Sport utility vehicles as we know them have transformed from go-anywhere tools to mall-crawling tall wagons and minivan substitutes. Most vehicles we refer to today as SUVs are actually CUVs— car-based crossovers lifted up in the air a few inches, not for ground clearance but because people like to sit up high.
There is no mistaking the Land Rover Defender for one of these poseurs. That said, the Defender itself has metamorphosed to play in the current times. It ditches the decades-old steel frame of the previous L316 version (itself an evolution of the original “Series” Land Rovers, a chromosome or two removed from a farm tractor). Instead, the new L663 Defender sports an aluminum unibody. Perhaps most shocking of all to loyalists and off-roading aficionados, the live axles have been dropped in favor of fully independent suspension. How do you say “sacrilege” in the Queen’s English? Yet if asked to traverse great swaths of rutted, tumbling African trails, the Defender is a steadfast, undeterred companion and guide.
It seems like a simple decision to hand the Calipers to the lads from Solihull. But not so fast. Merely being a rough-and-tumble “real” SUV does not automatically earn you SUV of the Year.
Even during this global-crisis reality, we put all 28 contender vehicles (including variants) through a slew of instrumented and evaluative tests, checking everything from acceleration and handling to second-row passenger space, from fuel economy to infotainment intuitiveness.
In so doing, we cut our list to six finalists then dove back in for a round to test (among other things) rough road ride, switchback cornering, and smart cruise control at freeway speeds.
This story is from the December 2020 edition of Motor Trend.
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This story is from the December 2020 edition of Motor Trend.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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MOTORTREND SUV OF THE YEAR 2024 - CERTIFIED FRESH
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2023 Lexus RZ
Lexus says it will make only battery-powered vehicles by 2035, and the new RZ 450e is the brand’s first dedicated EV. This midsize crossover indicates Lexus’ future lineup will have luxurious appeal, but we find this first effort lacking in crucial areas.
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The Defender 130 is a tricky one to judge. On one hand, it potentially improves upon a design and package we previously lauded enough to crown as our 2021 SUV of the Year in the form of the standard Defender 110. The 130 is more than a foot longer than the 110 and has more room for people and stuff, stretching the existing design into a new body style. (The 130’s wheelbase remains unchanged.)
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