Used 2021 Land Rover Defender 110

The Land Rover Defender, a rugged 4-wheel-drive (4WD) utility vehicle, has origins that date back to 1948. The all-new Land Rover Defender maintains that link to the past while being totally modernized to meet 21st-century needs.

Only a handful of vehicles (including the Mercedes G-Wagen, Jeep Wrangler, Ford Bronco, and Toyota 4Runner & Land Cruiser) are built with this much off-road capability in mind. The 2021 Land Rover Defender tackles this task with a rugged unit-body chassis, steel subframes, and independent front and rear suspension. The 2-door Defender 90s, which arrive in January, get a coil-spring suspension, while the 4-door Defender 110s get air suspension. A thoroughly modern electronics suite improves capability both on and off the road.

With its stout unit-body chassis, the Land Rover Defender we sampled, equipped with air suspension, felt soft and comfortable when it needed to, yet firm and controlled on curvy roads. This new Defender is worlds more refined than the appealingly archaic old one.

Air suspension is standard on all 4-door Defender 110 models, and it works in conjunction with Land Rover’s Terrain Response program, which has Normal, Wade, Rock Crawl, Mud and Ruts, Grass/Gravel/Snow, and Sand modes. The system helps the Defender adapt to varying conditions calibrating throttle response, differential behavior, traction control, and ride-height settings. Thus equipped, the Defender proved its durability while treating its occupants to a smooth, controlled ride.

While the Defender isn’t as cushy as its Range Rover sibling, it’s more capable off-road. It climbs seemingly impassable terrain, powers through deep mud bogs (it has a wading depth of 35.4 inches with air suspension), and threads its way up rock-strewn paths with ease. All the while, the 6-cylinder mild-hybrid powertrain displayed the torque needed to pull the roughly 5,000-pound SUV out of sticky situations.

The 2-door 2021 Land Rover Defender 90 has two rows of seats, and it seats five (or six when equipped with the center front jump seat).

The 4-door 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 has two or three rows of seats. With two rows, it can seat five or six (using the center jump seat). With three rows, the Defender 110 has what Land Rover calls “5 + 2” seating. The “+2” folks sit on a 3rd-row jump seat.

In general, the Defender interior looks sparse and simple, almost stripped down. The dashboard, interestingly, employs an exposed structural magnesium bar spanning its width. While some of the plastics underwhelm us, this is a no-nonsense interior that jibes perfectly with the Defender’s rugged mission. Even so, walnut and oak veneers are available, as is Windsor leather.

Cargo room inside the Defender is good. The Defender 90 has 15.6 cubic feet of space behind its second row and 58.3 cubic feet when the back seat is folded. The 5-seat Defender 110 has 34.0 cubic feet behind its 2nd row, or 78.8 cubic feet when the second row is folded. With 5+2-seating, the Defender 110 has 34.6 cubic feet behind its second row, and 69.0 cubic feet with it folded. Behind its 3rd-row jump seat, the Defender 110 has 10.7 cubic feet of storage.

The boxy Defender of yore lots of personality with its sharp edges and an imposing, upright stance. The new one? Not so much. While we can see a visual link between the 2021 Land Rover Defender takes on a softer, more conventional look with narrower shoulders and more flush surfaces. With its new Bronco, Ford has done a better job of recapturing the spirit of a hallowed original.

ClearSight GROUND VIEW
Using strategically positioned cameras, an overhead view of the Defender (and everything beneath it) is stitched together onto the 10-inch touchscreen, offering the ultimate cheat sheet for negotiating tight terrain.

ADVENTURE-READY OPTIONS
A series of optional packages accessorizes the Defender for adventurous duty. Our favorite? The Explorer Pack, which adds wheel-arch protection, a snorkel, a waterproof gearbox, a roof rack, and other off-road goodies that are visually appealing and entirely functional.

Let’s start with the 2-door Defender 90. It comes standard with the turbo 2.0-liter engine, an 8-speed automatic transmission, and full-time all-wheel drive with a dual-range transfer case. In addition to 18-inch wheels, the base Defender 90 comes with a 10-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Sirius satellite radio, and cruise control.

The Defender 90 S ups the with 19-inch wheels and 12-way powered seats, plus cloth/leather upholstery and an Interactive Driver Display. A new Defender S X-Dynamic model gets the mild-hybrid 6-cylinder powertrain, plus illuminated scuff plates and 2-tone seats covered in an extra-durable fabric.

