Back then, in 1948, Land Rover was born due to a coincidence of circumstances. The Rover car company, where Wilkes worked, was wondering what could be produced in the difficult post-war years, when government restrictions on the use of metals were in effect. The most readily available of the metals was aluminum, which had been used in aircraft construction during the war, but now the demand for bombers had fallen and there was nowhere to put aluminum stocks. Therefore, Wilks’s idea that a simple car could be made from aluminum, which could be used in off-road conditions, which would be light and would not rust, seemed very good to Rover. At the time, everyone thought that the car, which Wilkes called the Land Rover, would be only a temporary solution until better times, but it turned out that the demand for this type of machine was unexpectedly high. Well, the Rover company has long since ceased to exist, but the Land Rover brand has changed hands several times, but the good old Land Rover is still alive and well, despite the burden of respectable years.
Land Rover Defender. (Photo: Roy Maizitis)
Off-road in the elements
If we compare it with the Land Rover of the forties, then the current Defender is as if it came from another planet – a real car of the 21st century. However, it has retained its robustness and ability to survive off-road conditions. We could make sure of this by driving along the roads of the Pierīga forest, where there is no shortage of mud, potholes, or sand in the spring. Unlike the so-called parquet jeeps, Defender is able to offer both reduced gears and a wide variety of off-road driving modes that automatically adjust the car’s settings to the specific situation. There is one mode for mud, another for sand, another for rocky environments, another for overcoming water obstacles – this car is really capable of fording a small river. It didn’t happen to us on the way, but we tried mud and sand baths in real life, and the car coped with them without any problems. When you see a worn and muddy road, you don’t have to think – I wonder if I will get through here or not? Unless you remember to put the car “on your stomach” somewhere, you will be fine. A pneumatic suspension ensures that you don’t sit down anywhere, which allows you to raise the car by a few centimeters, thus increasing the clearance. There are times when these few centimeters are very important.
Land Rover Defender. (Photo: Roy Maizitis)
If we compare with the old Land Rovers, the Defender is equipped with aids that the participants of the first off-road raids could only dream of. For example, video cameras – there are several of them here. The fact that the front-mounted camera allows you to see what is happening in the nose of the car when you are driving up a steep hill and you can only see the blue sky through the windshield is nothing particularly new – it is already appearing even in “parketniks”. However, Defender also has cameras that record what is happening on both sides, thus eliminating the risk of accidentally hitting a stump or a stone that cannot be seen from the driver’s position. There is even a mode that allows you to see what is happening under the car and, for example, to understand at what angle in relation to the wheels a fallen tree is located in front, which should be carefully rolled over. In general, the feeling when driving the Defender is very convincing, and there is no doubt for a moment – hey, but will we get through this stiga? It’s clear that we will meet, what’s up!
Land Rover Defender. (Photo: Publicity photo)
Robust convenience
So, with off-road challenges, as we found out, the Defender copes with honor. But isn’t comfort and design sacrificed for all-terrain qualities? If we talk about the latter, Defender has almost perfectly managed to balance a modern look with robust details that emphasize the all-terrain nature of the car. Substantial screws are used in the door trim, which would seem completely inappropriate in another car, but here their presence does not raise any questions. Leather and wood are also used in the decoration, because this is still a premium class car. In a word, subtle elegance and practical, albeit perhaps a bit overplayed in terms of design, robustness coexist perfectly here.
In fact, the already robust design accents are characteristic of the entire car, not just the interior. With its angular shapes, the Defender stands out among other off-road vehicles, and it is difficult to confuse it with, for example, a Toyota Land Cruiser from any point of view.
Land Rover Defender. (Photo: Roy Maizitis)
The instrument panel is simple and there is nothing superfluous, but at the same time it does not give the impression of cheapness. In field conditions, the main source of information is the display in the center console, where we can see both the information provided by the video cameras and also switch driving modes. In addition, the screen is neatly integrated into the center console, and not simply perched on it, as many car manufacturers have started to do. A little lower there is a real and easy-to-grip gearshift lever, not some miniature lump, as well as large and handy buttons for controlling the climate control.
The car is much more comfortable than you would expect from such an off-road all-terrain vehicle. After sitting at the wheel for almost a full day, in addition to covering part of the route through forests and dirt roads, you do not feel tired and your bottom is stiff. The car also feels good on the highway and there is no reason to worry about the lack of dynamics. Yes, from the point of view of aerodynamics, the angular shapes are perhaps not the most practical, and partly because of them, the Defender is not a sports car, but it doesn’t have to be – the real element of this car is outside the asphalt jungle, in the real forest.
