MT EQUINOX, Vt. – Perhaps Americans have had their fill of wimpy, interchangeably styled crossover SUVs. Or, testosterone has found its way into our water supply. Either way, manly 4x4s with authentic designs and rich backstories are enjoying their moment, from the white-hot Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler to the Mercedes G-Class and an upcoming, rehabilitated electric Hummer.
Britain’s storybook entry is the Land Rover Defender, whose globetrotting, post-WWII history ranged from African treks to movies such as the lion-loving 1966 doc “Born Free.” Yet, it only made an obscure cameo for the United States between 1992 and 1997.
After years of false starts and dashed hopes, and further Covid-driven production delays, the first all-new Defender since 19-freaking-46 is here, including for us long-denied Yankees. And the 2020 Land Rover Defender is nothing short of brilliant, as we discovered over three days in upstate New York and the mountains of Vermont. That included a climb up the green shoulders of Vermont’s Mount Equinox, the tallest summit in the Taconic Mountains. It’s a trip that takes tourists 20 minutes on the 5.2-mile Skyline Drive, the route for America’s oldest auto hillclimb event. We, on the other hand, would be taking the long way up on Mount Equinox's dauntingly steep, bouldered trails. It would take three hours, but the new Land Rover ate it all up and had us begging for more.
The Defender’s unstoppable off-road skills come as no surprise, between its stiff “D7x” all-aluminum monocoque, class-topping approach and departure angles, optional adjustable air suspension, new screen-based Terrain Response system, two-speed transfer case, locking center differential and optional active rear-locking diff. Those are joined to systems that — should you choose — take all the guesswork out of four-wheeling, including a water-depth wading sensor, camera views of the ground below the hood, and the ability to set a crawling speed and negotiate terrain semi-autonomously while the systems sort everything out.
The surprise was that the Defender, at least in 395-horsepower guise, feels as capable on-road as off. The forceful acceleration, throaty inline-six sound and high-design cabin make even a loaded Wrangler feel like the relatively crude truck it is. While the Defender may look deceptively mall-friendly compared with the Jeep, its 11.5-inch ground clearance and 35.4-inch wading ability both top even the Wrangler Rubicon’s. And where the Jeep accepts curves grudgingly, the Defender can attack them. The Landie handles better than a Mercedes G 550, is nearly as quick from 0-60 mph (the four-door Defender 110's sprint of 5.8 seconds falls a mere two tenths short) and this six-cylinder version’s $63,650 base price (maxing out at $81,250 for the swanky Defender X) undercuts the base $132,000 Mercedes G 550 by nearly $68,000.
If one can live with a 2.0-liter, 296-hp turbo four, and its modest 7.7-second trip to 60 mph, the Defender 110’s $51,250 starting price is on par with a fully stuffed Wrangler Rubicon.
That base price gets even lower for 2021 at $47,450 thanks to the two-door, shorter-wheelbase Defender 90 that should start arriving early next year from the factory in Nitra, Slovakia. Besides its smaller size and door count, the 90 will offer a full-length, accordion-folding fabric roof that Land Rover says will allow second-row passengers to “stand up” for the full safari experience. Or perhaps during cocktail hunts in South Beach.
Of course Land Rover will help you boost the tab with any of 170 available accessories, including the roof’s signature black “Safari Rack” and a side-mounted Gear Carrier. Multiple add-ons are bundled into four easy-to-shop accessory packs: Explorer, Adventurer, Country and Urban.
We drove what seemed like an especially representative model: a 2020 Defender 110 SE that starts at $63,600 and reached $72,780 with options. Those included the $1,750 Off-Road Pack that adds the electronic active diff, 120-volt outlet and 19-inch Goodyear Wrangler off-road tires. It’s a looker, including a $600 sandy-brown paint called Gondwana Stone, paired with a contrasting black roof. The Defender’s handsome color palette also includes a “Tasman Blue” with white roof that recalls the world’s toughest Mini Cooper, as well as three choices that allow for an optional protective body wrap with a show-offy satin finish, a first on any Rover, that’s easy to remove or repair.
Our Rover convoy was replete with those plus a variety of other thoughtful touches that show the style of Gerry McGovern, Rover’s cocky-yet-acclaimed design director. The elemental, near-vertical front end spanned by a natty bar, emblazoned with the Land Rover badge, and a dimpled metal fascia. Anthropomorphic LED headlamps that resemble glowering eyes with a pair of bright lashes for each. For the rear and its side-hinged tailgate, the external-mounted rear tire is key to the ultra-short body overhang.