The Defender 90 First Edition gets a fabric roof, a front jump seat, 20-inch wheels, and 400-watt stereo, while the Defender 90 X is highlighted by its leather upholstery, adaptive air suspension, All-Terrain Progress Control, configurable terrain-response program, and an active differential with torque vectoring. This top 2-door Defender 90 also gets active cruise control, walnut interior trim, and a 700-watt stereo with 15 speakers.

The 4-door Defender 110 is similarly equipped. The base 110 is a 4-cylinder model with gloss-white 18-inch steel wheels. It’s equipped with air suspension, 8-way power front seats, LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, a 10-inch touchscreen, and a 3D Surround Camera with ClearSight Groundview. The Defender 110 S adds 19-inch wheels, 12-way power seats, grained leather/textile upholstery, and an Interactive Driver Display, while the Defender 110 SE gets the 6-cylinder powertrain, premium LED headlamps. And a 400-watt Meridian sound system with 11 speakers.

At the X Dynamic SE level, the 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 gets 19-inch wheels, a handful of styling tweaks, and 2-tone seats, while the X Dynamic HSE gets 20-inch wheels, adaptive cruise control, heated and cooled front seats, and a sliding panoramic roof.

The top Defender 110, the Defender 110 X, is highlighted by All-Terrain Progress Control, Configurable Terrain Response, an electronic active differential, and dark gray 20-inch wheels.

Options abound on the 2021 Land Rover Defender, many found in packages.

An Off-Road Package ($1,550) features off-road tires and an active rear differential, while an Advanced Off-Road Capability Package ($750) includes All-Terrain Progress Control, Terrain Response 2, and Configurable Terrain Response. On the Defender 90, this option is available only on models equipped with air suspension.

There’s also a Towing Package ($1,850). In addition to All-Terrain Progress Control, Terrain Response 2, and Configurable Terrain Response, it includes a tow hitch and Advance Tow Assist. Available only models with air suspension.

A Cold Climate Package ($700) comes with a heated windshield and heated washer jets, plus a heated steering wheel and headlight washers. A Family Pack ($2,100, 110 only) comes with manual third-row seats, three-zone climate control, and cabin air ionization. Note, if you want a nifty front refrigerator, it’s part of the Comfort and Convenience Package ($900.) Note: This package, which also includes premium interior lighting and a Meridian sound system, is not available with the front jump seat.

Notable stand-alone options on the 2021 Land Rover Defender 90 and 110 include adaptive cruise control ($1,200), front jump seat ($900), a black contrast roof ($1,000), and a panoramic sunroof ($1,800, but not available on the base model).

The new Land Rover Defender 90 and Defender 110 get a choice of engines: a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder (296 hp, 295 lb-ft of torque) or a turbocharged 6-cylinder mild-hybrid powertrain featuring an electric supercharger and a belt-integrated starter motor that can assist the engine or charge a 48-volt lithium-ion battery (395 hp, 406 lb-ft). Both engines are paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Max tow capacity of the new Defender is 8,201 pounds. That’s for a Defender 90 or a 110 with the 6-cylinder engine. With the 4-cylinder engine, both Defender models have a max tow rating of 7,716 pounds. While other markets get an available diesel powertrain, it’s not for the U.S.

Land Rover says the 4-cylinder Defender 110 hits 60 mph in 7.7 seconds, while the 6-cylinder Defender 110 accomplishes the same feat in only 5.8. The lighter 2-door Defender 90 hits 60 in 7.6 seconds with the 4-cylinder and 5.7 with the inline-6. The 2021 Land Rover Defender 90 tips the scales at 4,550 pounds (4-cylinder) and 4,780 pounds (6-cylinder), while the Defender 110 comes in at 4,815 and 5,035 pounds, respectively.

The Defender 90 has a 23.4-gallon fuel tank. The Defender 110’s is 23.8 gallons.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
296 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
295 lb-ft of torque @ 1,500-4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 18/21 mpg (90), 17/20 mpg (110)

3.0-liter turbocharged (and electric supercharged) inline-6 with mild-hybrid
395 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
406 lb-ft of torque @ 2,000-5,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 17/22 mpg (90), 17/22 (110)