The Land Rover Defender isn't going to be driven by many celebrities and it's certainly too expensive for mass-appeal. However, Doug DeMuro still believes it's the most important SUV of 2020 and it (obviously) all has to do with its quirks and features.
DeMuro is currently busy promoting his auction website launch, but the new Defender was too juicy to pass. The guy has had several Range Rovers and a really cool classic Defender 3-door in yellow with a soft-top. Not surprisingly, he loves the 2020 model for being so different from the "pretty SUV" establishment.
His 36-minute YouTube review is littered with examples of features that are unusual or unique to this SUV. For the British designers, it wasn't enough to just make a modern yet boxy 4x4, as they carried over the square shape to every corner. For instance, you'll easily notice the bright silver boxes in the middle of the side windows.
The Defender also has the "Safari Windows" on the corners of the roof. These are inspired by the original model, though we can't imagine them being used on an actual safari. The taillights are some of the quirkiest ever fitted to a modern car, reduced to just four big squares and four little ones.
And for a vehicle that costs $75,000, the interior isn't all that luxurious. Everything looks like it's been designed to be mud-proof, from the basic upholstery to the exposed screws holding the door cards and the rubber finish on the dashboard. This would make a decent police cruiser... if it wasn't British.
As for the driving experience, the Defender feels tall from behind the wheel. It's obviously way more comfortable than the old model, having switched to unibody construction. Doug got himself the six-cylinder turbo model that makes almost 400 horsepower. The fact that it's not super-fast may hold it back, but we do know Land Rover is testing a V8 model.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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