2020 Land Rover Defender 110 - First (Off-Road) Drive

While our time with the all-new Defender was limited to a couple of technical off-road laps, and driving impressions are embargoed by our hosts at Land Rover, I can tell you the following….

1. I will be surprised if the Defender does not win SUV of the year for 2020 because it is a disrupter. While past Defenders focused on capabilities, they had complete disregard for the other 98% of the time when you use it like a 5-passenger people mover. Let’s just say this Defender is far more civilized without any compromise.
2. The exterior is stunning…….in a Birkenstock kind of way. It looks good in every color and offers a wide range of accessories to customize your Defender. It’s the kind of vehicle that looks good in front of Spago’s in Beverly Hills or a log cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I predict it will have mass appeal meaning that Women, Men, Young, Old, couples, families and everyone in between will gravitate towards this Anti-Crossover SUV. It’s a head-turner.
3. The capabilities are undeniable. The reliability is yet to be proven, but that goes for all Land Rover product. There’s a lot at stake here for Land Rover, but they were smart to offer 6 models with a strategic pricing structure to overcome any budgetary objections.
4. The Interior is perfect. They’ve addressed seat travel which was a major problem for old Defenders. The interior feels like it can be hosed off when dirty, especially the base model with the fabric seats. Visibility is outstanding and ergonomics & technology are as intuitive as a flip phone.
5. Bottom line…..this is a tremendous sequel to the original Defender which created a legacy for future models to follow. To all you purists who are kicking and screaming about the demise of the body-on-frame philosophy…..STOP. It’s time to walk upright and accept that technology has its place, even in the Serengeti. You heard the product engineers say that it’s “stiffer than any body-on-frame SUV Land Rover has ever made.” And that’s good enough for me.
6. In closing……The 110 is terrific and will likely account for 85% of the volume (if not more), but I’m waiting for the Defender 90 because it is more practical for my lifestyle and more unique in this market. Land Rover nailed it and will struggle to keep up with demand. Each week I receive a new vehicle to review and this week’s driver is the all-new $59,000 Lincoln Corsair. Lovely car, but when I think about 3-years with that versus 3-years with a mid-grade Defender…..the discussion is over. And I think many shoppers will come to the same conclusion making THIS a game changer.