Yahoo Autos The Defender Was More Old-School Than the G-Wagen
The outgoing Mercedes G-Wagen was one of the most old-school cars still on sale-so much so, Mercedes had to radically redesign it in order to keep selling it. But, the G wasn't the absolute most old-school-that honor might go to the Land Rover Defender, which went out of production in 2016. Just look at one of the last Heritage editions for proof.
One of these end-of-an-era Defenders is the star of this video from Fifth Gear host Jonny Smith and Grand Tour writer Richard Porter, who owns this Grasmere Green beauty. Porter's Land Rover was built towards the end of 2015, but you might not realize that by looking at it. The details harken back to pre-Defender Land Rover military vehicles, but the interior is just old. A lot of the switchgear, Porter notes, comes from the British Leyland parts bin. Timely reminder: British Leyland went bust in 1986.
For comparison, the basic bones of the old G-Wagen dated back to the late 1970s, but Mercedes upgraded a lot over the years. A 2018 G550, for example, sports Mercedes' latest 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and mostly modern interior trimmings and tech. The last Defenders had much less modernity, and that's a big part of why they're so beloved.
"It's like my dog in a number of ways," Porter says. "Because it's sort of technically crap, but I love it a lot. Even though it's deeply flawed and sometimes quite annoying."
A new Defender will arrive sometime next year, but it'll be quite a different machine from this old one. It'll come to the US for the first time since 1997, which is good, but it'll ride on the aluminum unibody platform of the Range Rover. The new G-Wagen, by contrast, still rides on an old-school ladder frame, though it does have independent front suspension.
I think that means this old Defender will continue to be loved for a long time to come, even if it is "deeply flawed."
You Might Also Like
