The Defender is one of the most capable off road vehicles produced by luxury automobile makers Land Rover. The Defender gets minor updates for the 2011 model year; the updates are hardly noticeable by anyone that’s not a die-hard fan of the Defender.
The Defender has been a favorite among safari tour guides, explorers and is even used by the British military and for good reason; it can travel places most Sport Utility Vehicles only dream of. Because of the Defender’s off-road nature, one wouldn’t expect it to break any land speed records. It’s powered by a small 120 horsepower 2.4-liter diesel engine that manages to propel the Defender to a top speed of only 82 mph (132 km/h) and do the 0 to 60 mph run in an agonizingly long 15.9 seconds.
Difficult terrain is the Defender’s playground, it is able to climb slopes of up to 45 degrees angle and descend 49 degree angle slopes with ease. The Defender can go sideways on slopes of 35 degree angles without tipping over.
The 2011 Land Rover Defender 90 is currently not available in the North American market; it will be sold in its current form until 2013. A new more modern and powerful model is promised after the 2013 model year when it is expected to be also sold in North America.
[Unfinished Man via Land Rover]