The 2023 Land Rover Defender was designed to be what seems like a contemporary riff on the legendary offroader and is every bit as capable.
True, its design lacks the archaic attributes of its predecessor, which developed as a result of a lack of budget rather than from any grand product scheme. And, as a result, some Defender aficionados might view the new model as little more than a low-res cartoon of what’s come before.
But to damn the new Defender so offhandedly is to ignore its very real capability, whether you opt for the two-door 90 or four-door 110. But now comes an even bigger variant, the 130, boasting a cul-de-sac friendly three rows of seats. But the question remains, can the Defender still be a backwoods baller once it’s stretched to accommodate rugrats?
