Land Rover Defender launched in India at Rs 73.98 lakh

Land Rover has launched the Defender in India starting at Rs 73.98 lakh. The SUV icon will be available in a three-door and a five-door guise. However, to begin with, only the bigger five-door dubbed ‘110’ will be on offer which starts from Rs 79.94 lakh. The three-door ‘90’ version will be on sale in the first of 2021.

Design is arguably the highlight of the Defender, and with the latest one, Land Rover has outdone themselves. It can be recognised as a Defender from miles away and yet, everything about it is modern and ready for the future.

The LED DRLs with the option of LED MATRIX headlamps carry forward that round shape but in a box layout. Over to the side, the chunky 20-inch wheels on the First Edition model look proportional, but the sheer dimensions are what take you by surprise. Length measuring at 5018mm, width at 2105mm and height at a towering 1967mm. From the rear, the new Defender has the cues and tribute elements of the iconic last-gen model. The LED taillamps and massive spare wheel mounted at the rear give it that cult, hardcore off-roader design. 

Powering the Defender is a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine churning out 296hp and 400Nm of torque mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. It also has a hoard of off-road features, and you get plenty of luxury as well.

Even though it is a raw and focussed off-road SUV, the price is justified. The interior has a healthy dose of leather, and everything feels solid and built-to-last. The 12.3-inch instrument cluster is crisp and is highly customisable. Then you have the 10-inch PIVI Pro infotainment system which is a world in itself. There is so much on offer like you off-road data, water wading depth, 360-degree camera with individual angles and a lot more. You also have a host of charging point upfront with a USB type C, two USB-A ports and a standard charging socket.

What is also customisable is the seating layout. As standard, the Defender in its 110 guise is a 5+2 seater, but at the front, you can do away with the centre console panel and add a jump seat as well making the front a place for three. At the back, there is acres of room thanks to the wheelbase which measures at 3022mm. Also, due to the massive ground clearance, there is no transmission tunnel eating away the middle-passenger legroom. Of course, you also get a panoramic sunroof, but again, a nice touch is the inclusion of the alpine windows that were an iconic highlight on the older Defenders. Here too, you have a staggering six points to charge your devices.—one behind each front seat and four ports on the centre console. The third row, however, is best for kids and even better if you sue it as a luggage bay. Access to these seats is difficult, and once you do manage to squeeze yourself inside, there is barely enough room. You do, however, get plenty of charging ports and AC blowers.

Available in five variants of both the 90 and 110, there are quite a few options to choose from. There are also a total of four accessory packs on offer that will allow you to customise the Defender to suit your taste. The 90, which is the three-door, is priced between Rs 73.98 lakh to Rs 84.63 lakh and the higher 110 costs between Rs 79.94 lakh to Rs 90.46 lakh. The variant-wise breakup is as follows: