Wednesday lunchtime I had a very quick test drive in the Gangsta Edition New Defender D200 110 SE with the least powerful Diesel engine, which isn’t the best in the range. It is vocal and slightly struggles to haul the weight of the 110 away from standstill but once rolling and up in second gear it quietens down significantly and is impressively smooth with imperceptible gear changes even if it isn’t that fast. It isn’t a frugal motor either - claimed mpg is 31........ I would imagine real world driving will struggle to the mid 20’s......... and this version will probably get burned up away from the lights by grannies in Kia Picantos it’s acceleration is that tardy! I was also a bit surprised how firm the air suspension is compared to RRS and FFRR, it feels like the car is coil sprung but all 110s come on air springs- it isn’t uncomfortable in the least just firmer than I expected. Steering weight is excellent though for an electric system, plenty of feel and just the right amount of lightness.
The interior is beautiful even in lower spec cars - it is so wide that it is almost impossible to rest the drivers right arm on the door casing, it is a stretch and no more Old Defender dead arm from driving with the window down. There’s no Range Rover left arm arm rest but the Centre cubby box lid is ideally positioned to rest the left elbow on it and drive Range Rover style! The half leather seats are very comfy and the interior designer has managed to put the fabric bits where you won’t get your thighs burned if the car has sat out in the sun all day which is nice. One oddity in the demo car was its Ebony seat facings
and trim but a brilliant white headliner (that is standard, but Ebony is NCO) I would have picked Ebony to go with the rest of the black on the car.




So after a 15 minute test drive I wasn’t going to go for a D200, I chatted to the salesman and asked what their group stocks are and have gone for a Pangea Green 1st Edition 110 D240 with tow pack, e-diff, top spec security pack and tow assist pack.
Delivery from their network stock is in two weeks time - week starting 15 June. I wanted Gondwana Stone but Pentland / John Clark Group don’t have any 1st Editions in their holding yard and non nationally with the options I want so it would be a factory order and the silver 1st Editions they have have some of the options I want but not all and I had a choice of Green not only with all the options I want but also with a choice of interior colours so I am going for Acorn with the light headlining.
This will replace both my Countryman and my 24 going on 25 year old TDi300 Defender 90. The Countryman has been a fantastic car despite its small electric range and during lock down’s 10 weeks I’ve covered >140 miles but only used 6 litres of petrol running once a fortnight into the shops in town and in local driving - it’s been running purely electrically powered >95% of my driving in the period. I’ve given up waiting for JLR to bring out both the New Defender 90 and the PHEV version as production dates for those have fallen back now to spring 21 or later.
I’ll post some photos from the personalized e-brochure later today 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

honestly Tim, i am not at all jealous that:

- you have seen a new Defender
- you have sat in a new Defender
- you have test driven a new Defender
- you managed to order and get confirmation of delivery within 2 weeks of a new Defender

Here in the colonies we have another 2-3 month wait just to see one We will have to compare notes sometime in October
when mine eventually rocks up to Aussie shores..

Are you getting the contrast roof in either white or black??

Enjoy and a great choice..  Another Pommie Bar Steward down under

MY20 Defender 110 SE P400 Eiger/Ebony
MY10 3.0 RRS TDv6 Fuji/Ebony/Anigre

In Europe 1st Edition cars get a Black roof with panoramic sunroof as standard, having had that in my Mini I’ve experienced just how hot it makes the interior of the car , even here in Scotland when sunshine and temperatures over 25C occur on about 10 days a year! It is also a pain to keep clean as the crows in the rookery about 25m from my drive seem to see black cars and black roofed cars as things to practice fly past bombing raids on ............. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Photos of my order’s personal spec ebook

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

I like the colour Tim. Its just so good to get away from silver ( ) and black. Its good to know that the mini did you proud but glad you're properly back in the fold (sort of).
I did think that your 90 was your passion so I hope that you are happy with the loss of that. Will the new Defender get to go green laning? Robin
2008 Range Rover Sport TDV8
Gone:
Jaguar S-Type V8 4.2 Sport
MGZTT 190 2.5

So you've gone LHD then Tim?

