autoevolution
 

Land Rover Defender Tows Scania Truck With 7 Other Land Rovers, Is an “Icon”

We can all use a little help from a friend now and then. Just ask the driver of this Scania truck loaded with seven Land Rovers and stuck on a stretch of road covered in ice, a stone’s throw away from the point of destination.
Land Rover Defender 110 comes through on icy road for truck carrying 7 Land Rovers 4 photos
Photo: linkedin/John Smyth
Land Rover Defender 110 comes through on icy road for truck carrying 7 Land RoversLand Rover Defender 110 comes through on icy road for truck carrying 7 Land RoversLand Rover Defender 110 comes through on icy road for truck carrying 7 Land Rovers
If this were a scripted video, it would make for an excellent and very convincing ad. It happened in real life, on Valley Drive in Stafford, England, as a Scania P410 carrying seven Land Rovers was approaching Stafford Land Rover, which is part of Swansway Garages. The road there had been cleared, except for a patch that led right up to the dealership, the driver says. The truck got stuck on an icy incline.

According to AM Online, the Scania driver went inside the dealership to ask if they had anything to throw on the ice so he could finish the delivery, but sales manager Matt Knowles had a better idea: why not use the company’s Defender 110 to see if it was up to the job? The resulting video was posted to social media by director John Smyth, with the caption “This is why the Defender is an icon.”

Shout out to all the haters who have been lamenting that the Defender isn’t really that impressive.

The video went viral, with Smyth saying it instantly translated into an increased number of inquiries about the new Defender. The 110 used in the video belongs to the company, it was left in normal road mode and, though it was clearly overworked, it was not damaged. Knowles was behind the wheel and he says it took about 30 seconds for the Defender to get a grip on the ice, after which the entire operation went incredibly smoothly.

The official towing capacity of the Land Rover Defender 110 is some 8,200 pounds (3,700 kg), but this one pulled 44 tons (88,000 pounds or 39,916 kg) on slippery ice. Understandably, the video got glowing reactions – in fact, Smyth says that JLR reached out to him to ask if they could use the video as an actual ad highlighting the 4x4’s winter driving capabilities.

And that’s a true happy ending if we ever saw one.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories