Home News Defender Farewell Review & Test Drive

Defender Farewell Review & Test Drive

29/01/2016

I should be up front from the start… I have loved Defenders for the last couple of decades, ever since I was fortunate enough to live and work in Uganda at the start the millennium. Back then, the defender was the aid workers car of choice (in standard issue, ‘donor’ white) but has now sadly been replaced by the Toyota Land Cruiser. The Defender’s iconic straight lines stood out in the ever increasingly crowded streets of Kampala. We actually had a Range Rover Classic, and my regular work vehicle was a Nissan Terrano, but every now and then I had the chance to drive one of the office’s four Defender 110’s. It was there my love affair started…

So when Tartan Tarmac said I could do my first ever vehicle review, and on one of the last ever Defenders, well of course I couldn’t wait!

A colour scheme inspired by the original WW II RAF surplus paint and references to the ‘original ‘HUE 166’ registration, ensures it looks the part. Just jumping in (and up!) to the Grasmere Green Heritage limited edition puts the biggest smile on my face. With no side step, and being just over five foot tall, it is a bit of a hike up into the cabin. For taller people it may well feel tight once inside, but for me it feels like everything is perfectly within reach – a design that has truly lasted the test of time – since 1948 in fact! It is rare that I can actually rest my elbow on the window of most vehicles, but the defender fits perfectly. Key in – on the left, the opposite side to most vehicles – and start the engine. Yup – true to type, a loud, agricultural, 2.2 litre diesel with no real sound proofing rumbles into life below you.

The dash is basic and uncluttered. I miss having an indication of the outside temperature – but frankly why would you need that? Fully kitted up with mud and snow tyres the outside temperature is almost irrelevant. The heater does work… eventually. It takes a while for the diesel engine to create any heat, and quite a bit longer for it to have any noticeable effect on the large seven seater cabin space. Then, almost without notice, once you have begun to forget the cold the heater changes from noisy nothingness to instant furnace! Very all or nothing.

It is a physical drive with a turning circle that feels like it belongs to the QE2. The gear change can’t be rushed and I begin to wonder if I’ll end up with biceps like Arnie before the week is over?

I have forgotten how high you sit – on a par, height wise, with transit vans. That feeling of invincibility starts to take hold as you tower over other road users. You can see ahead and over most vehicles, over hedgerows, across fields. You start to actually take notice of bridge height signs, just in case. The snow starts to fall and the mud and snow tyres laugh at the white stuff. The tiny, almost comical, wipers are surprisingly effective on the heated front windscreen. In the dark the reflections between all the vertical windows is somewhat distracting. But the fields and snow covered lanes are beckoning – calling for the low range to be engaged. It is kitted up and wants to be put through its paces. Helping a lost Audi up a snowy track is sadly as much as it gets to show off – just a walk in the park for ‘Huey’.

In the office car park it gets a lot of attention – admiration for the square safari white top. That moment of quiet as each person remembers their own defender history – we are aid workers remember. My all time memory – driving six hours through African torrential rain with no windscreen wipers, because of a faulty fuse, to go find the elusive tree lions of Ishasha, Uganda.

I am (easily) persuaded to take a lunchtime trip over Eaglesham Moor and back, just because, with some colleagues. We all dream about having a defender in our lives again one day…. I’ve heard it estimated that 70% of Defenders are still in existence, and that the first vehicle a large part of the (developing) world see is a Defender. It is a capable, much loved and has a massive fan base. So why stop making this icon after nearly 70 years? Blame ever increasingly strict emissions and crash regulations for that.

This week (29/01/16) sees the last ever Defender rolling off the production line the factory on Lode lane, Solihull. Last year the 2 millionth Defender had inputs from a variety of famous and interesting people, and was then auctioned off for an astonishing £400,000!

Land Rover say they will continue providing parts for another fifteen years – so I still have time to get my dream – one day. It’s probably safe to say that it won’t be one of the 400 limited editions like this one as they are now for sale in excess of £45,000. I would more likely choose the smaller 90, and go grey/black in a Twisted style. Old enough that it has lost some of that scary new vehicle price tag, but new enough to benefit from a few modern additions such as a six speed gearbox, heated seats and a heated front windscreen.

Yes, it handles as you would expect of a big square box on wheels with few creature comforts. But frankly if an all or nothing heater and a noisy cabin put you off, you are missing the point. If you ever get a chance – go try a Defender on an off road course somewhere – hang on for dear life as it takes slopes and hill starts in its stride with it’s simple controls. They are truly amazing vehicles that have gone everywhere and done everything. They are a member of the family and an icon which will be sadly missed.

The Defender is dead, long live the Defender.

Kim
(Lover of Landies & Lambos!)