The new Defender – Mall Raider or Tomb Raider

After a sixty-seven year run, JLR hit pause on the iconic Land Rover 110 production so that they could bring the car into the 21st century. The 2020 edition was introduced to the world at the 2019 Frankfurt Auto Show. And now that everyone has finished slobbering over the new Defender, it is my turn to dish out on the new pretender .. er sorry I meant Defender.

Land Rover Defender 110        Photo by: Stefan Krause License: LAL

To anyone who has watched wildlife shows on television or has the fortune to visit any national park in Africa like the Serengeti don’t need an introduction to the Land Rover. The Landie was the vehicle of choice for people roaming in the bush. Or for that matter, military, police and rescue forces in Europe, Australasia, and parts of Asia as well. The Defender Ninety/ One Ten, or for that matter, the Series I, II and III as they were called before that were the cars du jour even before Overlanding was a thing.

Now that the new baby is out, I was for one unpleasantly shocked to see the new pretender. The new Defender looks like a successor to the Discovery rather than the original Defender. Where are the slab sides, flat windscreen, body-on-frame construction and the modularity that the original Defender allowed?

The 2020 Defender 110 and the Original Series I Land Rover © Land Rover Media Site

Sacré bleu! The new Defender comes standard with an automatic transmission and air suspension instead of a manual transmission and trusty steel coil springs. So how is a bush driver in Africa supposed to jump-start his latest steed? Or what if his air suspension starts leaking air?

Oops, I forgot! The price of the Landie has reached stratospheric levels. It’s not meant for a bush driver anymore. Imagine paying almost six figures (80K USD) for a loaded Defender. I would rather get a proper Range Rover if I had hundred grand to spend.

The Defender is supposed to be a Mall Raider and not a Tomb Raider. Apologies to Lara Croft and James Bond. You better get a Land Cruiser 70 for your next sequel.

Copyright © 2019 by Hersch Kunte
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