By Ross Ballot
The Land Rover Defender is, unequivocally, one of the kings of the four-wheel-drive world. Built on simplicity and durability, it stands strong against abuse and strain. Its off-road capability is among the best. The Defender became synonymous with the image of a British four-by-four. And now the first all-new model bearing its namesake is nearly here.
Without question, there are concerns. How will it manage trails? Will it be as hard to kill as its predecessor? Is it going to carry the original vehicle’s charm? These are questions for which we do not yet have the answers. But we know two things: the Defender can fly, and it’s going to look great in the upcoming James Bond film.
In the recent advertisement “Unstoppable,” Land Rover takes a fairly minimalistic approach to show off its newest creation. We see numerous examples of the vehicle airborne and flipping over, presumably in a chase, on the set of No Time to Die. While the video doesn’t reveal much about the truck itself, we do get a glimpse of its resistance to folding in on itself when hunting down the British spy.
And I gotta say: the new Defender looks pretty damn good, even getting totally destroyed. I’m very much looking forward to the newest 007 movie… and the new Defender.
Jeff Glucker
So many soccer Mom’s dreaming of using these skills to get better parking spots at Christmas time.
A friend of mine wanted to put an external cage on his Land Cruiser so he could do a barrel roll like that. One of those late night after many beers ideas.
Never did it but he did cut a 100 series wagon into a pickup.
It looks fine, but I still don’t see it as very Defender-like. In embodies my idea of a “Land Rover” much better than does the Evoque, Discovery, or Velar, though.