It’s designed to keep on going when the road runs out. But Land Rover’s biggest Defender is also a brilliant long-distance highway cruiser.
has been engineered from the wheels up to keep going when the road runs out. But as the white Defender 130 First Edition cruised at a relaxed 85 mph on the A10 autoroute heading north into Paris, it occurred to me this bigmight also be one of the most relaxed and comfortable means of transporting four adults and their luggage over long distances on the highway. Yes, underneath that brawny off-road swagger lurks a surprisingly competent grand tourer.
I needn't have worried. When I listened carefully, I could discern the Goodyears humming over the near-perfect tarmac on France's immaculately maintained autoroutes. The big Land Rover's bluff profile also elicited some wind noise around the A-pillars. But for a 4x4 that can take you across Africa without breaking a sweat, the Defender 130 proved an astonishingly accomplished highway cruiser.
A big, heavy, square-shouldered off-roader will hardly be the most fuel-efficient freeway cruiser. The 130 averaged an indicated 16.2 mpg over 1,358 miles, returning a worst of 14.6 mpg and a best of 18.5. However, given it was running heavily loaded for most of those miles and on the lightly trafficked French autoroutes, we'd pack 80 miles into a single hour's cruising; the fuel consumption was better than expected.
Most important, though, the 35.8 cubic feet of load space with the third row folded—30 percent more than the 110 has behind its second row—swallowed three suitcases, two roll-ons, three soft bags, assorted coats, and some small bags, with room for a case or two of some of France's finest adult beverages. With the luggage piled high, the First Edition's standard ClearSight interior rearview mirror, which shows a widescreen image from a rear facing camera, proved its worth.
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