• Plenty of space up-front and in the rear
• A 3.5-tonne towing capacity works well
• Latest interior tech a massive step forward

How much space is there?

The Land Rover Defender is a big and boxy car. With the spare wheel attached to the back door, the Defender 110 is longer than all but the most luxurious executive cars at 5,018mm. As standard it’s a five-seater, although there’s space inside for up to seven people, if you go for the optional third row of seating. Alternatively, you can get six-seater version with an occasional pew between the front chairs.

In a seven-seater Defender, those sitting in the middle row would have to slide their seats forward a little to balance out legroom for those behind them, but it’s not too tricky to juggle and cater for everyone on board. The floor for the second row is flat and the interior is wide, greatly helping comfort if you’re three-abreast.

Headroom in all three rows is good, helping the 110 be far more accommodating than a Discovery Sport, for example. A regular Discovery is even better for seven, and the Defender 130 even more capacious, though.

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Options include a portable shower and a refrigerated cubby under the front armrest, perfect for long trips and camping holidays. Expedition ‘roof rack’ and side ‘gear’ carrier further improve its adventurous spirit. Other functional features include a 3,500kg towing capacity and a static roof load of up to 300kg.

Boot space and storage

Defender customers frequently need a lot of space for their kit and clutter, and here the newcomer is generous. You get 646 litres to 2,380 litres in five- or six-seat mode, and 231-2,233 litres when the optional third-row seats are fitted. The optional front centre seat can be folded away for additional storage when it’s not required. It’s suitable for occasional use, and is a useful feature but not available in conjunction with third-row seating.

The plug-in hybrid model takes a practicality hit, however. The battery pack is placed below the boot floor and actually raises it slightly, so the option of a three-row seven seater has been removed for this model and boot volume with the rear seats up drops to 550 litres in five- or six-seat mode or up to 2,127 litres with the rear seats down.

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All models get hardy plastic seat backs and boot floors for a more durable load area. It’s a good idea, although in our experience items are more liable to move around if the boot isn’t wedged full. As the floor also marks quite easily, we’d recommend purchasing the rubber boot mat from the accessories catalogue.

You have plenty of cupholders and USB ports dotted everywhere, from the front seat backs to below the centre air vents. The front centre cubby box is huge, with the armrest lid flipping back a full 180 degrees acting as a tray for those in the middle row., while a lower tier tray on the front centre console is great for phones and storing items out of sight.

Is it easy to park?

On the road, thanks to its boxy shape, good visibility and ample camera coverage, it’s easy to place although you’re always aware of its width. There’s plenty of glasswork and large door mirrors to aid visibility, but trying to get a clear view of what’s behind you can prove tricky, regardless of whether the rear seats are occupied or not.

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The headrests need tilting down, while the door-mounted spare wheel can cover up the vehicle behind you, but once you get used to keeping an eye out with the help of those door mirrors – or even with the ClearSight camera rear-view mirror on higher-spec models – you get used to your boundaries quite quickly. All models also come with a 3D camera system to cover the whole vehicle and all-round parking sensors.

Safety

• Lots of cutting-edge equipment
• Strong, basic design
• Five-star rating from Euro NCAP

The Defender is an enormously strong vehicle, and offers excellent crash safety, with a five-star Euro NCAP rating. The myriad stability and traction controls should help prevent accidents, and contribute to a good showing in the test – not necessarily a given on an off-roader.

Features included are Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane-Keeping Assist and traffic-sign recognition is standard, while SE adds blind-spot warnings and a rear traffic monitor, along with an additional Isofix point upfront.

We found the standard LED headlights on lower-spec S models to be disappointing, with a low depth of light ahead of you and with a very short distance range. This might be expected on a low-slung sports car, but on a high-set SUV, you’d expect the units to be much more powerful. The matrix LED units on higher spec models are better in that regard.

Watch the Euro NCAP crash test video