On Guard

The Land Rover Defender returns with a nod to Silicon Valley

- Hannah Elliott

A few hours into driving through 117-degree heat in the California desert, I got the distinct impression I was in over my head.

I’d just floored the new Land Rover Defender 110 up the side of a five-story-high sand dune near the Salton Sea, giddily ignorant of any actual threat, when one of my fellow drivers got his Defender stuck so far into the sand he couldn’t open the door.

Serious contemplation commenced. Then gentle rocking, as it pushed into reverse. A few minutes later, true to its Lawrence of Arabia roots, his truck was no longer stuck.

The Land Rover mystique begins in 1948, when British farmers, hunters, and expat explorers adopted the World War II-influenced boxy ride for its practicality and reliability. By 1983 a 110 emerged, and in 1990 it was renamed Defender. U.S. sales began in 1992 but were discontinued by 1997 because of increasingly strict emission guidelines. Worldwide, the last one left the production line in 2016.

Since then, SUV and truck sales have increased to 70% of U.S. automobile sales, and brands are trying to capitalize: Ford Motor Co. reintroduced its Bronco. General Motors Co. is releasing an electric version of its Hummer. The 2020 Land Rover Defender 110 actually made its debut last year at the Frankfurt motor show, and customers began receiving them in June.