Did I read it right that you're getting rid of your old Defender?  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Looks great, Tim. Keep us up to date on how you get on with it. Current: 2020 P400e HSE Dynamic

Gone: 2016 SDV6 HSE
2012 SDV6 SE

Looks good Tim,im guessing if you bought the 2.0 then you wont want to buy FA57 RRS back Do the do the 90 or swb in the new defender.? I might go for one in Black if they do,im not keen on the look of the 110 or lwb as they call them. Andy.
21 Ford Ranger
Gone but not forgotten
Focus RS Red Edition
2015 RRS AB Fuji.
2014 RRS SC Santorini
2016 VW Amarok
2014 RRS AB Fuji
2012 RRS Red Edition Fuji
2015 Nissan Navara
2012 RRS SE Santorini
2008 RRS White
2007 RRS Santorino

I’m keeping the TDi300 for another year or until the neighbors complain I’m blocking the street as combined length of both cars (new Defender110 is 5.08m long!) means one of them sticks out 1m from the drive end......... it is a huge car, bigger than an L405 standard length. I live on the end of a hammerhead courtyard so there’s no pavements or through traffic apart from other residents.

1st Edition car is only available in 3 colours - Pangea Green, Indus Silver And Gondwana Stone. I actually wanted a Gondwana Stone one but the dealers didn’t have any in the compound or at any of the other showrooms in their group. They assured me it is a real nice colour and the sales staff has seen them but their ordering dept thought that it might not sell so didn’t order up any from the National holding area at Warwick.

Sure it will go laning / Off road, it’s a Land Rover not a driveway queen and every one of my cars has played in the mud and on the hills except my 2nd Evoque that was mechanically too fragile..... up here you have to be a membe of a club to be off-road anywhere and have written permission from the landowner - we (the clubs I’m a member of) have some fantastic landowners who welcome us provided we behave and don’t leave visible ground damage as well as forbidding any posting of days on their land on any social media- tough rules but we have asked members not to bother coming back for doing that. It’s why I no longer post many pics of SGRC drives out these days. I will not be taking it to the more severe drives out, that’s why I’ve kept the 90, it’s already bashed and scratched

Andy, there’s no fear of it needing that sort of plate - I have had 2 plates on retention since 2015 - AM14 MUD and NE14 MUD........... I’m putting AM14 on it. BTW for those who cannot decipher number plates try reading 14 as One Four.......
The D200 I tested yesterday was very slow off the mark so I hope 40 more horses will help. 1st Editions are only available with the D240 motor and all new Defenders are 8 speed autos with a transfer box and TR2 with configurable settings for the programs too.

I did tell the dealer to make sure I get a RHD version although two of my bucket list trips are to take it to Iceland to tour and to drive to North Cape in Norway so LHD might have its uses! I’m getting a bit too old for camping on damp ground in the rain and now my idea of camping is Premier Inn, the back of the Defender110 is long enough With all the seats folded for my 5’ 7” body to be comfortable.

If the boffins at JLR had been switched on they would have had a PHEV or BEV at launch but they didn’t and I want to reduce from two great cars to one that can handle off-road yet be great (if not very economical) on it and new Defender does that.. selling the 90 on will weigh heavy on my heart, I bought It in 2001 when I had a Freelander 1 auto that I was getting frustrated at reaching its quite high off-road limits too often - I started with a £1000 budget for a series 2 or 3 and ended up spending the best £10k I have ever spent. It has been a very cheap car to run,very capable, very uncomfortable and a 100% reliable car. It has only failed when I have broken it, nothing has yet failed (Chassis corroding at11 years old apart) despite its age and 93000 miles - but an annual service every 1100-1200 miles ( yes that’s all it has done most years when I was working) at MOT time has kept it in its prime. Apart from the new chassis, suspension components and converting it from a van to a Station Wagon it is as it left the showroom, the only vital bit that has so far failed was the Original battery two years ago at 22 years old and I drove the front wheels into a hidden drainage ditch covered by long grass in 2012 and managed to get the transfer case to land heavily on a big stone hiding in there........ then I drove it over 100 miles before things didn’t feel quite right....... I had managed to drain all the oil out of the casing through a tiny hole and as I parked it in the LR Indies yard to have it looked at the transfer case gave up, called it a day and seized up....... My fault, not the cars and my wallet got an £1100 pound hit as a result! I have had many many very good offers in the last year for it, as high as £17000 from a Utility company but almost as high from people who know the car and how it’s been looked after. In 2001 it had 56000 miles on it and cost me £10000.and in the time I’ve owned it I have had so much fun in it and learned a huge amount about teamwork and group cooperation from the days when I went on really challenging off-road weekends in the Argyll Forest - it certainly helped me with leadership of my crews at work at sea and gave me confidence to be a better leader through those trips.
The Countryman is brilliant in other respects- LR could take some lessons on how to build a rattle free car. The 3 pot turbo 1.5ltr petrol is brilliantly smooth and you only know it’s there when you really start to welly it. It’s a good combination of petrol and electric power but fuel economy when running in petrol only mode isn’t great - 30mpg and electric range of 20 miles in the summer isn’t great either but it’s little battery charges from empty to full in 3 hours on a 13 amp plug and a full charge costs around £1 but in Scotland we have access to free public chargers if you register with Chargepoint Scotland. The BMW tech is good and fast not laggy and dead easy to work without taking your eyes off the road. It’s supposed to be a “crossover/ soft reader” I’ve never taken it off the tar, the ground clear us poor and it is a heavy car so will sink like an old Defender on soft ground! The tyres are definitely 100% road biased too. It also claims to be a 4x4 but the only thing connecting the front and rear axles is a datacable - the petrol engine only drives the front wheels and the electric motor (87hp) only drives the rear wheels, there’s no fancy couplings on the drive line but I have to say when called to drive in “4x4” mode with both engines running it can’t half shift and you can get up to 83mph in electric only mode but that won’t last long as the battery depleted pretty quickly on motorways so pure petrol is best for those journies that use motorways or fast dual carriage ways. Fir twin driving only it’s brilliant. I will remember it fondly when it is gone! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Last edited by Tim in Scotland on Thu Jun 04 2020 8:27pm. Edited 1 time in total

