b'MOTORING THE CARNEGIE CLUBT he King is deadlong live the King! The D E F E N D E R handing of the baton from old Land Rover Defender to new Defender was a huge moment for the motoring industry. Usually, when a car model is revised or replaced there is a rustling of excitement and O F T H E R E A L M the odd grumble from the die-hards that the new car will never live up to the outgoing one. Defender takes this to the extreme. The difcult second album has been 70 years in the making and almost everyone has an opinion as to which direction the company should take.The old model nally bowed out in 2016. It still As Land Rover relaunches the Defender range, David Greenlooked great and had a good, honest, practical image, explains why the iconic British motor was due an overhaul yet in reality that was more romance than real-world modern practicality. As much as we loved everythingit stood for, it just didnt cut the mustard in the 21st century, where you need to be warm, dry and comfortable over long distances even if you are pulling a horsebox or boat. Its also a myth that farmers were still clambering to buy the old model in its pension yearsthey had moved on to the rugged, super reliable, often Asian-built competition. 2 9This is the ground Land Rover is hoping to claw back with the new version. And with the new luxury landscape being as much about authenticity as anything else, it will also know that by virtue of owning that commercial market, it will scoop up the town as well as the country brigade. The new Defender had to be a Swiss army knife of a car, fullling a wide brief that covers vastly different uses, from chic show pony in fashionable areas to military and humanitarian applications in some of the most hazardous areas of the world. At its launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show, a avour of this breadth of ability was on display, with a steel-wheeled commercial version taking centre stage alongside a swanky long-wheelbase version in Gondwana Stone. Looking at the different variants, you realise that Defender is a car range in its own right.If the old Defender was built with good old British can-do spirit with an oily rag and a rivet gun, the new one is the poster boy for high-tech modern engineering. You can argue about this new cars looks and whether it has captured the spirit of the old, but what is inescapable is that it is certainly the most capable off-roader Land Rover has ever built. Available in 90 and 110 variants (short three-door and long-wheelbase ve-door) this Land Rover will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go. Notably, short overhangs Opposite: the robuston the bodywork make for excellent approach and clearance angles. new Defender 110.The basic 90 and commercial versions will have coil springs, but the This page, from top: the three-door version,launch 110 features super sophisticated self-levelling air suspension. Defender 90, is justYou can deep dive into the multiple optionscontrolling height, as hardy with slickdifferential lock, etc, or just let the intelligent auto terrain response and intelligent interior functionswork its magic while you enjoy the scenery.'