‘Carfection’ Tests New Land Rover Defender Off-Road!
The Defender of yesteryear left tyrannosaurus sized shoes to fill for this year’s model. Did Land Rover do it right? Or is it just another SUV?
When the original Land Rover Defender (or Ninety or One Ten) was put into production, it was designed around a singular purpose: Off-road domination. The four-wheel-drive system was as legendary back then as it is today (hence why it’s not uncommon to see them being sold way far north of $100,000), and the Defender was revoked from American buyers in the 90’s, the Defender is finally back. Though, with the redesign and various trim levels designed for a diverse set of buyers, is it just as good as the original? Better? Worse?
Henry Catchpole with Carfection flew to Namibia to find that out. Knowing what the car came with beforehand, Catchpole was confident that the car could handle the trip. However, like most automotive enthusiasts, knew that the new Defender wasn’t likely to be used in the way it was designed. Rather, the car that Land Rover spent a very long time developing to take over the throne will likely be a city dweller.
“We all know that the new Land Rover Defender will end up on streets like this: the urban jungle,” says Catchpole as he walks down a busy London street. “Where there is nothing more stressful to tackle than well, a puddle. Or a high curb. Or a herd of Saturday shoppers. Why is that? Well, simply because it’s desirable. But in order to have that desirability, it also has to have credibility. And in order to get that, it has to be a driver. It has to prove itself.”
Catchpole was set up to drive the P400 S trim level of the 2020 Defender. Under the silver hood is Jaguar’s mild-hybrid 3.0 liter inline six makes a respectable 395 hp and over 400 lb-ft of torque. For a car that weighs just over 5,000 lbs, it’s a powerhouse that gives it the perfect amount of power for the conditions Catchpole is due to come across. Also, Land Rover says the P400 S with the turbo-six will hit 60 mph from a stop in a little over five seconds. From the get-go, that’s something that cannot be said about the original Defender.
An important note, though, is that Catchpole’s Defender comes with Land Rover’s “Explorer” package, which comes with an extra batch of goodies that basic level 110’s don’t. For instance, Catchpole drives into the desert with wheel arch protectors, a snorkel, a roof rack, a ladder, and external storage (both lockable and waterproof). Of course, these can all be added on after purchasing the basic trim – Catchpole’s came with it stock.
Day 1: First Impressions of the Defender
The first trail day seemed to underwhelm Catchpole. For the most part, he and the seven other drivers encountered a mildly uncomfortable gravel road. His ability to speak to the camera clearly and at normal volume told him one very important thing: the air suspension set up is dancing with flawlessness. It’s comfortable at 60 mph and stable, without muting the road noise completely. This, he says, allows the driver to have just the right amount of connection with the road. After all, your spine doesn’t have to be sore to know you’re off-road.
Interestingly enough, another one of Catchpole’s favorite features is the interior. This particular aspect of the car is always a hit or miss for most automotive journalists, but Catchpole makes a good point. While there is a touch screen to adjust the important bits and fancy shifter, that’s really it. The interior, just like the original Defender, is fairly bare.
Day 2: Van Zyl’s Pass
Van Zyl’s pass, also known as the most difficult trail in Namibia, was plotted by Benjamin Van Zyl in the 1920s in a Ford Model T. Sure, he had the help of ‘hundreds’ of tribesmen, but he did it. And now, a century later is famed for how dangerous and difficult it is. Rightfully, Catchpole is nervous.
“I’m a little bit scared, actually,” says Catchpole timidly. “Because basically I put my trust in the person who’s standing there telling me where to go. If I don’t look at the camera – at you – it’s because my life is in somebody else’s hands and I really need to very much concentrate on what they’re doing.”
After setting the terrain computer into rock crawl mode, putting the system into low range, engaging hill descent and locking both differentials, he begins his slow descent into madness. He seems to handle the trail well enough until he sees rusted and discarded cars at the bottom of the hill that have rolled after attempting the trail. Unsurprisingly, though, the Defender traversed Van Zyl’s pass without incident.
Through the pass, Catchpole found himself floating over fine sand. In sand mode, the Defender’s ride height increased, and it kept itself in a higher gear ratio. The steering input also changed in sand mode, making controlling the two-ton behemoth simple. As the group headed west toward the ocean, the Defender trekked through rocky valleys, sandy dunes, dry river beds, and much, much more. The only mishap was a flat tire.
Day 3: Skeleton Coast Park
With special permission, Catchpole and the group wound up in Skeleton Coast Park, which was named after the discovery of whale bones and shipwrecks deep in the desert. Being in the world’s oldest desert (around 50 million years old), the sands have moved with the wind so much, aquatic bones and ships were found as far as a mile from the coast. That being said, Catchpole was in for some serious off-roading as he headed to the airport.
“The driving that followed was some of the most demanding I’ve ever experienced,” says an exasperated Catchpole. “Speed, dust, water, rocks, sand, mud, deep mud, high ratio than high suspension — the concentration and constant adaptation the terrain was mentally exhausting. Even if the Defender kept me physically far more isolated from the impacts than I’d expected.”
After finding a bit of mild terrain to be able to talk to the camera, he notes that the terrain modes he used the most were rock crawl and sand mode. For the rock crawling mode, it seems obvious as to why the Land Rover spent a lot of time there. Though, the sand mode wasn’t just good in the sand. For Catchpole, he used it as he drove down a dry river bed. This is because the Defender would hold onto the gear it needed to be in to keep the power constant, as well as engineering the accelerator to be a lot more responsive.
Catchpole’s Conclusion
Overall, Catchpole gave the new Defender a solid thumb’s up. He says that it was more than perfectly capable of handling the taxing and diverse terrain that Africa had under its belt. Even Catchpole said that he was certain the Defender would last longer than he would in that environment. Design and purpose wise, Catchpole feels strongly that it could very well keep up with the old Defender. It may not be worth as much in 20 years like its predecessor, but it does exactly what it’s designed to do, and incredibly well.
Once again, though, with its long list of creature comforts and more modern design, it saddens Catchpole to think that most Defenders bought will never see dirt, rock, mud, snow, or water. It’s more likely to be seen in front of grocery stores than it is to be on YouTube in an extreme off-road compilation – where it belongs. We hope he’s wrong, though. It’s rare nowadays to have a car to come off the lot ready to tackle Africa.
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