Driven: 2023 Land Rover Defender Is All The SUV Anyone Needs

Now, several years on, I’m looking for a bit of redemption with the Defender. For want of a better analogy, it feels a lot like coming back for round 2 of dodgeball in gym class. There’s no real stakes to it, but dammit, you’ve got to get it right this time. So, despite my 130’s winter tires (it’s August), I hit the trails.

Design Evaluation

Not to bury the lede, but we’ve first got to discuss the way the 130 looks. First, some nomenclature. This Defender 130 is designated as such because it’s the extra-long model, with more room at the rear for cargo and that third row you’ll find in every Defender north of the 110 model. Of course, there’s also a 90, or short wheelbase model.

With that said, this 130 is definitely the ugliest of the bunch. The extra visual mass at the rear makes the Defender appear to be in a constant state of motion in all the wrong ways- like it’s about to tip over backwards. Thankfully, the rest of the design isn’t as heavy-handed. In typical Land Rover fashion, it’s a restrained piece.

The front is arguably where you see the most retro nods, from the lighting to the grille, much of the Defender’s nose is right from the model’s history. The squared rear, high beltlines, and square rear window (now more a rectangle thanks to the stretch) also recall Landys of yore. Not that this is a bad thing. The design here works, and I’m particularly appreciative of the wheels. They’re simple, five-spoke silver units that don’t do too much shouting.

This First Edition model certainly looks less shouty than other configurations I’ve seen. Land Rover of course now offers a V8, which has some more sporty cues, and a myriad of more off-road oriented options and materials selections add more to the subtle column than the off-road one.

Interior Assesment

That is also true of the interior- most of this also doesn’t change depending on where in the lineup you find yourself. While you’re sure to find acres of leather and wood trim, plenty of comfort features, and some great seats, you’ll also find hard (read: rugged) plastics, and real exposed rivets so everyone knows what a Real Tough Off-Road Man you are. They actually do feel nice, despite looking a bit on the performative side, and they’ve grown on me.

So too has Land Rover’s interface. A few years back, I found it to be too fiddly, too slow, and too cumbersome to operate on the road. Now, with a few years’ perspective, I appreciate the way touch and physical controls are integrated. The push-n-rotate dial for seat controls is clever, and you’re able to build muscle memory with the controls rather than spending your time digging through menus.

Obviously, this 130 must haul people and things better than any other Defender. It matches competition like the Grand Wagoneer in its ability to swallow cargo and even offers some nice comforts to third-row passengers. I, at around 5’7”, am able to fit comfortably in the third row. There are also heated seats and a nice skylight to keep me entertained back there, though as a child of the digital age, I’m just glad there’s USB C ports to charge my Nintendo back there.

Aside from the trunk, there’s plenty of places to put things in the Defender. I’m very fond of the Defender’s shelf at the front of the car- it’s perfect for just tossing items into, and a generous lip means they won’t fall out even when bouncing around off-road. Speaking of, I think we’ve buried the lede enough.

Driving Take

Driving the Defender off-road left me nothing but impressed. The air suspension optioned on my First Edition loaner meant that the ride on the trails was by far the most comfortable I’ve experienced. Even Ford’s Raptor models would struggle to deliver this degree of poise, though for serious and consistent off-road use I may prefer the reliability of good ol’ springs.

However, the air suspension delivers other benefits. It’s constantly adjusting itself, especially when the car is left in its 4x4i mode, which is Land Rover’s intelligent drive mode software. The car does a great job at reading terrain, and I never felt in danger of damaging the flawless white paint while on the trail. The suspension is also self-leveling, which is just as nice for car camping as it is for loading cargo.

The Defender remains incredibly poised off-road, even with its winter tires. If anything, the 130’s off-road behaviour made me really wish for some more serious tires. The competence off-road makes you want to push the Landy harder and harder. I even found myself building speed over sections of trail I’d normally be much more cautious with.

Of course, the air suspension is also the key to the Landy’s on-road mannerisms. While it is much more floaty here than off-road, the system still delivers, and the car rides like one that costs $92,725 with options and delivery. That’s not cheap, but the experience within is certainly worth it.

The Defender is serene on the highway, and even at very high speeds, the cabin remains in a hush. Our tester was optioned with the mild-hybrid 6-cylinder turbo mill, which produces 395 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque, which is more than enough power and torque to make the Defender feel totally unbothered by any task. I even like the Meridian sound system, which was nicely neutral and offered some decent adjustability. At this price point, you’d be hard-pressed to find faults with the way the Defender 130 drives.

I did find some, though. Steering, predictably, is less than communicative. It’s something I’m willing to forgive as a result of the competition, which also suffers from the same issue. While the Defender’s seats are a little more comfortable than I remember, I would still appreciate some bolstering at the seat base. The Defender is easy to get out of as a result of the flat seats, but without the bolsters on the back, you’d quickly find yourself bounced into the rear seats. I’m also not a fan of the adaptive cruise control, which feels leagues behind the system in Ford models half this price. It lags and often comes to an abrupt and jerky stop. I do love the camera system, but no hard button for it is an oversight. Still, none of these issues stopped me from hopping onto the configurator and building the Defender I want (two doors and steelies, baby).

Test Drive Roundup

The Defender is one thing above all else: a true do-it-all car. It’s been years since this refreshed take on the iconic off-roader debuted, and it still holds up. Here in the US, we don’t have the cultural ties to the Defender the Brits do. Sometimes, those come with some wispy, nostalgic statements about an SUV conquering it all, hoisting itself up a dam by its winch alone. That idea still stands up thousands of miles from Land Rover’s UK factories and testing facilities, which is certainly the hallmark of one of the greats.

Pros

• Stellar off-road capabilities at the drop of a hat
• On-road luxury performance to rival the Germans
• Space for anything and anyone

Cons

• A bit ungainly to look at
• Seats are comfy, but not supportive
• Iffy adaptive cruise control