The Defender Launch with TraveLynn Family
The Defender launch nights are now in full swing, and we had the pleasure of having a special guest join us at Gordon Lamb Land Rover Chesterfield last Friday.
TraveLynn Family experienced a trip of a lifetime last year when they travelled across Africa in a Defender 110 TD5, tackling difficult terrains as they ventured through some of the most superb countries on the continent, including South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.
The Defender became their home for 101 days, and against the backdrop of the African plains, the iconic Land Rover looked right at home.
Having already experienced the open road in a Defender, we thought it would be a great chance to invite the creator of TraveLynn Family, Jenny, to come and be one of the first to preview the new Defender and provide us with a real-life review on the icon that’s been re-imagined.
Jenny jumped at the chance at accepting the invite because she was “intrigued to see how this new model compares and lives up to expectations.”
When Jenny arrived, “the showroom had been cleared for the new Defender to stand centre stage. There was a free bar, an acoustic guitar singer, and fresh pizza served from a woodfire oven built inside an old Defender.” A real buzz in the air.
As a family, safety is a core aspect to consider when choosing the right vehicle. Jenny recalls how “the Defender kept our family safe on some very crazy roads” whilst on their African adventure, so this was an important feature for Jenny when it came to the new model. However, it’s clear that the new Defender is a protector through its honest, no-nonsense design, making it one of the toughest and most capable Land Rovers ever. “For me, the Defender is all about adventure, and this car I know I can trust in all terrains.”
First impressions for Jenny included a “very clean, no fuss” interior, whilst the exterior looked “snazzy, but a bit of dust and dirt would fix that.”
Since the unveiling of the all-new Land Rover Defender at Frankfurt Motor Show, there has been a mixture of opinions on the new design, with some believing the new Defender has lost its ruggedness. But as Jenny said, once it’s out in the elements where it belongs, the snazziness won’t compromise the performance.
Jenny saw how the new Defender still “aims to maintain and further the sturdiness and reliance of the old Defender but through advanced technologies.”
The new Defender has been designed to enhance performance, control and capability. It is installed with the latest technology such as the configurable terrain response, which is a world-first, allowing you to select the powertrain, steering and traction control settings, to give you the most controlled and safe drive.
Reminiscing about the driving experience of the Land Rover Defender 110 TD5, Jenny recalls, “you felt every bump in the road” and “with two roof tents, our Defender 110 TD5 was top-heavy and we were at the maximum weight load of 100kgs. This meant that we had to exercise caution on steep road cambers.”
Although Jenny was not able to test drive the new Defender, it was clear that “this new Defender would certainly be a much more comfortable and smoother ride.” It is also capable of “withstanding 168kg of gear on its roof,” enhancing the practicality of the iconic model, which is ideal for TraveLynn Family for the next time they are camping under the stars.
The new Land Rover Defender also offers the largest choice of accessory packs, meaning owners can personalise their vehicle to their lifestyle.
The four packs are:
Explorer
Adventure
Country
Urban
To complement the adventurous lifestyle of TraveLynn Family, the Adventure Accessory Pack would be perfect, whilst those who live the big city life could choose the Urban Accessory Pack to tackle the concrete jungle in style.
“The new Defender certainly looks good and the technologies sound extremely impressive, but for me, it will all be about how it feels behind the wheel and out on the open road.” With first deliveries due next year, it won’t be long until everyone has the chance to get behind the wheel and see where the new Defender takes them.
For your chance to see the new Land Rover Defender, join us at Farnell Land Rover Leeds, on 17th January, for the final launch night.