Hooniversal Opinion: 2019 Land Rover Defender
Figures are healthy at 395 hp and 406 lb-ft., drastically more than any factory Defender has seen before. A 296 hp turbo-4 will also be available, but Europe鈥檚 diesels aren鈥檛 available for the US at launch. The transmission is the well-received ZF 8-speed and sadly the manual option is no longer. And, of course, it鈥檚 a serious off-roader. The 90 has 11.5鈥?of ground clearance, a 31-degree breakover angle, and 38 and 40-degree approach and departure angles, respectively. It鈥檚 going to be a serious wheeling machine. As it should be. So, what do the collective group of Hooniverse writers think of the all-new Defender? Yes. Yes, yes, yes. I love it. This is far and beyond the most excited I鈥檝e been about a new vehicle since the JL Rubicon and ND Miata debuted. It鈥檚 retro but not in a cheesy way. Will it be beaten on the way the original was? Unlikely. But it鈥檚 an honest, true Wrangler competitor in purpose, execution, and off-road prowess and I love how it looks. The design could have gone so wrong, but Land Rover has done well upon the Defender nameplate. Will it steal sales from the Wrangler?
We can hear that the new SUV could bring 5G network connectivity and more voice commands. We will see if the JLR is going to add some self-driving functions. Current Discovery offers both petrol and diesel engines. Hybrid and possibly plug-in or all-electric unit could join the lineup. Further options include four and six-cylinder drivetrains, rear- and all-wheel drive. There are four engines in the lineup and all of them are turbocharged. The base model is getting power from a 2.0-liter petrol engine with 300 hp. With it, the SUV can sprint to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds. Max speed is 125 mph. A larger petrol engine is a 3.0 displacement that adds 40 hp. With it, SUV increases the top speed to 133 mph and takes 7 seconds for 0-60 mph. Diesel engines are the same displacements. Of course, these units create less power, but more torque. From a 2.0 diesel engine, we can squeeze 240 hp. 3 mph) but needs more time to get to 60 mph (1 second). A 3.0-liter displacement can be either turbo- or supercharged.
After all, Land Rover does know a thing or two about this sort of thing. Of course, there was an obligatory off-road section on the drive. There is one complaint to lodge, and that's with the LR2's steering. It's completely devoid of feel or feedback to the point that asking if it's actually connected to the steering rack doesn't seem unreasonable. For suburban duty, it's not a big deal, but the lack of feedback increases the sketchiness factor of an off-road expedition by a not-insignificant amount. Overall, Land Rover has done enough to keep the LR2 putting along in an increasingly crowded segment until an all-new model is ready, without making its price-leading offering substantially more expensive. 700 more than the 2012 - and still noticeably cheaper than a BMW X3. Its styling may be starting to get stale, but anyone that's looking for a luxury compact SUV that needs to go to places few other than a Land Rover can will find the 2013 LR2 to be a suitable companion.
First there was the concept, then the public debut (where Victoria Beckham made an appearance), and now finally (after a wait that felt as if Christmas had been postponed), the real thing is here. The Evoque is crucial because it will be the most accessible Range Rover ever sold. It鈥檚 a crucial distinction: the Evoque is cheaper than the Discovery, but that wears the Land Rover tag. The Evoque is a car for those who can鈥檛 yet afford a full-house Range Rover but want its status and prestige. It all begins with the outside appearance of course, which by any standards is eye-catching. The fact that the Evoque looks like a concept car that has driven straight off the show stand shows how brave the company has been. It has clear brand identifiers such as the clamshell bonnet and twin-bar grille, but the overall shape is much more radical and has a street-toughness about it that mixes with the luxury feel.
