ESCAPIST UTOPIA
Motor Trend|June 2020
A JOURNEY FROM THE HEART OF NAMIBIA TO THE SKELETON COAST IN LAND ROVER’S STUNNING NEW OFF-ROAD CHAMPION
ESCAPIST UTOPIA

We are well and truly alone.

Before us lies a seemingly endless gray desert moonscape, our silver specks of overland-loaded 2020 Land Rover Defender 110s, dancing over sand dunes, splitting the horizon with the churning South Atlantic Ocean, are the only sign of humanity.

I snap back to reality as my Land Rover’s nose aims skyward as we struggle up a dune. Throttle in, the engine roaring, we rocket up the crest. Suddenly floating over the desert floor, we hear a thunk from all four corners of our air-suspension—signaling we’d temporarily left earth somewhere over Namibia’s Skeleton Coast.

It’s not often a new Defender comes around—the same holds true for a new Jeep Wrangler or Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Yet all three of these legendary overland-ready off-roaders have been revised during the past three years: The Wrangler was new for 2018, the G-Wagen for 2019. Now it’s the Defender’s turn.

Over the next three days and 500 miles, we would conduct an expedition through Namibia’s northern Kaokoland in the Kunene Region, an underdeveloped area populated mostly by the nomadic Himba people. Our route will take us from the regional capital of Opuwo, over the treacherous Van Zyl’s Pass, through the Marienfluss Valley, down the Skeleton Coast, and then back to Opuwo.

Terrain here varies wildly, from sandy two-tracks and riverbeds to rocks, gravel, mud, and water crossings. The only sort of terrain that would be in short supply would be asphalt—just two of the 500 miles we were about to traverse would be paved. In other words, Land Rover is pulling no punches with its new Defender.

Esta historia es de la edición June 2020 de Motor Trend.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición June 2020 de Motor Trend.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE MOTOR TRENDVer todo
2023 GMC Canyon
Motor Trend

2023 GMC Canyon

MC, the luxe-truck division of General Motors, has long struggled to differentiate its products from mechanically similar Chevrolets.

time-read
3 minutos  |
Spring 2024
2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty
Motor Trend

2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty

The heavy-duty truck world moves more slowly than other pickup classes, and progress comes in spurts. Take the Ford F-Series Super Duty, whose recent refresh included softer-edged styling, a new entry-level gas-fed V-8, a new high-output 6.7-liter turbodiesel V-8, and myriad small improvements like new bedside steps. Is it still basically the same truck as before? Absolutely, but it’s also a better Super Duty, however incrementally.

time-read
2 minutos  |
Spring 2024
2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD
Motor Trend

2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD

When Chevrolet unveiled its all-new 2020 Silverado HD lineup, it set the truck  world ablaze, and not in a good way.

time-read
3 minutos  |
Spring 2024
THE CHEVROLET COLORADO IS THE 2024 MOTORTREND TRUCK OF THE YEAR
Motor Trend

THE CHEVROLET COLORADO IS THE 2024 MOTORTREND TRUCK OF THE YEAR

A BROAD LINEUP DELIVERS AN IMPRESSIVE RANGE OF OFF-ROAD CAPABILITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE TO EVERYDAY LIVABILITY

time-read
8 minutos  |
Spring 2024
HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE THE 80?!
Motor Trend

HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE THE 80?!

THE FIRST-GENERATION NISSAN PATHFINDER IS AN SUV THROWBACK TO A TOTALLY RAD TIME, FOR SURE

time-read
7 minutos  |
Spring 2024
BAVARIAN ECONS 2002te
Motor Trend

BAVARIAN ECONS 2002te

THIS ELECTRIC BMW RESTOMOD LOSES ITS ENGINE BUT NOT ITS SOUL

time-read
7 minutos  |
Spring 2024
2023 PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS FIRST TEST
Motor Trend

2023 PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS FIRST TEST

PORSCHE'S MOST FOCUSED 911 OF ALL TIME MUST BE EXPERIENCED AT ITS LIMITS TO BE UNDERSTOOD

time-read
6 minutos  |
Spring 2024
2024 TRUCK OF THE YEAR MADE IN MICHIGAN
Motor Trend

2024 TRUCK OF THE YEAR MADE IN MICHIGAN

AFTER DECADES IN THE WEST, TRUCK OF THE YEAR MOVES TO MICHIGAN

time-read
3 minutos  |
Spring 2024
YOUR ICON OF ICONS: CHEVROLET CORVETTE
Motor Trend

YOUR ICON OF ICONS: CHEVROLET CORVETTE

Was there ever any doubt? MotorTrend readers are largely American, and as much as we love Jeeps, Mustangs, and F-150s in this country, the Corvette has been “America’s sports car” for nearly as long as this publication has existed. That’s why you chose it via our online vote as the most iconic car of the past 75 years.

time-read
4 minutos  |
Spring 2024
MOTORTREND CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
Motor Trend

MOTORTREND CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

The 10 Most Iconic Vehicles of Our Time and Much More

time-read
7 minutos  |
Spring 2024