 additional climate zones, there are also 2 additional USB-A charging ports and seat heating. The seats themselves are also very comfortable, but unfortunately, despite the handles, there is hardly any lateral support from the seat, which can be a disadvantage, especially off-road. One positive thing, however, is that the seats can be folded down to ground level to create an even larger, flat loading area.

AproPos cargo space, which can be accessed by pulling open the tailgate, which is quite heavy due to the spare wheel and unfortunately does not stay open on its own even on a slight slope. The ribbed loading area is covered by a cloth, which can be quickly dismantled and folded compactly if necessary. The trunk has a generous capacity of 786 liters for heavy equipment, or 1.875 liters with the rear seat folded down. A special feature offered by the air suspension is the ability to raise and lower the loading area via the trunk to ensure easier loading and unloading. The trailer hitch, which can measure the weight on top and has a maximum trailer load of 3.500 kg, can also be electrically folded out and in. For animal lovers, there is also a climate zone in the cargo area that can be activated via the infotainment display to make our furry friends comfortable. The only thing we were missing here was more intense lighting in the dark.

The steering wheel in the Defender is also worth mentioning. It is covered in Alcantara all around and is heated over the entire surface. The buttons are illuminated differently depending on the setting on the digital instrument cluster, which means that either the directional pad or multimedia controls are visible. The size of the steering wheel and the 4-spoke design naturally contribute to the overall image of the vehicle, but depending on your preferred seating position, it can also hit your thighs. There are 3 memory options for the seating position and the electric steering wheel, which means that three drivers and passengers can call up their own settings at the touch of a button. The 12,3-inch instrument cluster can be set as desired, allowing the (Apple) map, off-road displays, media and much more to be displayed.

Center console

The center console is just as rustic as the door panels - with lots of exposed screws and exposed hard plastic. But the center console can do a lot more. There are two cup holders, an inductive charging surface with USB-A and USB-C charging options and a lot of storage space in the lower area with a rubber layer so that nothing slips. The real highlight, however, is under the armrest, which can be opened 180 degrees. An illuminated refrigerator that can be adjusted to two levels ensures cool drinks in the hot middle of nowhere.

Picture: TechnikNews

Infotainment: Pivi Pro

The 11,4-inch infotainment display can do more than just display navigation and media. First of all, you can arrange each of the tiles and their associated functions as you wish. At first glance, you can see the most important information in the preview, but if you want more detailed information, such as the current wading depth measured by the sensor or the chassis load, a tap on the occasionally jerky display is enough. You can also lock the 360° camera to any angle from here. The rearview camera can also indicate when you're too close to a wall to open the tailgate and warns you again before the spare tire touches the wall. The Meridian-powered sound system is quite decent, with good bass and clear treble, but can't compare to a Bowers & Wilkins or Harman Kardon system. A wireless connection to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is also possible. Amazon Alexa is also integrated into the software.

App control via InControl account

When you're on the road, there's the Land Rover Remote app to stay connected to your off-road vehicle. It's well known that cars can be locked and unlocked using the app, and their status can be viewed. Most manufacturers also offer an app for controlling the climate. But what's interesting about Land Rover is the ability to have travel routes and travel details sent to you via an Excel spreadsheet. This digital logbook can certainly take some of the work off some users' hands.

Driving impression and consumption

It goes without saying that you are guaranteed to get attention in traffic. The Defender is half a meter taller than a VW Golf. For this reason, there is a built-in camera in the shark fin at the rear of the vehicle, which shows the motorcyclist in the digital rearview mirror even when the trunk is full. With the powerful V8 sound and the spare wheel on display, most road users voluntarily keep a little more distance. But now we want to concentrate on ourselves as drivers. Despite its dimensions beyond those of a normal city car, the Defender sits neatly on the road and, thanks to the 8-speed automatic transmission, is sporty and relaxed to drive. I remember a parking garage that the Defender wouldn't have fit through at normal driving height, so I was all the more grateful for the option to set the lower entry height by pressing and holding a button. I still couldn't drive into the car wash next door because the vehicle was simply too wide for that and no button or chassis can help you with that.

Of course, the all-wheel drive 5.0 liter V8 compressor also needs to be supplied. 14 liters per 100 kilometers is considered economical driving, but you can expect 16 liters in normal operation. Accordingly, there is also a fair tank volume of 90 liters. Mathematically, this means that 563 kilometers can be covered with one tank of fuel. If you put your left foot down, the digital speedometer needle reaches 525 km/h in 5,4 seconds thanks to the 100 hp and stops at 240 km/h at the latest.

With the camera assistants, which remain visible even at higher speeds and allow you to look under the engine compartment, you always know which obstacle is in front of you. Displays of the angle of inclination and water depth also take away most of your fears and allow the driver to trust the vehicle to do what it is intended for. Overcoming obstacles is of course also made easier thanks to the adjustable air suspension and the off-road reduction gear. Unfortunately, there is no real autopilot, so you have to make do with the adaptive cruise control and the fairly well-functioning Lane keeping assistant satisfactory. The cruise control, which unlike the vast majority of vehicles, kicks in at speeds of 16 km/h, can be an advantage here and there.

Driving modes

There are a total of 10 driving modes, some of which also influence what is shown in the head-up display. One of these is the "Auto" mode, which automatically selects the appropriate mode for the current surface. However, this was a bit too slow for me, so I preferred to choose the right mode myself. You can also configure your own modes and individually adjust settings such as differential lock, engine response, steering hardness, traction control and more. I have included the remaining driving modes as a series of images below. Since they all do what is described, it is easier to see the amount.

Data sheet

Image: Land Rover

Thanks to Land Rover for providing the Land Rover Defender 110 V8 for this review.