Richard Hammond puts the new Land Rover Defender to the test

Replacing the Land Rover Defender was always going to be a daunting job - everyone knew that. And, leaving aside a few dissenting voices (mainly the most devoted fans of the original), the broad consensus is that the new Defender is an excellent vehicle. Even so, this modern reincarnation can’t escape the same question: is it a worthy successor to the original?

In a slightly different kind of review for DriveTribe, Richard Hammond from The Grand Tour sets out to tackle that very dilemma.

A different kind of Land Rover Defender test

In the video, we see him doing something decidedly unglamorous: taking his dog for a walk. Along the way, we get to know the new Defender he’s driving a little better. Hammond also introduces his own Land Rover Series I - effectively the forefather of every Land Rover that followed - and the direct ancestor in the Defender’s family line.

That Series I, he explains, appears to be in the middle of a restoration that has been dragging on for 10 years - which you wouldn’t guess from the way it looks…

“This is the best Discovery they’ve ever made”

As he digs into the new Defender, Hammond also takes a detour back in time to explain why the original Land Rover (the Series I) existed in the first place. And the inevitable conclusion is that the new Defender could never have been a like-for-like continuation of its predecessor.

The world the original Land Rover was built for is nothing like the one we live in today, and Hammond draws a number of comparisons between then and now. For instance, the Defender is no longer aimed at a farmer needing a tool for work on the land. And a machine as brutally utilitarian as the Series I simply wouldn’t be acceptable (or even viable) in the modern era. As he points out, that role has long since been taken over by capable pick-ups.

From farm work to leisure: how the Defender evolved

So the Defender had to reinvent itself and move with the times. The off-road ability is still there, but it’s more likely to be used for recreation than for hard-edged utility.

In other words, the no-frills, workhorse mindset has been replaced by comfort, refinement and everyday flexibility - and it also seems rather less welcoming to our best friend, because muddy paws will make a mess of the very light leather on the seats in this luxurious version.

Back to the original question: is the new Defender a worthy heir to the legacy? Taking the new model’s features and strengths into account, Richard Hammond is blunt - and tells Land Rover: “the new Defender is the best… Discovery they’ve ever made”. Do you agree?

Well… the only thing missing from this “test” of the new Defender was some proper off-road action. Mr Hammond didn’t provide it, but we’re here to fill that gap. Here’s Guilherme with the new Land Rover Defender, off-road at Quinta do Conde:

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