Daktari Safari Reveals A Beast

The Age

Wednesday March 5, 2008

Andrew Heasley

LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110

The price From $48,990. Seven-seat option adds $2000.

Vital statistics 2.4-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel (90 kW/360 Nm), six-speed manual, full-time 4WD with low-range gears.

WHY WE'RE DRIVING IT

This is our first drive of the revamped Defender, an evergreen safari 4WD that's been updated with a long list of mechanical and ergonomic improvements. For starters there's common-rail diesel injection under the bonnet that puts out 20% more torque over the TD5, allied to a new six-speed manual. A new dash contains instrumentation from the Discovery 3 and houses improved heating and air-conditioning and better storage for knick-knacks.

LIKES

Getting behind the wheel is like driving a bus: upright seating, expansive view over the traffic and a certain smugness that comes from knowing you're driving something that's almost a museum piece - you can trace the car's lineage to 1948. Stop wrestling the car and it will start responding kindly, with a Puffing Billy chug and a form of automotive procession best described as trundling (0-100 km/h takes 15.8 seconds). Passers-by tend to ogle at it, recognising it as a cross between a Lara Croft-mobile and something from Daktari. Its shiny black paint job and exposed panel rivets say "purposeful". And it feels unbreakable. The cargo area is big enough for a couple of lions, while the ride is pretty good and the brakes strong.

DISLIKES

Again, it's like driving a bus. First gear is so short, it's best to get the vehicle rolling and then a quick slap into second. Cornering requires some brave pills. The steering wheel feels only vaguely connected to the front wheels, with lots of dead play. Its turning circle is truly abysmal. No right-elbow room - you sit squeezed up against the door.

WOULD I BUY ONE?

Strangely, for a city slicker, I felt an affinity with this agricultural beast. It has an honest charm, picked up by everyone who rode in it. Perhaps in this age of imitation, it's refreshing to sample something truly authentic. I'd wait to buy one second-hand (one that hasn't been bashed off-road) and let someone else take the depreciation hit. Then you can chug around the 'burbs looking like an African gamekeeper on vacation. -- ANDREW HEASLEY

© 2008 The Age

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