Wanna ride shotgun with the GRM crew?
Welcome to this week’s test vehicle, a 2024 Land Rover Defender 130 Outbound, "the ultimate combination of capability and comfort. Go further and explore more with space for resting, sleeping and smart storage." So, essentially, the one to buy if you are into overlanding or spending the night in the Walmart parking lot.
This four-door …
Even though I'd probably only use a fraction of a Land Rover's off-road capabilities, it'd still be fun to feel like I could conquer any road.
You get the weirdest press fleet vehicles.
Initial impressions: Despite the knobby-ish tires, it’s much quieter than expected. There’s a little bit of road hum but not much wind noise at all.
An hour behind the wheel? We’re just getting warmed up.
Perhaps a gauge to the interest in this one: While heading out to show it to our neighbors–they asked if they could stop by and see it–another neighbor stopped to see it.
All own 4x4 vehicles.
Keith Tanner said:You get the weirdest press fleet vehicles.
Makes it fun. :)
Currently editing yet another track tire test–OMG, I said too much–but back in a bit with more impressions.
The wheel to tire ratio looks off for serious off-roading. That and slopping through the mud and bouncing off rocks with $95k just isn't going to happen unless the knucklehead on WhistlinDiesel decides to destroy one.
In reply to Toyman! :
Serious offroaders are going to change the tires anyhow.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
True, but I would rather see more sidewall on an off road 32" tire. Going down a wheel size may not be possible because the front brakes look huge. Going up in tire diameter may mean getting out the body saw.
Then again, I'm not the person who this is marketed toward.
I wonder if they borrowed a designer from Ford.
whats the odd wart coming out of the pass side of the rover?
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :
In reply to David S. Wallens :
thank you.
Here’s the thing regarding that carrier as well as the ladder on the other side: I don’t hear any whistling at highway speeds.
I look at that and just think of the multiple vehicles I could own for it's insane sticker price.
I'm kind of interested in a Defender 110 if I can save enough pennies. I do a bit of off-roading and camping with my wife. A Bronco would be ideal except it has a very poor tow rating and I'd like to use this vehicle to pull my enclosed trailer and a car (about 7500lb).
Weirdly, a Defender fits the bill.
I was cruising next to one of the two doors on i5 the other day and the proportions seem like a pretty damn good continuation of the OG defender.
JG and I were just discussing this: Who is this for?
I think it’s for people who live in my neighborhood. They want something that says “off road” while still being new, comfortable and rather upmarket. (While we were chatting about that very fact in the driveway, oddly, a Land Rover drove by.)
The Defender has presence. Is it the best value or the most capable off-road vehicle? The market will decide. I found it to be surprisingly quiet and comfortable yet had a few eccentricities–more on that in a few.
Whether you like it or not, at the end of the day, is it a bit of a fashion accessory?
When a new vehicle–especially an upmarket SUV–has a cargo hold cover, usually it pulls into place–like a window shade.
On the Defender, you kind of assemble it yourself–like living with a ’50s British sports car.
It’s raining and you need to unlock the door so your passenger can get it–and they’re looking grumpier by the minute.
Quick, where’s the door lock button?
Down behind your left knee.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
So-called "soft roading" is definitely huge right now. I think an SUV like this Defender fits in that niche perfectly. Think of it as the kind of vehicle people buy not to conquer Moab, but rather drive a few miles on something that isn't pavement and spend a few nights in Joshua Tree.
Soft roading seemed to have caught on around the pandemic, when everyone suddenly wanted to live off the grid. I think it's peaked (see also: Subaru Wilderness, Ford Timberline and Honda Trailsport trims), but I expect to see more vehicles fitting this niche in the near future.
Speaking of your passenger, when they get out, the heated seats don’t turn off–even after you turn the car off and back on.
I'm waiting for one of this to show up on one of the OBX shame pages, buried in the sand up to the rockers.
I usually don’t mind the auto start/stop feature. I get it, it saves fuel.
Here, though, the engine doesn’t restart until you press on the gas. The setups that restart the engine when you come off the brake seem more natural to me.
Do we like the exposed fasteners on the door panels?
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