LAND ROVER COMMERCIAL DEFENDER

Commercial Success

FIRST DRIVE in Land Rover’s commercial spec. Defender Hard Top

It seems like a lifetime ago since a commercial variant of a Land Rover Defender was available, and back then it was competing in a much healthier sector. But now they’re back, albeit to a slimmed down market.

Putting pickups aside, commercial versions of the larger 4x4s like the Mitsubishi Outlander and Shogun Sport will soon be gone, which will leave a hole in the market. The mighty Land Cruiser 150 is still available as a commercial, but some would say that at around 13 year old it’s showing its age - others will argue that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

Then of course, putting the cat amongst the pigeons, we have the INEOS Grenadier that's due out either later this year or early next. With the sector in disarray, this is arguably the ideal time for Land Rover to seize the opportunity with their commercial. Defender

My mission, if I chose to accept it, was to depart from Gaydon, Warwickshire, and deliver potatoes to the family-run Chase Distillery in Hereford ready for the fermentation of their homegrown Gin. Then drive back again using each one of the new commercial vehicles - Defender 90, 110, and Discovery.

The route, I was informed, 'may' feature an off-road short cut, and upon arrival at the distillery I would have to ‘endure’ lunch, and a short tour of the artisan process of Gin distilling, before returning to Gaydon.

It would be an arduous and challenging proposition. Would I be up to the task?

I think so.

My first steed was the coil-sprung Defender 90 resplendent in the best colour combo - Tasman blue with a white ‘hardtop’, reminiscent of Series Land Rovers and Defenders of old.

With numerous bags of spuds thrown in the back and the long road route set in the sat-nav, I set off via the winding Herefordshire A roads towards Eastnor Castle.

The commercial 90 is only available with Land Rover’s D200 six-cylinder engine that’s been tuned to develop 200hp and 500Nm, which feels plenty.

On the road it made mincemeat of overtaking slower vehicles, and the ride quality was excellent with pitching being non-existent. Upon reaching Eastnor Castle, we stopped for a short break before swapping vehicles and heading off onto the off-road route.

For this my vehicle was the Defender 110 D250. Despite the tracks being wet and sloppy, they didn’t challenge the 110. Land Rover’s Terrain Response system is standard on both models and the wading depth remains an impressive 900mm.

In the UK, 110 buyers get the choice of two engines, either the D250 (250bhp and 570Nm) or D300 (300hp and650Nm), I had the former. Also, whereas 90 is limited to fabric seats and rubber flooring, the 110 has three specs available: S, SE and HSE and with that comes a huge selection of options for interior, exterior and wheels.

The roads from Eastnor to the distillery were a little busier, so I didn’t get the opportunity to test the extra umph from the D250, but being the 110 it was a little comfier due to the extra length, and air suspension.

Of course, the names 90 and 110 are misnomers as their wheelbases are 102” and 119”and respectively.

When it comes to payload and carrying capacity, the 90 can carry a payload of up to 670kg and has a total load space of 1,355 litres. The 110 on the other hand can carry up to 800kg in a 2,059 litre load space.

As for towing, both are rated at 3.5t towing capacity.

Both the 90 and 110 are full of handy cubby holes and such, both have a 58 litre compartment at the rear, and the 110 has a further 155 litre space in what would be the footwells for the rear passengers. There’s also an abundance of useful fitments including hooks, stowage nets and lashing points.

Up front the cabin is huge, the new Defender is a wide vehicle, and from the drivers seat you’d struggle to reach the passenger door.

Both commercial models have a fixed bulkhead and full-height partition behind the front seats to separate drivers from their cargo.

If you’re concerned about it impeaching on front cabin space, don’t be, there’s loads of leg room for the driver.

Commercials come with two seats as standard, but you can spec a third central jump seat which is a handy extra and can be folded down to form a good sized armrest with cupholders.

Quite honestly, after a day of driving both the 90 and 110 around Herefordshire I had no complaints. Both are easy vehicles to drive and handled themselves impeccably, and in almost luxury comfort. The eight-speed automatic transmission with a twin-speed transfer box offered a smooth torque delivery, but do be aware that being commercials you have to keep at lower speeds, which can be a nuisance.

The 90 starts from £36,896 and the 110 from £43,771, both before VAT. Start a ticking frenzy on the options list and you could well end up spending an eye watering fortune, so be careful!