Nice. I’m waiting for the 90 in phev spec to be released and then may go for one and do same as you, combine 2 Range Rovers into one  Visitor from fullfatrr.com
* GONE. 2012 RR Sport HSE SDV6 Orkney Grey. Now being piloted by RRSTDV8
* GONE: 2011 4.4 TDV8 Full Fat. Amazing piece of kit.
* Current. 1974 Lightweight 2.25L petrol. Old skool
* GONE. Freelander GS TD4 Manual MY2013. Orkney Grey with privacy, cold and clearview packs, armrests (a must!) and a spoiler.
* GONE. Range Rover Classic '93 200Tdi Factory fit
* 1949 80" in family since 1975

Was told yesterday that 90 build start date has fallen back to late January 21 and don’t expect the PHEV version until much later in 2021. Also I was told that like the RRS and FFRR PHEV s it will only be AWD, no transfer box or low ratios to keep the weight down also the boot in the 90 is tiny with the rear seats up and there is a huge step in the boot floor when they are folded - for a car that is as big as an old 110 it is very poor space utilization. I have heard on the grapevine too that it will not have the 2.0ltr engine of the RRS and FFRR it will have the 3 cylinder of the new Evoque & Discovery Sport PHEV, mad in a car that is heavier and less aerodynamic than both the RRS and FFRR - that’s why I’ve gone for the D240, even though it emits plenty of nasty things and has dire fuel economy and not waited for the 90 PHEV. It’s also the first car I’ve ever owned from new that has not had a 3 month lead in time from the factory! 8 days from ordering to delivery is how it should be! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Tim, great stuff, and amazing to get your hands on it so soon. Not cheap, but epic. Really excited for you
i bet the sales rep was pleased. “First sale of the year”!
And the next owner of the Countryman will be very lucky because that sounded like a fab workhorse.

I totally agree on your point about PHEV or BEV power train at launch. Perhaps they know they can sell all they can make with diesel etc, so the battery versions will help maintain sales momentum Slightly later in the life cycle. Who knows what goes on in these boardrooms. L405 P400e Autobiography (MY2020)... Silicon Silver / Espresso
RRS TDV6 HSE Lux (MY2011)... Nara Bronze / Arabica - now gone!

Cheers for info Tim
Do you mean FWD and not AWD?
Diesel it is  Visitor from fullfatrr.com
* GONE. 2012 RR Sport HSE SDV6 Orkney Grey. Now being piloted by RRSTDV8
* GONE: 2011 4.4 TDV8 Full Fat. Amazing piece of kit.
* Current. 1974 Lightweight 2.25L petrol. Old skool
* GONE. Freelander GS TD4 Manual MY2013. Orkney Grey with privacy, cold and clearview packs, armrests (a must!) and a spoiler.
* GONE. Range Rover Classic '93 200Tdi Factory fit
* 1949 80" in family since 1975

DrRob wrote:

Nice. I’m waiting for the 90 in phev spec to be released and then may go for one and do same as you, combine 2 Range Rovers into one

Can we agree a spec so I know what I'm getting when I take it off you later?  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Exciting news, Tim! Being able to get your hands on it so quick is incredible.

I hope we'll get a good, real world review from you after you've played with it for a few weeks?  Kev

MY2014 L405 RR Vogue SE 4.4 SDV8 in Corris Grey
MY2010 L320 RRS HSE 3.0 TDV6 in Stornoway Grey