Land Rover Defender. (Photo: Roy Maizitis)
There is plenty of room for those sitting in the back, but even a Saint Bernard can be safely transported in the trunk, because even a huge dog will be quite comfortable. Or ten sacks of potatoes. Or hunt a wild boar. There is no shortage of options. Special praise for the interesting design of the roof rack, which allows you to attach a plastic container for various things not to the roof, but to the rear side windows. It’s much more convenient than trying to reach the roof rack. To get to the things piled on the roof rack, there is a folding ladder, and if you want, you can even sleep on the roof of the car. True, there is one “but” that can cause problems in an urban environment – the design of the roof rack makes the car even higher, and, for example, I could not enter one of the parking lots of Domina supermarket due to the height restriction – there it is 1.9 meters, but the height of the car was two meters. You will have to take into account the rather large dimensions of the car in the city, because it will not be possible to place it in every slot.
In general, it must be said that the Defender is an excellent car for those who spend a large part of their lives outside the city – country people, hunters, fishermen, travelers. It’s true, it won’t be cheap, because a well-equipped car costs from 90,000 euros upwards. The price is also the main reason why you can meet more Toyota SUVs on the roads of Latvia – even though they are not as stylish, comfortable and powerful, they allow you to save more than ten thousand. However, individuality is undeniably more Defender – a legend remains a legend. This is the case when I have to say – it’s good that I live in the city and I don’t need such a car. Because actually I would like to…
Land Rover Defender. (Photo: Roy Maizitis)
FACT
Land Rover Defender
Engine: 3 liter diesel
Power / torque: 300 HP / 650 Nm
Fuel consumption per 100 km: about 8.5 l
Cena: no 90 000 EUR
Diamonds in the mud
Range Rover Sport PHEV Hybrid. (Photo: Publicity photo)
After testing the Defender, we switched to its rich brother – the Range Rover Sport PHEV hybrid. And we understood why this car is so dear to the British royal family.
If you want to understand what a comfortable and at the same time practical car should be, try driving a Range Rover! It is no exaggeration to say that it really is a benchmark in a way. You can probably find more comfortable seats only in Rolls-Royce or Bentley, but it is difficult to call the cars of both these brands practical – off the highway they will only cause headaches. It’s different with the Range Rover: it feels equally good both on the highway and on a muddy forest road. Driving off-road is very similar to the Land Rover Defender, only in a more comfortable cabin and feeling a little guilty about driving such a cool car in the mud. But in terms of passability, the Range Rover is not far behind the Defender, although it looks more glamorous. But the ride is softer and more sporty on the highway.
Range Rover Sport PHEV Hybrid. (Photo: Publicity photo)
The finish of the car is very high quality and although it has similar features to the Defender, it does not have the ruggedness that characterizes it, but the details are even more polished. For example, climate control buttons – all those car manufacturers who try to get the climate control control on a touch screen should buy a patent for it. Here, everything is amazingly simple and practical: there is a large and, even without looking, easy-to-touch button, which can be pressed inward to start and adjust the seat heating, and by pulling it up to adjust the ventilation power. You can simply adjust the temperature without dragging or pressing anywhere. Perfect!
However, the introduction of a plug-in hybrid in such a car raises questions. On the one hand, it’s already cool: it’s more ecological, because it allows you to drive about 70 kilometers with just the battery (that’s a lot for a PHEV) and in combination with an internal combustion engine it can reach 500 horsepower. On the other hand: this is not the car intended for driving from Mārupe to Riga, where the electric motor is really useful; for this purpose, a more compact and significantly cheaper car can be found. But on further journeys, 70 “electric” kilometers does not make much sense – if you want to charge the battery, you will have to spend at least half an hour at a charging station. I connected the car for charging for 40 minutes, paid nine euros for it and only charged 70 percent of the battery, thus reaching about 50 “electric” kilometers. Hardly anything. Therefore, it is no wonder that the hybrid Range Rover has not gained popularity in Latvia.
Range Rover Sport PHEV Hybrid. (Photo: Publicity photo)
But otherwise, this is a wonderful car. Even if we abstract from the British data collected somewhere about which brands of cars are most often forced to visit the service center – there the Range Rover is at the top of the list, but here it should be taken into account that the concentration of these cars is higher there than in other countries. And also from the price: the average Range Rover Sport costs around 150,000 euros, and the hybrid we tested is another 20,000 more expensive. It is naive to hope that the automotive masterpiece will be cheap.
2023-07-22 02:19:00
#royal #allterrain #vehicle #Deviņvīri #tests #generation #Land #Rover #Defender
