Iconic, legendary, and highly capable are all terms that describe the current Land Rover Defender. If you can swing the price tag and aren’t a long-term owner, this is an excellent machine.

The Land Rover Defender is a beautiful, well-done sport utility. It’s perhaps not the most obvious choice in the two- or three-row luxury segments, but its iconic looks and underrated off-road capabilities are great. There are a lot of options competing against the Defender, though, so we won’t say it’s the best choice for everyone.

We are big fans of the simplified handling, smooth drive quality, and plug-and-play off-road capabilities of the Defender. Especially with the added differential and air ride suspension on our test model. Both options we discuss below as almost mandatory for this rig.

As an everyday driver and a family hauler, the Land Rover Defender also does very well. Especially against its more off-pavement-oriented competitors.

With over four decades of doling out trusted automotive advice and extensive vehicle knowledge, both behind the wheel and under the hood, Car Talk's founder and original Tappet Brother Ray Magliozzi shares his first-hand experience test driving the Land Rover Defender.

The legendary G Wagen has the Hollywood advantage over the Land Rover Defender and is more capable off-road. The Defender is much smoother on the road and is just as luxurious, however, and is no slouch off the pavement. So this one will come down to price tag and persona desired.

Close competitors, the newly-redesigned Lexus LX is a strong option against the Defender. Priced similarly and with similar off-road capabilities, the choice between them will largely come down to preference. The Land Rover is decidedly British and that has its appeal.

Pricing for the Defender starts at about $58,000, but most buyers will be nearer to $70,000 to get into the more popular 110 or 130 models.

The table below shows the most common trim levels and how much they will run you.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender sees two new appearance package options being added plus a V8 engine option for the Defender 110 and 130 models. Several features that were optional before are now standard on most trim levels.

The new Outbound trim for the Defender debuts for the 130 model. It removes the third row in favor of more cargo room. It also swaps out the base engine for the new P500 V8 engine. Synthetic leather upholstery, and Outbound-unique exterior accents and paints are also a part of this new offering.

The new County Exterior cosmetic option for the Defender is available on several trim models for the SUV. This nostalgic package replaces the wheels with alloys that appear to be steel, striping and color options from Land Rover’s heritage, and a two-tone paint option (white or black roof) to further the yesteryear persona.

A new V8 engine debuts as the P500, a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 outputting 493 horsepower. This is not a new engine in itself, but a detuned version of the supercharged V8 found in the P525 model Defender.

The Land Rover Defender comes in three body styles (90, 110, and 130). The 90 is a two-door version with seating for five and engine options ranging from the base model turbo-four to the supercharged V8. The 110 and 130 models are four-door designs with a third row option. These can be powered by the turbocharged-four (110) or a turbocharged six-cylinder (130). Options for the new V8 engine and the powerful supercharged V8 are also in the offing for the 110. The 130 can have the new V8, but not the supercharged upgrade.

Options are a big selling point for the Land Rover Defender. Beyond its three body styles, it’s also full of engine, equipment, and trim level choices. This can get confusing fast. Our test model was a Defender 130 P300 with several optional add-ons. This bumped the price tag in a big way, but it remained a sub-$70,000 rig. And it drove very well, even without the throaty V8 options available for the Defender.

On-road comfort and smoothness is an unusual thing in off-road-centric SUVs, but the Defender had plenty of it. It’s one of the most comfortable SUVs we’ve driven recently, in fact, especially when its “turn off the pavement and just keep going” nature was tested.

Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have published test results for the Land Rover Defender as of this writing. The EuroNCAP, which crash tests vehicles for European Union requirements, has given the Land Rover Defender a top 5-star rating.

Using those European results, on tests that are similar to what the NHTSA conducts here, we’d say that the Land Rover Defender is a safe vehicle.

Land Rover has not recovered from its 80s and 90s reputation for terrible reliability. Today’s Rovers are better than that, but still only about average for the overall market. A new Land Rover Defender purchased under warranty will likely return good reliability, but that may not be the case after the four years are up.

Unless the performance (and fuel use) of a powerful V8 is a requirement for you, the turbocharged six-cylinder engine is more than enough for the Land Rover Defender. The turbo-four has similar output, but is only found on the smaller 90 model, so that is also a solid choice with this SUV. Going beyond the base S package isn’t really necessary, but the SE trim offers some substantial upgrades, especially for those going off-road or wanting a much smoother on-road experience.

The SE trim includes 20-inch wheels, an active differential, adaptive air suspension, more off-pavement drive modes, and a 15-speaker sound system from Meridian. All worth getting, we think.

Land Rover’s basic warranties are about average for the segment. Of note, though, is the lengthy roadside assistance / towing warranty also included.

• Basic: 4 years / 50k miles
• PowerTrain: 4 years / 50k miles
• Emissions systems: 8 years / 80k miles
• Roadside assistance: 4 years / 50k miles
• If buying used look at our best extended warranties

There are a few lease trade-ins for the Defender available on lots. We’d suggest ensuring an extended warranty if you buy used, as Land Rover does not have a reputation for long-term reliability.

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