It's only been a few days since the last off-road-themed encounter between these two vehicles in which the Ford Bronco absolutely demolished the Defender in a tug-of-war competition on grass.
After watching the clip, people (some of whom may have been neutral truth-seekers, but most were undoubtedly Land Rover fans) were quick to point out a few things that made for an unbalanced duel. Some said the Defender was pulling slightly uphill (an aspect denied by the author of the clip, though there seems to be some truth to it), but the vast majority simply pointed out that the difference in tire tread and size made the whole comparison useless.
They're not wrong, but then, again this is how each of the two manufacturers sells their cars while making serious claims about their off-roading capabilities. You won't find "our SUV is great in the wild, but you have to put beefier tires on it first" written anywhere in the Land Rover Defender's brochure. No, the sentence probably stops just before that comma. So, while the tires do play a huge part in everything off-road-related, it's not the testers' fault that Land Rover doesn't see fit to offer a more aggressive rubber option for what is seemingly the most adventure-ready model in the company's lineup.
Photo: Truck King / YouTube screenshot
The Bronco, on the other hand, can get 35-inch tires from the factory, whereas the Defender has to make-do with 32-inch ones. That means a less aggressive tread but also a much smaller contact patch since the narrow sidewall doesn't go along well with lowered air pressure.
In fact, watching the Defender trying to overcome the killer mix of wet rocks and wet tires by hitting a boulder at speed gave me a tiny anxiety attack, especially after seeing what happened to TFL's Defender in a similar situation. No punctured tire this time, though, and after several attempts, the Defender manages to climb its way through all the mud and rocks.
After clearing the same obstacle without even breaking a sweat, the Bronco takes point for the next part of the trail. Watching the sort of terrain it comes across (and clears), you just know there is no way the Defender is going to be able to follow it. Surely the mud is going to clog its puny tires and prevent it from going up the slippery slope. Except it doesn't.
The test should have made the Land Rover look bad, but if you ask me, it kind of manages the opposite. You acknowledge the tires are a massive limitation compared to the Bronco's from early on so you kind of lower your expectations for the Defender. You stop expecting it to perform at the same level. And yet it does, managing to follow Ford's SUV wherever it goes, even if in a slightly less convincing way.
Photo: Truck King / YouTube screenshot
At the end of the day (or of this test, for that matter), the fact those 35-inch tires are the first thing mentioned when it comes to the off-road performance gap tells you everything you need to know. There's not a lot between these two models, and that difference can be further reduced by installing more serious rubber on the Defender.
Land Rover clearly veered its legendary model down a different path, one that emphasizes luxury and comfort a lot more than in the old days. However, the company didn't just erase the Defender's off-road capabilities completely - no, it simply hid them away, ready to be unlocked by those who want to use their vehicles for adventure.
The only problem with all this is the price. The Land Rover model is already significantly more expensive than the Bronco, so the question of "why would anyone turn such an expensive SUV into an off-roader?" is a completely valid one. Well, not only are there plenty of people with a thing for Land Rover and enough money in the bank to entertain their hobby, but there's one other aspect worth remembering: the Ford Bronco can't be bought in Europe, adding "availability" to the Defender's list of "Pros" for a considerable part of the world.
So, what's the answer to the question in the title? A definite "No" from me, even if that's not the most obvious side of its personality.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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