New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): The Iconic Off-Roader Finally Makes Its Way To India!

The British luxury automaker, Jaguar Land Rover has just launched the Defender range of off-road SUV in India. This is the First time that the 'Defender' nameplate has entered the Indian market. We were called over to have a first glance at the vehicle and boy, the all-new Defender is just magnificent and looks like it can take over any terrain.

There will be two variants available: Defender 90 and the Defender 110 and both variants will be available in five trims each. So how do you differentiate between the Defender 90 and 110? It is simple, the Defender 90 is a three-door variant and the 110 is a five-door one. However, Land Rover will be launching the Defender 90 in India at a later stage.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

The two vehicles that were present at the showrooms were the Defender SE and the Defender First Edition. We actually liked the ‘Pangea Green' colour with the blacked-out badges on the First Edition. Since it was the first look event of the all-new Defender, here's what we have to say about the SUV.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

Design & Style

At the very first glance, when you see the Defender 110 in-person only then you will notice how big the SUV is, honestly, images really cannot do justice as far as the vehicle size is concerned. At the front, the SUV gets an LED headlight unit with DRLs that look pretty awesome and are extremely bright. The top-end trim gets the LED matrix headlight unit. It also gets integrated LED fog lights at the lower part of the bumper.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

Speaking about the bumper, the Defender gets a big bumper that further accentuates the vehicle's muscular and the lines and creases on the bonnet give it a great stance.

Also on the First Edition, the SUV gets the blacked-out bold ‘DEFENDER' badge right in the centre of the bonnet. Overall, the front end looks absolutely magnificent.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

Now, there are in total six cameras on the exterior of the Defender along with sensors all around. It has an excellent 360-degree view, which also helps during offroading. There is one camera present behind the IRVM, which works for the active lane assist and adaptive cruise control.

On the other hand, there is a camera present on the shark-fin antenna that displays the video on the IRVM (through a switch). This feature comes handy if there is excess luggage in the boot and you can't see behind through the mirror.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

Moving to the side, the SUV gets 20-inch alloy wheels and one can choose between different patterns. In fact, the car is so big that a bigger set of wheels will look slightly better with the overall size of the Defender. The lower variant of the SUV gets 19-inch wheels.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

Now the best part is the amount of ground clearance that the vehicle has. At the normal/accessible height, it has a ground clearance of around 218mm, which is a lot. Since the car has active air-suspension, in off-road mode, you can raise the height up to 291mm! Once it is raised completely, it is difficult to get in or out of the SUV. But, with that clearance, it can take on any terrain that is thrown in front of it.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

At the rear, you get an all-new design for the taillights and they just look awesome. The spare-wheel is attached to the boot itself and because of the boot feels slightly heavy, but again, it looks badass. Other than that, you get the badges and variant names written. Also, there is no chrome present on any of the models. The part that looks like chrome is actually brushed aluminium accents, which looks much better.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

Interior & Features

Step inside the car and you will be welcomed with a lot of cabin space. The big panoramic sunroof and the side Alpine light windows let so much light inside the cabin that it automatically starts looking bigger, plus it also helps you look better outside during a safari. Now there are three interior colour options available with the Defender, However, the Pangea Green colour one gets an all blacked out interior, while the other one has light cream coloured interiors.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

One thing that we noticed is that the Defender has a total of 14 USB and charging sockets combined, that also includes a 230V charger present in the boot that helps you charge some home appliances such as laptops, speakers etc. The front seats on the top-end variant are ventilated and both the passenger and the driver's seat have memory functions.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

However, the lower variant gets perforated seats and do not feature the heated and cooled options. Also, in the lower variants, only the driver's side gets the memory function. The steering wheel is also electrically adjustable and also has an auto feature. The auto feature allows the steering wheel to adjust it according to the driver's seat height to reduce the stress on the shoulders.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

It also gets a 10-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The touch response is extremely nice and there is no lag what-so-ever. It also gets a fully digital instrument cluster, that provides almost every information about the vehicle. The steering wheel is wrapped in leather and is chunky. The steering mounted controls keep the driver focused on the road.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

Other driver assistance features on the off-roader include cruise control, a 360-degree camera, 3D Meridian surround sound system, wade-sensing for those stream crossings and driver condition monitoring. The SUV features standard safety equipment such as airbags, ABS, traction control and more.

The new Land Rover Defender also comes with the brand's latest-generation ‘Terrain Response 2' feature. This offers customers to optimise their driving experience via various modes: General Driving, Grass, Gravel, Snow, Mud & Ruts, Sand, Rock Crawl & Wade.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

Powertrain Options

The new Land Rover Defender models are powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol ‘P300' engine. The unit produces 300bhp of power and a peak torque of 400Nm. The engine comes mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox with power sent to all four wheels. We are also expecting the company to launch a diesel variant soon in India.

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

Prices & Booking Details

Land Rover already announced the prices for the Defender earlier this year, while also having begun accepting bookings in the country. The Land Rover Defender 90 retails between Rs 69.99 lakh and Rs 81.30 lakh. While the five-door Defender 110 trims come priced between Rs 76.57 lakh and Rs 86.27 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom (India).

New Land Rover Defender Review (First Look): Prices, Design, Specs, Features, Variants, Bookings & All Other Details Explained

Thoughts On The New Land Rover Defender

The new Land Rover Defender looks absolutely amazing and can take on any terrain that is thrown in front of it. The Defender 90 will be a slightly smaller version of the Defender 110, but still will be a big vehicle. Also, if you are willing to spend some money on a car that looks badass, can drive over anything and offers comfort at the same time, then, the new Defender will be a perfect choice for such buyers.

Most Read Articles

English
Read more on: #land rover
Article Published On: Thursday, October 15, 2020, 12:30 [IST]
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X