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Land Rover Defender 3.0 P300 HSE 130 5dr Auto Review

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3.0 P300

Land Rover is synonymous with SUVs, and especially with the Defender – the rugged runabout that has seen service in war zones across the world, but also as part of the Queen’s personal garage.

If off-road prowess is one of Land Rover’s core values, though, the other is luxury. Indeed, the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar are among the best luxury SUVs you can buy.

The Discovery, meanwhile, is a practical rival for the Audi Q7 and BMW X5, while the stylish Evoque (which is available as a three-door convertible as well as a traditional SUV) goes head to head with Audi’s Q3 and BMW’s X1.

In the coming years, we’ll see a new road-biased ‘Road Rover’ as well as an all-new Defender.

LAND ROVER

DEFENDER

Defender HSE is only slightly more expensive than X-Dynamic SE but adds 14-way electronically adjustable seats with memory function, heating and cooling, adaptive cruise control, panoramic roof and electronic steering wheel adjustment.

3.0 P300 HSE 130 5dr Auto

30-p300-hse-130-5dr-auto

Traffic sign recognition with adaptive speed limiter

Front airbags with passenger seat occupant detector

Electric heated/power fold door mirrors with approach lights and auto dimming driver side

Electric windows with one touch open/close and anti-trap

Advanced Off road capability pack - Defender/S/SE/HSE 110

Comfort and convenience Pack - Defender X

Off Road Pack - Defender S/SE/HSE/Dynamic S

Land Rover Defender

The Land Rover Defender is a rugged SUV that fuses fantastic off-road ability (especially if you add the optional locking rear differential) with decent on-road manners. If that's the blend of abilities you're after, it's effectively in a class of one, but the Jeep Wrangler is even better in the rough stuff, while premium SUVs, including the Audi Q5 and Q7, are more comfortable. With its bigger boot, the Defender 110 will make the most sense for many, but the 90 is usefully more compact and better off road.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of space for all passengers</li> <li>Large boot with lots of clever storage solutions</li> <li>Good fuel economy and running costs</li> <li>All-round comfort</li> <li>High-quality interior finish</li></ul>

We define a large SUV as anything longer than 4.5 metres. These cars aren’t usually particularly cheap to buy or lease, so in return we expect a roomy cabin, a lengthy list of standard equipment and excellent cruising refinement. A few models in this class are two-wheel drive, but the vast majority have four-wheel drive for at least a modicum of off-road ability.

The Mazda CX-5 is firmly road-focused, but its 2.0-litre petrol engine is a strong, refined performer, making it looks good value for less than&nbsp;£25k. If you can stretch the budget a fair bit, the Audi Q5 provides a combination of comfort, driving prowess, quality and space that's hard to beat. Unlike some rivals, it can't be had with seven seats, though.

A more affordable, yet well-equipped alternative is the Peugeot 5008. It’s more than capable of coping with family life&nbsp;– and all versions have seven seats as standard.&nbsp;

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Land Rover Defender 3.0 P300 HSE 130 5dr Auto Review

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