[singlepic id=9345 w=320 h=240 float=left]The grand master of off-road ability continues its (glacial) evolution like a trusty, mangy old farm collie, the Defender refuses to die. Despite showing off the DC 100 concept a couple of months back – a concept previewing a new generation of technological, ecological Defender – Land Rover has now extended the life of its doughty original until 2017.
This meant squeezing through the Euro V emissions regulations, so the Defender’s 2.4-litre diesel has been downsized to a 2.2-litre and fitted with a posh particulate filter. Though power and torque remain unchanged, CO2 emissions fall to a not- Very parsimonious 295g/km (for the LWB 1 10) , with economy up to 26mpg.
The new engine is a huge improvement. With the addition of an acoustic cover, it does its work far more smoothly, chuntering quietly rather than bellowing throughout the cabin. Even so, this is still a hairy old thing by the standards of modern turbo diesels, a powertrain more suited to hauling a bison from a bog than hauling down the M6 – a car that regards ‘Noise, Vibration and Harshness’ as goals rather than flaws. It may share a stable with the Beckham – endorsed Evoque, it may now be Euro V-compliant, but this is still the tradition.
Defender: heavy-duty suspension, ladder chassis, driving position from the Fifties. For most, the Defender will remain an irrelevance in a world of monocoques and sequential turbocharging and the ability to have a conversation with your front-seat passenger while travelling at 60mph. But it’s still an extraordinary machine with truly staggering off-road ability, plugging on even when submerged up to its window line in a muddy river. A new six-speed gearbox with a super-short first gear and low-ratio mode allows the old plodder to scramble up near-vertical mudbanks while you take your feet off the pedals and marvel at the spooky abilities of this ancient relic.
If you need to traverse an Amazon or scale a Himalaya, there’s still nothing to touch the Defender. These tweaks don’t transform it[singlepic id=9344 w=320 h=240 float=right] into a faddish 21st-century SUV, but they’re enough to ensure its survival until 2017 when, even the most ardent Land Rover sources concede, the old collie will be led behind the barn and given both barrels. Its replacement? … in the pipeline…
This is nearly the end of the line for the old girl. Nearly!!!
THE NUMBERS
219scc, 4cyl, , 121 bhp, 265lb ft, 25.Smpg, 295g/km C0,, 0-62 in15.8secs, 90mph, 1955kg
THE VERDICT
Ignore the references to ‘economy’ and ‘refinement’ – this is the gruff, bluff, traditional Defender, and all the better for it.
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