Land Rover's new Defender: Contender or pretender? Opinions differ

Few people get the opportunity to relaunch an iconic vehicle brand anywhere in the world, but bringing the reborn Land Rover Defender to Canada sets up Jaguar Land Rover Canada for a string of conquest sales in the luxury off-road segment, says company President Wolfgang Hoffmann. 

“The biggest news for us is that the Land Rover story is now complete. Now we have the third family, which is Defender,” Hoffmann said.

Each family is distinctive, according to Hoffmann. 

“You have the refined aspect on the Range Rover side. You have the versatility in the Discovery family with the seven-seat configuration, and then the Defender is the capable and durable side, the ruggedness, that goes back to our roots,” he said. “You don’t have many moments in a career when you can launch an icon again.” 

Hoffmann would not disclose sales expectations for the 2020 Defender, which goes on sale in the spring, but “it will be a significant volume within our portfolio.”

CONQUEST BRAND 

Given the Defender’s distinct character, Hoffmann doesn’t expect it will siphon off sales of other Land Rover products. 

“We are a strong conquest brand and always have been. Might some customers come in who might have bought a Discovery and now buy a Defender? It could be, but I think the numbers will be small because the needs and mindsets are different.” 

The second coming of the Land Rover Defender in Canada is likely to have more staying power than the first. 

The 2020 model is the long-awaited successor to the previous incarnation of Land Rover’s iconic off-roader, a direct descendant of the 1948 original Land Rover that in turn was inspired by the Second World War Willys Jeep. The Defender is to Land Rover as today’s Wrangler is to Jeep. 

Production of the previous Defender ended in 2016, but the model was last sold in Canada in the mid-1990s. 

By the end, recalls Land Rover enthusiast Kevin Corrigan, “the last ones were heavily discounted to get rid of them, but once you couldn’t get them they suddenly jumped in demand. 

“Within two years, people were selling their two-year-old Defenders for $20,000 more than they paid for them.” 

A recent search for used models in Canada on autotrader.ca produced 65 for sale. The asking price for many of them was $60,000 or more. 

The reborn Defender taps into a trend that rejects the increasing domestication of utility vehicles. Automakers add off-road packages and field more rugged alternatives to their mainstream offerings. 

That said, while exceptional off-road chops are a given, the new Defender is a far cry from its crude, body-on frame, solid-axled predecessors. The 2020 model has an independent suspension, aluminum unibody and a leather-rich interior with a 10-inch touch screen and all expected modern conveniences and driver aids. 

That might be too much of a good thing for some Defender devotees. 

“It’s nice, but not a Defender,” said Graham Prentice, who has personally imported many Defenders from Europe. “It’s posh. It may be off-road capable, but it’s not a Defender.” 

OVERQUALIFIED COMMUTER 

John Bardwell, subject-matter expert with Bond Brand Loyalty, is also skeptical. 

“Defender has finally joined the long list of 20th-century specialty tools becoming 21st-century fashion flaunts. These mechanical objects, once reserved for those affluent enough to require their unique abilities, are now simply design statements.” 

Recalling iconic images of Queen Elizabeth’s roaming the rugged hills of her Balmoral Estate in the old Defender, Bardwell contrasts that with today’s “Toronto stockbroker making the ungodly trek from a Rosedale day care to a Collingwood chalet. For me, that tells the whole tale.” 

The 2020 model has a 296-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine or an optional 395 horsepower 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder with electric assist. Pricing in Canada starts at $65,300 for the five-door 110 but can easily be optioned and accessorized to almost double that sum. 

“We will have a lot of packages right from the get-go,” said Hoffmann. “Research shows that in that segment, specifically, customers want to individualize.” 

The shorter-wheelbase two-door Defender 90 will follow later in 2020. Prices for it have not been announced. 

As a (potentially) extreme off-roader, the Defender has few obvious rivals. The Jeep Wrangler is less expensive and, given brand loyalty, cross-shopping is unlikely. The Mercedes-Benz G class is also derived from a military vehicle and recently underwent a full-model-change modernization, but it starts at $134,800. 

“In the premium segment, we are the most attainable pure, rugged SUV,” said Hoffmann. 

Eighty per cent of conquest sales are expected to come from other premium brands, predominantly Mercedes Benz and Audi, Hoffmann said. 

Almost by definition, Defender will have a very high conquest rate “because we don’t have a predecessor to draw on a large number of former customers.”