Land Rover Defender: One of the ‘Best of’ for 2022 SUVs
This really is the SUV one strives to attain, achieve… all those high-falutin’ words. It’s a classic, and for good reason. Initially called the ‘110’ and later the ‘90’ (now those two are trims) back in the 20th Century, the Land Rover Defender is considered a midsized luxury SUV. It’s still fairly easy to park but you will want to be careful and use all the safety aids to help.
MSRP starts at $48,700 US, but to get the full experience, you really need to go up in luxury and price, and that means you could easily find yourself spending upwards of $100K and beyond if you really want to get the full Russian oligarch treatment for your Defender.
There is a 70th anniversary edition, and you can go to the Land Rover website and build your own, which they encourage you to do. Its history is as storied as the history of the world, and as such, just know that you will be getting one of the best vehicles out there.
Everyone loves the Land Rover Defender. It’s a great vehicle. I certainly enjoyed driving it.
You certainly can build your 2022 Defender as you see fit. Four cylinders, six cylinders, even a V8 is available on the top-tier trims. Two doors or four doors depending on your needs or desires. This is still an off-roading vehicle, but it doesn’t have to be.
Inside, the “cabin walks the line between premium and utilitarian,” says Car and Driver, and that pretty well sums up how I feel. Yeah, sure, you can get mostly leather all-around (I wouldn’t). You can also get one where you can just open up the doors (or one where the doors just come right off for the true outdoors-y experience) and turn the water hoses on inside.
This vehicle drives incredibly smoothly for basically being an off-roader, first and foremost (well, it did start as a British car for royals). If you need to use it mostly for inner-city traffic, you will be fine, and so will you back and brain.
The backseats fold down easily so you can put your purchases or mobile office in back as needed but that back cargo space is cut by more than half if you get the ‘90’, which is the more utilitarian two-door.
BTW, using all the technology was a breeze. Hey, if I can figure it out, play my vintage disco and not get a headache, I can give it big-snaps. I was happy. Didn’t need a triple shot of espresso just to calm down once I was ready to put it in ‘D’.
Word of warning: Getting a Defender is not something you normally can just go to a dealer lot a buy (depending on where you live). You may want to look around online. Or contact a broker.Or maybe a banker first.
I really did have fun with the one I drove. I love anything that helps me feel more butch.
