Special Defender foreveryday adventures

To understand the raison d’être – and indeed the colour scheme – of the eye-catching Defender Trophy under test on this page, we need to cast our minds back to the 1980s. That’s when the Camel Trophy kicked off and yellow-painted Land Rovers were part and parcel of this event for nearly two decades. With a renewed focus on its adventure-ready image, especially for its Defender brand, the company has released a special edition harking back to those days – the Defender Trophy.

Exterior design and image

If finished in the ‘deep sandglow yellow’ colour shown here, it’s impossible to miss this Defender. The mustard-yellow-like hue is a modern take on the paint used on the Camel Trophy vehicles and now it’s paired with lots of contrasting gloss-black for a striking appearance. A black bonnet, grille, and roof are matched with black headlight surrounds, black wheelarch extensions, and black for the entire lower section of the body all the way around. There’s also a set of black wheels fitted with all-terrain tyres as standard, though don’t be fooled by the utilitarian design of the rims – they’re alloy, not steel. Adding to the purposefulness of the exterior is a chunky ladder that folds down to allow access to the roof, and solid sidesteps to make it easy to get in and out, even on extreme terrain. Oh, and don’t worry; the Trophy can be had in a more restrained dark green if you’re not brave enough to order a yellow one.

Interior and practicality

There are tasteful splashes of the exterior paint colour inside the Defender Trophy as well, though Land Rover left the upholstery well alone and our test car came with tactile, high-quality leather seats front and rear. As in all Defenders, the cabin design alludes to its workhorse roots, but it’s screwed together and uses tactile materials more like you’d find in a Range Rover. Perhaps you’d be less worried about getting the interior of this car dirty, as it appears to be easy to clean. It also features all the latest technology on board, including a fully functional touchscreen. We’re more grateful to see the inclusion of physical switchgear for the heating and air conditioning, though it is cleverly designed to have multiple functions and it’s highly intuitive to use.

The back seats are massively spacious as well – in all directions – and we love the little skylights built into the roof. The boot isn’t perhaps as large as you might expect in a vehicle this size, and the side-opening tailgate can be awkward in tight spots. But its interior is clearly designed to cope with anything you throw at it – from a bale of hay to a dirty mountain bike, or a big buggy for that matter. Usefully, the rear seats fold down completely flat, effectively turning this Defender into a commodious van.

Driving experience

And while those that remember the lack of luxuries in the original Defender might expect this one to drive a bit like a commercial vehicle, nothing could be further from the truth. Not only does it use advanced air suspension and a sophisticated system for adapting to the terrain underneath, but this car is fitted with a modern plug-in-hybrid powertrain as well.

Under the bonnet is a turbocharged petrol engine, which is mated to an automatic transmission. Then there’s an electric motor that can in theory, in conjunction with the big battery pack, propel the Defender for nearly 50 kilometres without using a drop of petrol. There’s something deeply satisfying about tackling arduous off-road conditions without making a sound. You can hear the birds tweeting and the car splashing through the mud and water.

Back on the road, and despite the special tyres, the Defender makes for a great long-distance cruiser. Its suspension jiggles about a little in urban environs, but we’d suggest that this is not a car for regular use in town in any case. On the open road, and on the motorway in particular, it is exceptionally quiet and comfortable, regardless of which part of the hybrid powertrain is propelling the car at any given moment. What’s more, it has plenty of performance, with noticeably strong torque delivery from the electric motor meaning you never really have to extend the engine. If you fancy a little more response, you slot the chunky drive selector left in its gate for the sport mode. It even manages enthusiastic cornering in a surprisingly capable manner.

Like all plug-in hybrids, the Defender Trophy is at its most efficient if you plug it into an external power source regularly to top up its battery and maximise electric driving. Most owners will do that at home, of course, but the Defender also has DC-charging capability, which isn’t the norm in a car such as this, and it should encourage the driver to make use of public chargers for maximum efficiency (of course, some will buy it just to avail of the low motor tax that its official CO² rating allows).

What else could you spend your money on?

The Defender range is vast. There’s a two-door model; there are commercial vehicles called ‘Hard Tops’; there’s a high-performance derivative powered by a 635hp V8 called the ‘Octa’; and the five-door version can be had in two different lengths. Buyers can choose from petrol or diesel options, too, but given all of the above, it’s no surprise that the plug-in hybrids are the most popular. Pricing for the same 300hp system tested here starts at under €100,000 and there is a selection of trim levels offered. The Trophy model is priced at €130,200, which is a sizeable premium, but it comes loaded with equipment and no other version in the line-up can touch it for its heritage. Admittedly, an owner might spend a lot of time explaining to anyone that asks what the colour and Trophy badging is all about.

What’s more, it has plenty of performance, with noticeably strong torque delivery from the electric motor meaning you never really have to extend the engine

Specs for Defender Trophy