Why even latest tech can’t shake that Land Rover legend
The proverbial ‘they’ promise that this latest Defender traces its roots all the way back to the great original Land Rover. Of course, we loved the old Landy and we were saddened by its passing. But the new one is different. And the longer its tenure evolves, the more different it becomes. Somehow, however, this svelte, now even higher tech modern incarnation retains an indelible link to its rugged ancestors. Meet the newest addition to the ever broadening Defender range, the X-Dynamic Plug-In Hybrid.
First, let’s dive under that edgy bonnet to see what they’ve dug up at Solihull. Er, make that Slovakia. P400e gets a 220 kW turbocharged 2-litre Ingenium four-pot aided and abetted by a 105kW electric motor. Working together, they crack a healthy 297 kW and 640 Nm of torque. Make that very healthy. The electric bits are driven by a 19.2 kWh lithium-ion battery good for up to 60 kilometres of petrol-free driving. Rely on closer to 30 km in the real world.
Just plug in and leave it overnight
A new button on the centre console allows you to choose EV or Save modes. Which means that for once, this plug-in hybrid actually can recharge itself a little, like a Prius on the road. Very good. More conventionally, they tell us that 50 kW rapid charging gives you 80 per cent battery from zero in half an hour. And that a 7 kW wall box will do that in two hours. We just plugged it in the wall and left it overnight. It was full in the morning.
Charged full, you can drive around town without ever using petrol. Once you do get on the gas, Land Rover quotes as little as 2.8 l/100 km at 76 g/km of CO2. But remember, it needs the electric to achieve that. And that does not last forever. So, expect it to do the mid-sevens to the hundred that we achieved in real life. Land Rover’s tin brain told us we’d only scored 55% in that test. Got to do better next time! What was it called again? True romance in pictures?
We did a few more experiments. Got all the way up to 130 km/h in EV only mode. That’s where it seems this brick-like shape calls time on acceleration. And about the same place where battery percentage starts dropping like a stone. We also tested the car with both a nice fat full charge, and the battery flat. It’s two to three tenths off the pace when flat, and a second slower to 160. Try as we did, we could not notice a difference by the seat of the pants.
Plug in Land Rover bits add half a ton
It switches silently between electric and petrol drive, and the brake pedal retains a decent feel, despite this hybrid’s regenerative properties. At two and a half tons all-in, the extra weight doesn’t seem to hinder Defender’s progressive steering and general on-road manners either. That extra half ton comes off its still mighty 3-ton towing capacity. And the four-pot seemed a tad rougher than the regular silky V6 when angry
Most significantly, this petrol-electric Land Rover is fast. 20 years ago, a 5.5 second 0-100 km/h run was the domain of supercars and hyper saloons. We even called this one’s 221 kW 650 Nm D300 V6 sibling fast and frugal at 6.9 seconds to 100 km/h a couple of years back. Strapped to the same VBox, on the same piece of test road, this 2-litre 4-pot petrol eclectic version is almost two and a half seconds quicker. And incredibly frugal at it. Let that sink in for a second…
Defender’s smooth and sophisticated standard eight-speed ZF autobox transfers that petrol electric shunt to Landy’s permanent all-wheel drive, over and above emergency braking, lane keep assist and the kitchen sink. Effortless off-road, it’ll do whatever you want in the 4×4 realm. It has sophisticated adaptive air suspension and full time 4×4 with low range. Add an electronic active rear diff, while Terrain Response matches your precise adventure driving conditions.
A Land Rover more for the street?
That’s also whether you’re running on electric power alone, with both it and gas, or just petrol. A unique X-Dynamic feature is all-electric 4×4 drive in low-range. Where seamless, grunty battery power is rapidly becoming the preferred choice.
Somehow, however, we figure that Land Rover may not expect this particular Defender to venture too far off the beaten track. Shiny streetie bumper finishes and a dearth of bundu-bashing paraphernalia suggests that plug-in hybrid Land Rover owners will, well, stick to the streets. One would hardly want to take this big, shiny, elaborate and quite expensive thing overland to Timbuktu anyway. There are other Defenders to do that.
Talking aesthetics, our Gloss Hakuba Silver car certainly looked the part. Its signature DRL Matrix LED headlights, black 5 spoke 22-inch alloys with a full size spare hanging off the tailgate behind privacy glass and panoramic black contrast roof with black rails splendidly complement the silver hue. The big wheel kit allows this one to deliver its full 210 km/h maximum speed too, by the way.
A beautiful ‘constructivist’ Land Rover cabin
Our keyless access Defender 110’s ‘constructivist’ Extended Leather Grey Powder Coat Brushed cabin is a hell of a spoil too. 14-way heated and cooled electric memory Ebony Windsor Robustec leather front seats with 4-way manual headrests and a convenient 40-20-40 folding rear bench with centre armrest, open the bidding.
The intuitive always-on CarPlay and Auto mirroring interactive driver display PriviPro 10” infotainment is not overly intrusive. This hybrid model gains a few new charge, energy, and other hybrid display options. You can still monitor live consumption on the dash, and navi, audio and other info on the triple-split centre screen. And there’s a most welcome heads-up display too.
Add a 360-degree 3D surround camera parking and even a driver condition monitor. It becomes most concerned when you don’t stop and rest. Just tap OK on the wheel and it goes away. For a bit. Besides those hard to figure buttons on the steering wheel, they’ve now got all that technology to work together in a relatively unobtrusive manner. Best of all, it has big fat knobs and buttons on the dash for the main functions. Just the way we like it. And no need to re-engineer it to keep those NCAP safety stars.
Is the Plug In still a Defender at heart?
Other odd bits are mostly quaint in an old school Landy kind of a way. Like that cavern in the centre console that perfectly cossets a Burger King take away packet and the milkshake cups. All cool. Especially the refrigerated compartment. Ours even had a power deployable tow bar, but happily lacked that daft box on rear quarter window.
One thing Defender 110 is, is spacious. This one’s only a five seater, so a wonderful place to spend time four-up in three-zone climate control comfort on the open road. It’s still rugged inside, so no real worries about scuffing and hurting puffy carpets and the like. Talking about the open road, its impeccable out there. This X-Dynamic 110 is quick, silent, smooth, and sophisticated. Press on, and handling and road holding is just as impressive as it marries hot saloon speed with a most comfortable ride.
In its own right, this latest plug-in Land Rover 110 melds Land Rover’s newest technology into a fast, frugal, and hugely capable modern SUV solution. Quite brilliant inside and out, it may seem further from the rustic old one than ever. Yet somehow, this X-Dynamic HSE remains more like the great original Defender than you’d ever expect. – Michele Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Land Rover Defender 110 P400e
X-Dynamic HSE
Engine: 2-litre turbo petrol I4 hybrid
Output: 297 kW 640 Nm
Drive: 8-speed automatic 4x4 plug-in hybrid
Load Capacity: Up to 1,826 litres
Towing Capacity: 3,000 kg braked
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 3.28 sec
0-100 km/h: 6.89 sec
0-160 km/h: 17.33 sec
400m: 16.9 sec @ 128 km/h
80-120 km/h: 4.73 sec
120-160 km/h: 7.98 sec
Fuel Towing: 13.9 l/100 km
CLAIMED:
VMax: 209 km/h
Fuel: 2.8 l/100 km (PHEV)
CO2: 76 g/km
Range: 60 km Electric
Warranty/Service: 5y 100K/5y 100K km
LIST PRICE: R2.13M
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