The Land Rover Defender County Edition Wasn’t Made for the City

My intestine intuition each time something with a locker lands in my driveway is to take it deep into the woods. Something much less can be a dereliction of journalistic obligation; If it has 4×4, I want to make use of it, proper? However a sober analysis of SUV patrons’ habits reveals a less-exciting reality. 

Most SUV consumers—particularly on the larger ends of the market—don’t actually use all that rock-crawling skill. And even four-low. These options are good to have on the yearly tenting journey, however vastly extra necessary is day-to-day livability. 

With that in thoughts, I used the Land Rover Defender 110 S as a housewife. I grocery shopped, I carted round pals, I sat in mind-numbing site visitors jams on the 5 and slammed by means of potholes within the industrial district. Every week within the Defender led me to know the suburban want for a Rover—though being the luxurious mother SUV de rigeur, it nonetheless has its downsides.

Let me state the apparent: the Defender 110 S is totally unimaginable off the pavement. On my take a look at automobile, with the Superior Off-Street Functionality Pack ($750), Off-Street Pack ($1,550), and Air Suspension Pack ($1,500) chosen, the Defender has 11.5 inches of floor clearance, a 38.0-degree strategy angle, and 35.5 inches of wading depth—numbers that may finest a four-door Jeep Wrangler or an Ineos Grenadier. 

Regardless of its unibody building, the Defender can deal with a ten,000-pound winch set up in its entrance bumper. Off-road, this truck is just about unequalled. At an as-tested value of $81,103—greater than a Lexus GX 550 Overtrail+ or a fully-loaded Jeep Grand Cherokee—it ought to be. 

However this week I used to be actually enjoying housewife, with friends on the town and errands to run, which implies that I didn’t care about rock-crawling. I cared about how nicely it dealt with the drive to WinCo. 

Professionals: Ethereal & Nicely-Constructed Cabin, Comfy Second Row, Unbelievable Off-Street Prowess

Fortunately, the unibody building helps the Defender really feel very car-like on highway, with sharp steering regardless of the all-terrain tires included within the Off-Street Pack. There’s little or no vibration over exhausting bumps, and the inside stays pleasantly quiet, even on horrible pavement at freeway velocity. If I had one criticism, it’s that the air suspension is extra clenched than I’d hope in road-going mode. Whereas there’s no body-on-frame impact-and-reverberation from potholes, the trip is on the bracing facet over tough roads. 

The cabin mitigates these woes with an especially excessive stage of consolation. It’s pleasantly luxurious, particularly with the County package deal’s mixture of sturdy, hard-wearing supplies on high-wear areas mixed with simply sufficient tender touchpoints that it nonetheless feels premium. It doesn’t really feel prefer it’s cosplaying sturdiness; it appears like it’s sturdy, whereas by no means verging on plasticky or low-cost. 

The seats are comfy, with easy-to-wipe-down leather-based and sufficient vary of movement through powered adjustment switches. The electrical tilt-telescope steering wheel permits the Defender’s driver to seek out an ergonomic, upright place. Visibility can be glorious, due to the drawn-forward windshield, squared-off mirrors, and comparatively low beltline. My rear passengers reported that the second-row bench seat was comfy and decently roomy, even when three-abreast. 

Cargo area is equally glorious. I had a guide signing to get to, and I discovered that the Defender 110’s 34.0 cubic ft of cargo area translated into packing containers of lots of of guide copies with loads of area to spare, due to the squared-off, simply loadable cargo space and broad cargo door. I deeply appreciated the trunk-positioned air suspension top adjustment button when loading packing containers of heavy books.

Sadly, the side-hinged trunk door—one of many final in its class now that the Lexus GX has moved to a conventional overhead hinge—turned an issue once I picked up pals from the airport. There wasn’t sufficient area to let my pals stroll across the again of the truck with different automobiles behind us. It made a fast pickup right into a headache, and for the reason that Defender’s rear glass doesn’t open. The side-hinged door regularly introduced an issue in day-to-day life.

Cons: Obnoxious Aspect-hinge Trunk, Horrible Gasoline Mileage, Irritating Middle Console

As soon as the Defender was loaded up and I used to be again behind the wheel, I discovered the 11.4-inch middle display straightforward to navigate. It’s easy to flick thru widespread options and drive modes, and the system contains customary wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The display is supplemented with a smattering of bodily buttons which are welcome in principle, however irritating in apply. 

Choosing seat heaters, for instance, takes a minimal of three interactions (together with presses and rotations), to show off. Fan velocity choice is comparable. I discovered myself trying away from the highway on the unembossed middle panel much more typically than I’d favor to. I discovered the 400-watt 10-speaker Meridian sound system underwhelming for an $80,000 automobile; Even the less-luxe, less-expensive Grand Cherokee provides 19 audio system, 950 watts, and considerably extra readability. 

And this Rover shouldn’t be an inexpensive automobile to run, even with the mild-hybrid 3.0-liter turbocharged/electrically-supercharged straight-six this take a look at Defender is provided with. It’s highly effective for its class—395 horsepower, 406 pound-feet of torque—however its rated mileage is poor, at simply 17 miles per gallon metropolis and 20 freeway. I by no means bought even near these numbers, both. Regardless of gingerly ferrying round a pal with an injured neck, utilizing throttle sparingly, I managed round 15 mpg in a number of hundred miles of driving. 

The hybrid powertrain feels responsive, quite shockingly fast, and extremely well-composed, and the eight-speed computerized confidently and easily places down torque. Simply anticipate to pay for the privilege. 

The Defender within the County pack—which added particular graphics, steelie-style 20-inch alloys, two-tone paint, a rear-mounted spare, and a few of that rugged-looking inside trim—appears to be like prepared for the trailhead, and makes the Defender much more good-looking. 

If I really took the Defender into the woods on a fox hunt, I’m positive it will have been unequalled. However I didn’t. I did regular SUV issues, like choose up pals from the airport and get groceries, and there, I simply want the Defender 110 had been a little bit extra sensible.