What is it?
Torque is cheap, or so they say. At least, I think that’s what they’re saying. Anyway, it’s not true in the case of the Land Rover Defender’s new Ingenium D300 six-cylinder diesel engine, which puts out a healthy 479lb ft of the stuff, but asks for at least £61,955 of your hard-earned in return.
For that money, you get a 3.0-litre motor that kicks out 296bhp, making it the most powerful diesel engine in the Land Rover Defender line-up. There's a loopy supercharged V8 on the way, which brings roughly a 40% increase in both potency and price, which knocks this (and the more potent P400 petrol unit) out of the park, but the performance stats are still promising here. We’ve tried the Ingenium diesel six, which replaces the Defender’s short-lived four-cylinder diesel options, in mid-rung 250 guise already and been impressed by its accessible power delivery and punchiness.
That was in the shorter-wheelbase Defender 90, but now it’s time to find out how the most powerful version of this engine copes with the larger 110.
Our SE-trim test car put on quite a show with its LED headlights, keyless entry, 12-way electrically adjustable front seats, top-link Meridian sound system and grained leather seats, and - much to the delight of passengers and driver alike - also got Land Rover’s much-acclaimed digital rear-view mirror and Ground View transparent bonnet trickery.
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Typical pro JLR bias from autocar, If this had an Isuzu badge you would rip it to shreds for being mediocre and overpriced . This car is in no mans land in terms of marketability, its too expensive to be a raw utilitarian car like its predecessor and it does not have the prestige and reliability of its competitors Who will buy these? no way the Moscow status symbol G-Class diesel buyers will look at this. Highly unlikely the UN/NGO and middle east buyers will choose this over the bullet proof Toyota Landcruiser. No one in the USA will buy this as they already avoid unreliable JLR products like the plague So the only people who buy these are tax dodging rich English farmers who run it off red diesel and write the value off as a business expense? Long story short, I cannot see this car as being a big seller for in the red JLR
Rather than reviewing the car which is largely predictable - a review of a purchaser would be more interesting.
Obviously the vehicle is compromised some what by cost, emissions (tax?) and fuel economy. So finding real life buyers and interviewing about their expectations, how the vehicle specifically meets their needs despite its issues, what they will do with it and so on would be genuinely fascinating.