land-rover defender Full Overview
There’s usually a feeling out period with a new long-termer while we get to know it, and—I like to think—it gets to know us. But for our long-term 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 P400 SE, it’s gotten no such luxury. It’s been thrown right into the deep end, eating up the miles on-road and off. We’ll get to all of the above in good time, but an unexpected surprise so far is just how practical the Defender has been.
I know, it’s no surprise a full-size SUV is spacious. But I spent a year wedging things around the rollcage of MT’s long-term Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited, so the complete lack of compromise our Defender brings to the table is, well, refreshing. That said, it’s no surprise our Land Rover’s cargo area handles day-to-day and road-trip duties with ease; what is surprising is how well it handles the type of stuff most people purchase a pickup to haul.
It all starts in the cargo area. First, open the massive swing gate—while inferior to a split tailgate design like the discontinued-in-America Toyota Land Cruiser’s, it can thankfully hold itself open in any position—then remove the fabric cargo cover and stash it under the floor, and you’ll find the trunk is coated in durable diamond-plated hard plastic. This plastic looks cheap, but it’s both hard-wearing and easy to clean. So far it has held up well to hauling cinder blocks, wood, dirt, and dogs while still looking good as new.
Things get even better when you drop the 60/40 split-folding rear seat. The rear seat backs are covered in the same plastic as the cargo area, and with the rear seats down and our Defender’s optional middle front seat raised to create a bench (usually with a pup riding in the middle, to help complete the picture for you), the Land Rover rivals a regular-cab pickup in practicality. The total length from the back of the front seats to the swing gate is 6 feet, and thanks to the enclosed area, the Defender 110 has 78.8 cubic feet of cargo volume.
“Aha!” you’re thinking, “But how’re you gonna haul sheets of plywood or something like a mattress?” Easy. The roof. The Expedition Roof Rack on the Defender 110 is rated to handle a dynamic load of 370 pounds, which is about 8 sheets of 4-foot-by-8-foot plywood. Although the optional Deployable Roof Ladder (currently sitting in a box in my garage waiting to be installed) would make loading the roof rack easier, the air suspension did a lot of the lifting for me. From the front seats, drop the Defender down into its Access height setting (8.6 inches of ground clearance), then walk around to the back and pop open the swing gate. You can lower (or raise) the suspension even more, further reducing the height. The only pinch point is ratchet-strapping the load down; without tie-downs, you need to use soft loops to secure your load, which sometimes requires a limberness I don’t possess.
So far I haven’t found a job our Defender 110 can’t handle, but with a busy few months ahead, I’ll report back if I find otherwise.
Looks good! More details?
Keyword: Land Rover Defender 110: Who Needs a Pickup With This Two-Row Six-Seater?