{"id":173412,"date":"2025-12-08T09:10:28","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T09:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/173412\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T09:10:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T09:10:28","slug":"2026-land-rover-defender-first-drive-all-the-dirt-on-the-new-lights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/173412\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Land Rover Defender first drive: all the dirt on the new lights"},"content":{"rendered":"

What’s this new car all about then?<\/p>\n

Has it been five years already<\/a>? It\u2019s time for a Land Rover Defender refresh, although this is a very subtle one indeed.<\/p>\n

\"Land
\nLight signatures are more soothing, surrounds smoother.<\/p>\n

Can\u2019t see much change? To be honest, us either. But get your specs on, because there are new headlights and tailights; same basic shapes but darker\/smoother surrounds, and a more organic LED light signature. You notice the rear lamps more, because the slightly fussy faux-grilles above and below the main lights have gone, replaced by a smooth surface. No, really. Look carefully.<\/p>\n

The Land Rover badge on the new gloss-black grille bar has also done dark, while there\u2019s a new textured pattern on the bonnet inserts and side vents.<\/p>\n


\n Read More
\n <\/p>\n

Inside, the infotainment screen has upsized from 11.4 to 13.1 inches, while the centre console offers a more versatile range of storage options.<\/p>\n


\n
\n Advertisement <\/p>\n


\n Advertise with NZME.<\/a> \n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Land
\nLarger infotainment screen is the big interior change.<\/p>\n

A Driver Attention Monitor can now be added as an option; it monitors the driver\u2019s face and warns of distraction (it can still be adjusted or disabled via the infotainment screen).<\/p>\n

These are subtle changes, but you could argue Defender doesn’t need ’em anyway. NZ sales are up 53% yeat-to-date.<\/p>\n

There are a couple of quite swish new colours. Woolstone Green is inspired by the Woolstone waterfall in the UK (Oxfordshire), displaying different shades depending on the light. Barasco Grey references a silver mine in California, with a muted hue enhanced by small flecks of silver in the finish.<\/p>\n

\"Land
\nThat one is Woolstone Green, that one is Barasco Grey (and further away).<\/p>\n

Like we said, subtle changes. You could argue the Defender doesn\u2019t really need \u2019em anyway. It\u2019s going gangbusters in New Zealand, with sales up 53% year-to-date.<\/p>\n

Customer experiences are a key part of the Land Rover proposition. The brand\u2019s dealers have run over 40 regional adventure-type drives this year alone.<\/p>\n


\n
\n Advertisement <\/p>\n


\n Advertise with NZME.<\/a> \n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the economic headwinds, Defender has continued to be one of NZ\u2019s automotive success stories,\u201d says Jaguar Land Rover NZ general manager Ben Montgomery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How much is it?<\/p>\n

We won\u2019t go too much into the fine detail of models and pricing, simply because there\u2019s a limit to the space we have. The Defender lineup is still fairly comprehensive for NZ, with the short-wheelbase 90, the mainstream 110 and the extended 130 all with a variety of powertrains and specification levels.<\/p>\n

\"Land
\nThe 110 (pictured) is the core size, but there are still smaller 90 and larger 130 models.<\/p>\n

The entry Defender 90 D250 S starts at $130,000. The 110 D350 is the most popular model and starts at $152,900, while the 130 opens at $174,900.<\/p>\n

The Land Rover NZ-curated 425 Edition, which pairs the classic 5.0-litre V8 engine with a few choice off-road-themed accessories, continues across all three body shapes at $184,900-$199,900.<\/p>\n

\"Land
\nWe let Octa come along, even though this is the old one. Well, who’s going to say anything?<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s the highly specialised Octa<\/a> that still tops the range by a very long way\u2026 only available as a 110, at a start price of $314,900.<\/p>\n

What’s it like to drive?<\/p>\n

Customer experiences are a key part of the Land Rover proposition in NZ. The brand\u2019s dealers have run over 40 regional adventure-type drives this year alone, and Montgomery says head office is bringing back the Defender Journey programme: \u201cIt\u2019s a 2-3 day tour, normally in the South Island, to areas you wouldn\u2019t normally have access to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"
Land Rover takes owners on these adventures. We enjoy them more when it’s not our car.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the professional team at Downforce [driver training], you get to drive on and off-road in a very special environment and make the most of NZ.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lovely off-tarmac among the scenery, punctuated by curated 4×4 obstacles to show just how capable and effortless these things are.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, the media launch for the refreshed Defender was a bit of off-road convoy work in the Tahorakuri Forest area, off the Napier-Taupo Highway. We had 90s and 110s to drive in diesel and V8 petrol formats, plus the Octa super-off-road model in the mix – albeit in previous-generation guise, with the upgrades on the way for that model next year. No matter, always nice to have the $300k monster along for the ride.<\/p>\n

\"Land
\nJust a nice drive along a stream. Perfectly normal.<\/p>\n

The idea was a lovely off-tarmac among the scenery, punctuated by curated 4×4 obstacles to show just how capable and effortless these things are.<\/p>\n

Yep, the course was carefully chosen and checked, as they always are. But there\u2019s no denying the phenomenal 4×4 ability of these things, which may be a favourite for the posh city suburbs, but are still designed and built to tackle the toughest terrain.<\/p>\n

\"Land
\nDefender, you’ve got a little something in your eye.<\/p>\n

A standard Defender is smooth in itself, but it was also illuminating to switch back and forth into the Octa, with its highly sophisticated cross-linked \u201c6D\u201d suspension setup. It\u2019s on another level\u2026 as it should be for the price. And remember it\u2019s the only Defender to have the new BMW-sourced 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, compared to the classic supercharged 5.0-litre in the other Defender V8s.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the pick of the range?<\/p>\n

Good question. They\u2019re all luxurious and highly capable. Let\u2019s take the Octa out of the equation, because it\u2019s a whole other thing. And a six-figure sum of money more than most other Defenders.<\/p>\n

The 110 D350 is the most popular model in NZ, but we have a soft spot for the 425 Edition, which you can have as a 90, 110 or 130.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a particular specification created by Land Rover NZ that pairs the much-loved 5.0-litre supercharged V8 – which won\u2019t be with us much longer, remember – with some tasteful 4×4-themed accessories such as big mudflaps, side steps, exposed recovery hooks and extra-rubbery trim inside. It\u2019s a little bit of the Octa vibe for $125k less.<\/p>\n

What other cars should I consider?<\/p>\n

Big SUVs with lots of luxury and proper 4×4 ability and heritage? You can\u2019t ignore the Mercedes G-Class ($213,900-$344,900), including the pure-electric G580 model.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"
Yeah, they do look better with a bit of mud.<\/p>\n

You also can\u2019t ignore the Ineos Grenadier, which is a newcomer but takes most of its inspiration from the previous Defender and any G-Class; that\u2019s $120,000-$134,500 for the Station Wagon version.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d also throw the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 in there. Not a luxury brand, but you cannot argue with the heritage\/cred and there\u2019s even a fancy GR Sport version ($139,990-$159,990).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What’s this new car all about then? Has it been five years already? It\u2019s time for a Land…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[35539,433,138,26848,79366,9476,2027,111745,206,59210,111,139,69,762,763],"class_list":["post-173412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-4x4","tag-adventure","tag-business","tag-defender","tag-first-drive","tag-hybrid","tag-ice","tag-land-rover","tag-luxury","tag-mhev","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-review","tag-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}