I never thought I would be a Land Rover guy. I'd grown up with a keen interest in Japenese sports cars and four-wheel driving was never really on my radar. In 2018 I spent a good chunk of the year time traveling around the world visiting various countries. It was towards the end of my trip that I really needed to consider what I was going to do for a vehicle once i got back to Australia, id sold my Amarok before heading over and needed to find a replacement for it. It was my time in Europe, especially Iceland where one particular vehicle started catching my attention - The Land Rover defender. It wasn't uncommon in Iceland to see them jacked up on 40” wheels with massive overfenders covering them, crossing raging rivers in the highlands, or chewing up the ice while traversing over glaciers. They had obviously proven there worth over there and had a legacy based on there proven off-road ability.

On my return home I ended up purchasing one from Perth, sight unseen and at that point hadn't even driven a Defender before. It was noisy, uncomfy, and low was on tech: I would usually get excited when my Bluetooth would actually connect to my phone. Whilst it was an acquired taste… I was in love. The car had so much character and was very capable offroad.

I've owned it for a few years now and done many a trip putting it through its paces including trips to Cape York and the Vic High country. Apart from a few slight dramas due to abuse it has been an amazing, reliable car that i could never imagine getting rid of. The Defender even ended up breeding in the backyard and I now own three Land Rovers, including a 1958 Series 2 and a 1973 Series 3 LWB. When I heard about Land Rover bringing out a new model Defender, I was incredibly excited to see what was next for the brand.

After a 4 year hiatus - we finally have the new model Defender here. With really big boots to fill I was incredibly keen to see how Land rover brought the Defender into the new generation. When people would ask me what I thought of the new design upon its release my answer would typically jump between “I really don’t know” and “it doesn’t look like a Defender we know’. It appeared that the vast majority of opinions on the internet where very similar with most people commenting that this wasn’t a new Defender but a new model Discovery riding the wave of a Defender badge.

I was lucky enough to have Toowoomba Jaguar Land Rover throw me the keys to the P400SE variant for the weekend, and boy was excited to put it through its paces. The 2020 Defender comes in various trim levels and can come with three powertrain choices – two 2.0-liter four-cylinder twin-turbo diesels or the 3L 6 cylinder punching out 294kw. The P400SE I had was the petrol variant and was packed full of features I would spend the weekend slowly finding out.

My 2012 vs the 2020 out the front of Wippels Autos.

The new defender represents the evolution of an old design. The old ones are uncomfortable, noisy, and couldn’t keep meeting safety and emissions standards. Whilst it is a vastly different car, there are a lot of little head nods to the older model. From the checker plate on the bonnet to the traditional ‘alpine light’ angular windows in the roof, and through to the rear-mounted spare wheel, Land Rover has done a great job at redefining a classic and bringing it into the new era.

The particular model i had was also fitted with a few of the optional extras including the expedition roof rack and the exterior side-mounted gear carrier. These really did make the car look like it was ready for an overlanding adventure.

On road the 2020 Defender is a vast improvement over the older model. I usually need to heed people with a warning before jumping into mine for the longer drives. The car provides light steering and the turning circle is a vast improvement over its predecessor, making it much easier to pilot this 5m long car around parking lots. The turbo petrol is incredibly responsive and does a fantastic job of making this larger 4wd get up and move, I was pleasently suprised with how quick the car was for the size. Body roll is minimal around longer sweeping bends and the ride is reminiscent of a much smaller high end sedan.

I really did love this particular model in the Gondwana Stone colour, but could also easily own one in the Pangea green, fuji white or Santorini Black. Big fan of the colour options provided that these can come in.

Thankfully on road comfortibilty isnt at the expense of off road ability. It looks at home offroad and it didnt take me long to figure out that whilst it all looked vastly different to the older model, it defiently still seemed as capable - if not better. The 2020 defender still retains permanent all wheel drive driven by a eight speed automatic gearbox, with a locking centre differential and suprisingly, is now also joined by a rear locker.

Instead of fighting my transfer case to engage low range and attempting to get my centre diff lock engaged, it was as simple as bringing up the offroad selections (Grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts, sand and rock) on the 10 inch digital display, and with a tap of the screen the suspension would adjust to the required height. Low range can also be engaged simply with the touch of a button.

The solid live axles on previous Defender models have been ditched and replaced with double-wishbone front and integral-link rear, sitting underneath height controlled airbags. Its a completely different machine to drive offroad over mine - instead of getting thrown side to side like your in a boat in ruff seas, the car effortlessly works its way over obstacles with each corner dealing well with its own set of challenges. You can feel the terrain response constantly processing and thinking as it drives in low range. Instead of fighting its way over particular obstacles, the car really does seem to take a second, think about what it's actually doing and manipulates everything to help it make the best way forward: it makes it all a little too easy, to be honest.

On paper with 293mm ground clearance, 38° approach, 28° ramp over, 40° departure angles and a wading depth of 900mm, all the ingredients are there for an incredibly capable 4wd. The height controlled airbags are also very handy for parking in garage’s etc: I wouldn't have been able to park the car in my garage at normal height but putting it into the access selection, it dropped it down low enough to squeeze the large car into its sleeping spot.

The Defender range offers a 3500kg towing capacity with 350kg downball rating on all variants so it really does make it an all round fantastic overlander for the the weekends towing the offroad caravan. A tent defiantly looks right at home on the roof aswell and with a static load rating of 300kg or a dynamic load of 168kg, it will be able to carry the camping essentials.

The interior felt incredibly foreign to me, there was an ample amount of room and I could actually drive the car without hanging my elbow out the window. The dash has an exposed structure style feel, with traditional hex bolts that also feel like a head nod to the older models. Everything inside flows really well, with lots of intricate details and has a real high-end luxury feel about it.

There is plenty of room in the rear seats and you are also provided a good amount of storage room through the rear swinging door. Provided are a myriad USB and charging points, literally scattered everywhere in the car including the boot area : theres even wireless charging in the centre console. The ability to also drop the rear airbags via a switch in the rear would also prove to be very handy in some situations.

External cameras are available and act as remote off-road spotters, making it easy to see upcoming hazards. Using unique virtual imaging tech a “drone” style shot can be brought up on the screen providing real time video of exactly what is around every corner of the car, greatly improving visabilty and making parking of the larger car an absolute breeze. The navigation system was also very easy to monitor with a display between the speed and rpm tachos.

The car drew plenty of attention, with various people either commenting on how amazing the car looked, or asking what model the car actually was.

I really was suprised at how much ground clearance the new model had compared to mine when jacked up to the offroad height.

It's not a defender like we know it, you can't drill holes and bolt spotlights where you like, and whilst the floors are still rubber - i would feel really bad taking the hose to the interior. But life moves on, things evolve and I really do believe it does testament to the name.

If you’re seriously considering owning one of these, pop down and visit Towoomba Jaguar Land Rover and book yourself in for a test drive, if your also a “Land Rover” guy disheartened by the new Defender, I implore you - do the same, look at it in person, take it for a drive and I ensure you, you will quickly change your mind.

A weekend with the 2020 defender