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New Land Rover Defender Challenges Old Defender to an Off-Road Brawl

A unibody with questionable reliability, the 2021 Land Rover Defender is pretty impressive off the beaten path. The question is, can it keep up with a body-on-frame model in this particular scenario? Mat Watson of Carwow answers that question in the following comparison video.
New Diesel Defender v 'Old' ELECTRIC Defender: Off-Road Challenge 19 photos
Photo: Carwow on YouTube
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Equipped with a 3.0-liter turbo diesel that outputs 250 PS (247 horsepower) and 570 Nm (420 pound-feet), the brand-new Defender also features a short wheelbase, low-range mode, center and rear electronically-locking diffs, and steelies. Tipping the scales at 2,228 kilograms (4,912 pounds), this example of the breed is obviously configured for off-road shenanigans.

As for the old-school challenger, you’re looking at a double-cab truck with Tesla underpinnings. Located right in the middle of the undercarriage, a Model S 100D electric motor is connected to a limited-slip differential that sends the goodies forward and backward to a couple of torque-sensing diffs. Up front and out back, the zero-emissions rig flaunts 60- and 40-kWh battery modules for a grand total of 100 kWh just like the donor car. All told, you’re looking at 450 PS (444 horsepower), 450 Nm (332 pound-feet) of torque, and a curb weight in the ballpark of 2,600 kilograms or 5,732 pounds.

On paper alone, the body-on-frame Land Rover Defender is playing second fiddle to the internal combustion-engined model because of the longer wheelbase, considerably more weight, and less torque. It’s also worth highlighting that the e-Defender doesn't feature low range.

Converted by British company Electric Classic Cars, the sport utility truck fares a little better over a rather big and slippery rock on the off-road trail. Mat also mentions that Land Rover’s all-new Defender uses traction control and other electronic nannies much more than the older model. The hydraulic steering of the body-on-frame Defender also feels better in Mat’s hands, but the lack of hill descent control makes it rather hairy to drive down a slope.

It's obvious that both have good points and bad points in these scenarios, but Mat likes the newcomer more because it’s comfier on the road as well. Be that as it may, Watson’s perfect Defender would be the 2021 model with the electric powertrain from the discontinued Tesla Model S 100D.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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