Land Rover Defender 110

The Defender's desirability doesn't seem to be waning in the slightest, but is it still a great family SUV? We're living with one to find out

- WILL NIGHTINGALE

FIVE YEARS. THAT'S how long the 'new' Land Rover Defender has been on sale. Usually by this point in a car's life there would have been a facelift, with a whole new generation probably only a couple of years away.

But that hasn't happened with the Defender; its looks haven't changed a bit, and they don't need to. That's the beauty of a retro-inspired design done right: it doesn’t age in the same way as something super-modern. It’s the same story with the reimagined Fiat 500 and Mini, and doubtless will be with the new Renault 5 too.

So, if nothing much is new, why have I now chosen to run a Defender as my company car? Well, a few reasons. Number one, we've never done a long-term test of our favourite 110 version - only the shorter Defender 90, which is equally big on kerbside appeal but not space for passengers.