The new Land Rover Defender is only the second all-new model (well, three if you count the Land Rover Series models that came before, but then it wasn’t called a Defender... long story, don’t ask) in a lineage that dates all the way back to 1948. It remained virtually unchanged in its seven decades of continuous production —that is to say, it was a bit of a living fossil and an oddball in the Land Rover line-up.
Unlike the new car, which rests on state-of-the-art aluminium underpinnings (the stiffest one Land Rover has ever made if you must know), the old Defender used a ladder-frame chassis, something more suited to trucks. And its spartan, rough-and-tough demeanour meant it stuck out like a sore thumb among cars including the Evoque and the Discovery/Discovery Sport.
You see, in the ensuing 70 years, Land Rover has become a premium car manufacturer, and the old Defender, cool though it may be, was certainly not a premium car.
The new one, on the other hand, is very much a premium car. And you’ll only have to look towards its price tag to see that it is one. The First Edition test car I was handed the keys to costs SGD314,999. Granted, it’s one of those special-edition things only sold during its first year of production, and it comes with unique 20-inch alloys, more granular configuration of its off-road modes (including a Wade programme that allows it to ford into the water up to 900mm deep), a chiller box in the centre console and some additional trim bits.
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Esquire Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Esquire Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE MILD HANGOVER
Hangovers get a bad rap. We know. If you’ve gotten this far in the magazine, you’ve surely divined that we’re mildly hungover most of the time.
AN ELECTRIC FUTURE
Polestar, the minimalist electric Swedish car brand, turns the voltage up on its competition.
LET'S GET REAL (ESTATE): LUXURIOUS LONDON
Royalty, shopping, the best tea and scones the world has to offer, and a lifestyle worthy of what you're working for. Here's why London is ripe for your next investment
NEXT UP....ZARAN VACHHA
As Co-founder of the events and talent agency Collective Minds and Managing Director of the Mandala Masters, Zaran Vachha is definitely not new to the culture scene, but he's certainly shaping what comes next.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED...
I DON’T WEAR SOCKS except in January.
The Body Is a Language
A bad handshake is such a turnoff; we feel irked when someone rolls their eyes at us; we can't stop pacing when we're nervous-ever wondered how certain body language has the power to change how we feel instantly? We explore why.
EYE OF THE TIGER
Hailing from Singapore, Japan and Brazil respectively, Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes Darren Goh, Hiroki Akimoto and Alex Silva are proof that the ring demands as much from mind as it does from matter.
THE ADONIS COMPLEX
With the rise of superhero culture making a return and bringing with it the celebration of the classically ‘masculine’ body type, can men really overcome the pressure to conform when culture keeps getting in the way?
FUNNY BUT TRUE
A comedian, an iconic Singaporean, and now a man much evolved. After overcoming two years of pandemic limbo, unlocking career milestones one after another and undergoing a life-defining physical transformation, Rishi Budhrani is ready to emerge into the world renewed-and anew.
LIKE NO OTHER
With its horological triumphs, Hermès has truly come into its own as a watchmaking maison. In this exclusive interview with Esquire Singapore, CEO of Hermès Horloger, Laurent Dordet sheds some light on his timepieces' rising stardom and the importance of being different.
