Hitching up the 3000kg caravan (as towed, with full water tanks and with a 250kg tow ball download) we picked up from RV Connection at St Marys was made easier thanks to the three selectable camera views on the Land Rover Defender 110 when reversing – on-road, off-road and towing. The cabin is a comfortable and spacious place to occupy though, with its more-than-typical seating space for five adults. The large side mirrors and cameras get a workout. Like almost every recent retro retake of ‘military-style’ 4WD wagons (the Toyota FJ Cruiser, for example), the Defender is hard to see out of to the rear and rear three-quarters. A bit more fuel capacity would have been nice to avoid range anxiety when towing in the back blocks.ĭriving the 2021 Land Rover Defender solo around town, it feels very wide at first (it’s 2022mm wide, excluding the side mirrors) and the turning circle is not exactly tight at 12.84m. With the Defender’s 90-litre fuel tank capacity (and using our fuel average achieved), you’d get 391km (with a 50km safety margin) before needing to refuel.
In our experience, a diesel Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series or Jeep Grand Cherokee towing a similar van size/weight won’t achieve much better than this. Towing a 3000kg caravan saw an average of 20.4L/100km, which is actually not bad for towing such a bluff and heavy trailer. The automatic engine idle-stop didn’t arrest a solid thirst around town, with high teens showing on the trip computer. We saw average fuel consumption recede to as low as 9.7L/100km on a very easy 100km/h freeway run, but throw in anything more demanding and the consumption figure rises dramatically – although in reality, no more than you’d expect from any typical large-displacement petrol 4WD wagon. That said, the P400 might be a mild hybrid, but the Defender’s fuel consumption isn’t exactly mild. The Defender is very good at pegging speed on a steep descent, holding to the 70km/h speed when held in second gear – although the engine was revving at 5500rpm to keep the rig’s momentum in check. There won’t be any issue keeping up with the traffic on hills or overtaking when towing. Climbing the 90km/h test hill saw a drop to third gear and a lungful of revs but just barely one-third throttle input to maintain speed. With the caravan behind it, the Defender 110 P400 is also impressive. The eight-speed auto does its thing without any odd or clunky shifts.
No wonder the 2400kg Defender feels quick once you shove the accelerator to the floor, and that straight-six sounds awesome when revved. This all translates into a smooth, quiet and flexible engine, with Land Rover claiming a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.1 seconds. The Defender has a three-year/100,000km warranty and maintenance costs are capped at $2650 for five years’ servicing. It also carried the $2000 black contrast roof, $1950 Indus silver metallic paint, $1822 bright side tubes, $1423 exterior side accessory box, $1274 ClearSight interior rear-vision mirror, $949 hitch-receiver, $845 privacy glass, $806 electronic active diff with torque vectoring by braking, $520 19-inch gloss black alloy wheels, $403 fog lights and $280 matte black bonnet decal.Īll up the test vehicle with options was $113,392, not including on-road costs or the Redarc electric brake controller, which will cost around $800 (fitted).
The test vehicle was laced with a strong cocktail of options, including the $2740 Comfort and Convenience Pack (premium cabin lighting, centre console fridge compartment, Meridian sound system, wireless device charging) and the $2086 Driver Assist Pack (blind spot assist, clear exit mirror, adaptive cruise control, rear collision monitor, rear traffic monitor). Highlight features on the P400 S include air suspension, dual-range transmission, auto high beam assist, LED lights front and rear, heated power-folding side mirrors, push-button start, leather/textile seats and two-zone climate control. Ideally, we would tow test the new MY21 3.0-litre diesel D250 (from $90,490 in equivalent S trim), but these are also not yet available on Land Rover’s test fleet.
Our test vehicle is the 3.0-litre P400 S petrol model that in MY20 guise starts at $95,335 plus on-road costs, and will this year be updated for MY21 that will improve the spec (adding active cruise and other safety tech, for example) and actually send the price down to about $92K. Mind you, the new Land Rover Defender must be about the only ‘luxury’ 4WD wagon that comes with vinyl floor coverings, and at close to $100K you’d hope for active cruise control in the standard features bundle. No surprises there, and in the context of large luxury 3500kg tow wagons, the Defender is not exorbitantly priced. The 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 is a luxury SUV that accordingly starts at a premium price and is offered with many options – for which you also pay a premium.