Land Rover Defender P400 SE review – a successful return to the scene

After the last copy of the proven Defender rolled off the production line in 2016, it left its successor waiting for quite a long time. The new Defender was presented to the public in its current form only at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show.

The fact that it will be a completely different car was already clear from the logic of the matter long in advance. Nevertheless, the designers of the new generation managed to achieve quite a masterpiece, because they very successfully managed to get the imprint of the original generation into the appearance of the new Defender.

However, it is a completely different car in terms of technology and interior comfort. The new generation is no longer based on a classic frame structure, but on an active chassis with air suspension. The body itself is said to be three times stiffer than models with a classic frame thanks to the aluminum construction. The new Defender is then equipped with proven engines from the Ingenium series as well as an excellent eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. 

As part of the editorial test, we tested the "long" Defender 110, which was equipped with a gasoline turbocharged inline six-cylinder with a power of 400 horsepower. In other words, a very refined and potent engine, which was also installed in the Range Rover we recently tested .

Exterior, a reference to history with the help of contemporary design

The exterior appearance of the new Defender proudly echoes its previous generation. However, its original "historical" features are presented with a contemporary design.

The side silhouette of the car is quite typical, offering simple horizontal proportions and very simple shapes. Within the side profile of the car, the minimal overhangs of the body are very characteristic of the new Defender, which are optically suppressed even more when the Defender is "raised" for off-road driving.

The rear part also strongly refers to the original generation, so there is a strictly vertically oriented fifth door, in terms of the volume of a very modest rear lamp, or an admitted reserve (but it is no longer the typical "galuska", but a proper "twenty-something jitrnica").

I am most happy with the front part, I enjoy its rather contemptuous and even arrogant expression. The sunken front lamps with a beautiful light signature are partially permanently in shadow, which for most of the time creates a rather cloudy expression of the car.

Interior, fully in the spirit of a comfortable SUV

The interior of the new Defender is really spacious thanks to its respectable external dimensions, mainly in terms of its width. Furthermore, the interior is well-crafted, ergonomically functional and, above all, extremely comfortable. Here, the new generation can no longer bear comparison with the original, and the new Defender is thus fully in line with its siblings in terms of comfort.

The optical fortitude of the exterior has penetrated into the interior itself. It is most noticeable within the dashboard and in the treatment of the central tunnel. Its massiveness is due to the possibility of placing a third middle seat. The central tunnel will offer many storage spaces as well as a refrigerated compartment under the wide armrest. 

The dashboard offers a distinctive edging that creates a continuous storage area and an elegantly illuminated space. The advertised storage space is then interrupted only by a fully digital instrument cluster in front of the driver and an "embedded" on-board infotainment display. The innovative edging also offers very practical handles for the passenger position.

Below this part, which gives the dashboard its basic shape, the automatic transmission selector and most of the controls related to the car's settings are located within its central part. It goes without saying that there are a pair of circular controls offering multiple functions (from setting the air conditioning temperature, to setting the heating or ventilation of the seats, to the choice of driving mode or fan intensity level). 

I also have to mention the multifunction steering wheel, which unfortunately I didn't get used to during the whole week. I don't know if this is a reference to history, but its relatively large girth simply didn't sit well with me. Otherwise, I praise its design and the operation of the individual controllers. It goes without saying that it can be heated.

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The Defender's spartan origin was at least reflected in the details, such as the admitted screws not only in the side panels of the doors.

The luggage compartment is very easily accessible thanks to the large single-wing doors. Thanks to the air chassis and the controls, which are located in the trunk, it is possible to move the car in height and thus facilitate loading.

The luggage compartment itself will then offer a basic 743 liters of volume. The tested piece was also equipped with an additional pair of seats, which are hidden in the floor of the luggage compartment. Despite how spacious the interior of the new Defender is, this pair of seats is more of an emergency.

Offered motorizations and driving impressions

The new Defender is available in several engines, the diesel ones are represented here by the D200 (200 hp), D250 (250 hp) and D300 (300 hp), in all cases it is a three-liter turbocharged engine.

As for gasoline engines, the offer includes the basic two-liter P300 (300 horsepower), the three-liter mild-hybrid engine P400 (400 horsepower) and the two-liter plug-in hybrid engine P400e with 404 horsepower.

