Land Rover Defender
How it looks when you see on the street: We’ve been obsessed with the aesthetic appeal of the Land Rover Defender for a few years now. Defender is Land Rover’s enduring marque that is preceded by the 1948 Land Rover Series I. The 1980s brought the Defender badge into focus in the 110 and 90 models. After ending production in 2016, there was a flurry of deserved attention when it was resurrected in 2020 as version L663. Our friends who love great modern design covet the new Land Rover Defender. It has a just-right boxy curb appeal that is cool and rough and tumble without being overly flashy. We have a lot to say about the Land Rover Defender, a vehicle that screams icon. We first drove it in 2021 and have watched as it land in high end SUV owners’ garages as both 90 and longer body 110 version. We most recently drove the Defender 110 Octa Edition One — and wow — Defender’s curb appeal continues to woo us. The Octa acknowledges just how right Land Rover got the newest Defender shape as this more fanciful, performance minded dream car hits the road. Its flared fenders, elevated stance, black roof, and bronze hooks make it stand out.
How it makes you feel when you get in: Ready for the world, seriously. Land Rover Defender interiors feel like the inside of a cozy Jackson Hole ski resort: hearty, luxe, and ready for action. The tech experience is better than many brands — and impressive for a smaller company. Very important in a vehicle with so many angles is the camera that offers solid surround-views. The 11.4-inch Pivi Pro has both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities. The Octa has a fave feature — “body and soul seats” — built in sensors that make the seats vibrate to the bass.
How it drives: If you want to go off-roading on the weekends, this is the one. But its also super cozy and powerful for extra verve on serene stretches of highway. The Defender 110 and 90 have a 3.0-liter turbo six-cylinder that combined earns 19 mpg w — which for its girth, is actually on the respectable side. We’ve driven the Defender in the northeast Catskill mountains, on the Pacific Highway and on the mean New York streets — it’s a solid big ride that always feels like a guilty pleasure and a power trip. There’s also a more mindful option for the 110 plug-in hybrid that earns 27 miles of electric-only range.
The 20026 Octa that we drove has a wild 626-hp twin-turbo V-8 and has paddle shifters to add more driving feedback for maneuvering speed. Stopping is easy with those big Brembo brakes. It’s a supersized toy that has a cool function called 6D for adjustable springs and dampers that alter performance. It can swim through almost 40 inches of water, too.
How its set up: True to the Land Rover portfolio, there are a ridiculous amount of configurations of the various Defender trim and equipped packages. We’ve counted 18, so far ranging from 90, 110, 130, which doesn’t even count special ediitons.
Space for People and Things: Tall people will appreciate the available headroom in the boxy Defender and ample leg room. For storage, lowered the ride height actually makes schlepping heavy objects in and out of the rear storage compartment easier.
What to compare it to: Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler. The Octa is another story — it competes with the AMGG63.
How much does it cost: Pick your poison — the Octa is creme de la creme and pricing to match at $170,200.
On the base end the Defender 110 P300 starts at about $55,000 and on the high end the 110 P525 Carpathian Edition starts at $119,750. Shopping for a Defender requires really digging into the details and knowing what matters is there. The latest model we tested, the 2024 Land Rover Defender X-Dynamic SE, was $81,923.