the Bucket: Bucket Seat: Land Rover Defender 90 V8 Carpathian Edition

When one thinks of Land Rover, the iconic Defender automatically comes to mind for most of us. Capable to withstand the toughest conditions and conquering any terrain making it an explorers dream. The Defender came in various body styles, namely the 3 door, 4 seater, short wheel based 90, the standard 5-door,5 seater 110 and the 5-door, 7-seater, long wheel based 130. All of which shared the same ruggedness and appetite for rough terrain. The latest Defender which was launched 3 years ago did cause some controversy with many thinking it wouldn’t live up to the legendary status of the previous generations but it soon proved the critiques wrong and has enjoyed much success in its stint so far. Having driven the launch edition 110, the Defender has since received some much needed tech upgrades and subtle styling ones too, I was keen to see how it faired to the one I drove 3 years ago. Last month I got to spend a few days with the Defender V8 Carpathian Edition 90 Series in Cape Town and this is what I thought of it.

DESIGN

I was always a fan of the design of the new Defender, while many wanted the boxy body to remain, I think the design team did extremely well in retaining the overall iconic Defender styling but giving it some curves to not only make it more aerodynamic but more appealing to the greater buying market. With the 90 being the short wheel base chassis, it does tend to look odd in pictures but in the metal it’s just as menacing as the 110 but also menacing in its own unique way. I frowned at a lady who said it looked “cute” and so did the car as it let out a ghastly roar thanks to the mighty V8 under the hood but more about that later. As mentioned there has been subtle design enhancements with it getting revised LED headlights some tweaks to the grille and some new paint colours to choose from, this one being the Carpathian Edition came in a combination of Carpathian grey with gloss black. The larger 22-inch wheels were also blacked out to give the car a really menacing appearance to the onlookers. A member of my party described it as the “ultimate doomsday spec” and I can see why. On the inside, the interior keeps that black theme but major differences come with the new infotainment screen on and other tech upgrades which we will talk about later. With it being a “coupe”, the doors are longer than normal so it adds the sporty characteristics to match the V8 under the hood.

PERFORMANCE

As you can tell I couldn’t wait long enough to get to this part of the review. The turbo charged V8, *sigh* I miss it oh so much, that loud grunt as you plant your foot down on the accelerator to meet the floor, summoning all 625Nm of torque to propel forward as it maximises the 368kW it has on demand to reach a 0-100km/h time of just 5.2 seconds! That’s a 3 tonne car achieving a time that’s equivalent to most hot hatches! It’s quite something to experience and while the brute power isn’t something that you would utilise to its maximum potential off road, it’s nice to know it has that for less tricky terrain making it feel almost like a rally car when navigating loose gravel roads. On the road itself the Defender V8 feels like just any ordinary SUV, high ride height which gives the driver a great view of the road and its surrounds, handling is easy and light, the nice thing about this short wheelbase model is how is it is to park, be it parallel or alley docking, of course the help of the 4 cameras is a massive help but all those aids the 90 Series to make you look like a pro every-time you park it. The 5.0L turbocharged V8 engine manufactured by Jaguar/ Land Rover is personally one of the best that I’ve experienced. I’ve had the pleasure of driving it in various models, and it all guises it has been superb. While being fitted in various chassis, the engineers still manage to tune it to each model to get the most out of it. It’s funny when looking at the technical aspects of the engine in the brochure received, when it comes to fuel economy it remains blank, then again when buying a V8 one doesn’t look at this but I can say I averaged about 15L per 100km, from the 90L tank with a mixture of driving. Off road capabilities are endless with the Defender, with it having all-wheel-drive, adaptive suspension, electronic traction control, roll stability control and dynamic stability control, making it super versatile in any condition. I has hill descent control for those steep terrains and hill launch assist should you need to get up over anything. The electronic air suspension works super well, automatically adjusting when it notices a change in terrain. The electronic active differential also does its job without you even noticing which what makes the Defender just as, if not more capable than its predecessors.

COMFORT

The Defender isn’t known to be the most luxurious SUV but credit to the guys at Land Rover, the new Defender borrows a lot from its siblings in the range. From the quality of materials used to the technology that’s fitted in the car it makes the Defender just as good as some of the other models in the line up. The interior still has a lot of robust materials that make the Defender quite versatile to handle its self out in the open. There’s a lot of good quality hard plastics that make up the dash and door panels. The leather while being comfortable is also hardy type which takes a lot for it to get damaged and easily to clean. The design is such that the cabin has plenty of storage space from the cubby to the floating center console with elevated gear selector allowing for loads of space between the driver and passenger. There is a USB A, USB C and power outlet available for the front passenger and driver with USB C ports for the rear passengers. Large cup holders, with an additional storage tray behind that and the arm rest which opens to a cooled compartment which serves as an ideal fridge to keep your beverages chilled. The rear seats can seat 3 adults but its recommended for 2 to sit comfortably, getting to the back is much easier than a normal coupe as with the extra height it aids in this. Dual zone climate control helps keep the cabin cosy and comfortable and the large panoramic sun roof allows natural light to filter in. The car is equipped with built mobile apps, that operate wirelessly which is projected onto the large 11.4-inh touch screen. The car came standard with Meridian Sound System which is great as always, so couldn't fault it on any level.

VERDICT

Overall, the fear of whether his new Defender could hold up the mantle that the old generations have built over the decades is quite clear. It can do all of that and so much more, it was time that the Defender moved into the modern age and this car does it perfectly, while this particular model might be a performance rated one, it still manages to do the hard work with ease. The creature comforts might be a bit much for the avid explorer but who doesn't need aircon when you're flying over dunes in the Sahara? Or keeping your tushy warm while pummeling snow in Greenland? Once the moaners get their ass in this car they won't know what they're missing out on.