The recently tested Range Rover was also equipped with the currently tested three-liter engine. This engine is fully based on the used Ingenium platform, the engine has an output of 294 kW (400 hp) and a very respectable torque of 550 Nm.

It is a mild-hybrid that works with a 48V starter-generator. At low revs, the engine is supercharged by an electric compressor until the classic turbocharger takes over.

So I have to praise the tested six-cylinder under the hood of the Defender, because in idle mode it is very quiet and beautifully cultivated, when you start to step on its neck, it offers absolutely enough power in its entire range of revolutions. After all, the huge Defender can do it to 100 in a respectable 6.1 seconds, the "maximum" is then limited to 191 km/h.

As for asphalt roads, the new Defender is very comfortable thanks to the air chassis, it irons out unevenness with great insight and the sharper pace does not cause it as much of a problem as one would expect for a car with such off-road ambitions.

With the eight-speed automatic transmission, the speed of the highway is excellent, with the local speed limit and the eighth gear engaged, the engine spins at around two thousand revolutions. Relatively powerful, but very adequate for the car, the engine consumes an average of a respectable 13 liters per 100 km.

Off-road ambitions

On the chassis side, the new Defender works with permanent four-wheel drive with automatically locking differentials and a two-stage reduction gearbox.

The air chassis is able to raise the vehicle by up to 145 mm, or lower it by 40 mm. The really short overhangs of the body and the raised chassis then offer a front angle of approach of 38 degrees, the rear angle of 40 degrees, the transition angle is 28 degrees.

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The behavior of the car not only in the terrain is then influenced by the Terrain Response 2 system, which works completely automatically depending on the selected surface. The car thus adjusts its ground clearance, locks individual shutters, or changes the car's reaction to the gas pedal.

Thanks to the ultrasonic sensors located in the rear-view mirrors, the Defender can monitor the depth of the water and convey this information to you very efficiently through the graphics of the on-board infotainment display. The car is capable of wading up to a depth of 900 mm.

With a big exaggeration, it looks like it will be very crowded outside the paved roads now, because the new Defender and its sophisticated drive will allow quite easy passage through the terrain even for less experienced "off-roaders", who will of course be able to afford it.

Driving off-road is not only facilitated by the Terrain Response 2 system, Defender will also offer a very sophisticated camera system. The "transparent hood" is already a matter of course, but the Defender goes one step further and can create a 360-degree image from the cameras located around the car. The result is the possibility of checking the entire perimeter of the car.

Pulling ambitions

The new Defender is therefore an excellent off-road companion, but it can also make life easier for those who tow a trailer. Its reversing camera is equipped with a red dot (representing the hitch itself), through which you can easily direct the car directly to the drawbar of the trailer.

In addition, thanks to the air chassis, the Defender can determine the load that is placed on the bellows of the car. From this information, it then evaluates the load on the towing device, and you can better distribute the weight on the trailer itself based on this information. And to top it all off, Defender can run a quick full car lighting test for you to check the functionality of the trailer lighting.

In conclusion

The new Defender is currently available in both the tested "long" (Defender 110) and "short" (Defender 90) versions. The short variant is available from CZK 1,345,399 including VAT. This is the basic DEFENDER version with coil springs, a three-liter D200 diesel engine under the hood and an automatic transmission.

You can then purchase the basic long version from 1,495,923 CZK including VAT, this is again the basic DEFENDER version, here already with electronically controlled air suspension, three-liter D200 diesel under the hood and automatic transmission.

The car of our specifications, i.e. the Defender 110 with a powerful six-cylinder petrol engine P400, then starts at the amount of CZK 1,856,140 including VAT.

The new generation Defender therefore offers us a robust and clearly contemporary design, which very adequately and decently refers to history. In the interior, expect comfort worthy of an SUV. I have to praise the tested engine for its more than adequate performance and refined operation. The engines fitted are then accompanied by the very good performance of the eight-speed ZF automatic.

And what about in the field? I think we have all seen a lot of videos in which we were presented with what the new generation can do. I don't have the slightest reason to doubt his abilities, because I simply didn't reach his limit during the weekly test.

Source: Author's text

Image source: Author's own photos