2021 Land Rover Defender

VEHICLE HIGHLIGHTS

Land Rover Defender safety rating

Land Rover Defender

Land Rover's Defender isn’t just another plush SUV playing dress-up. It’s the kind of machine that’ll take a pounding on the Lesotho border and still scrub up for the Sandton school run. Old-school reputation? Absolutely, but with everything from plug-in hybrid to diesel and petrol under the bonnet, it’s kept pace with what 2024 expects. You get manual or auto, depending on how old-school you want to go—though, let’s be real, most buyers just want it to look good parked outside Tasha’s. With only 17 used listings out there, stretching from R349,900 for a well-worn oldie to nearly R1,7-million for a barely-used D300 HSE X-Dynamic 110, you’re not exactly spoiled for choice. Every one of these is used, which says a lot about how tightly the new ones are held onto, or how niche the buyer really is. Negotiating? It’s a lucky packet—some sellers know what they’ve got, others just want out. The spread’s wild: a 2.2D Station Wagon 110 at R649,900 is your ticket into Defender life without paying for the fancy badge, while the median circles just under R1-million, so you’re playing with serious money. Mileage averages around 90,000 km, so these aren’t garage queens. Why do some South Africans still pick the Defender over something like a Land Cruiser 300? It comes down to that unmistakable, boxy silhouette and a cabin that’s finally loaded with proper safety tech and actual physical controls—no faffing with touchscreens when you’re bouncing around the Cederberg. The G-Class? Double the money for the same off-road cred. The Grenadier? It’s got the attitude, but not the heritage. For some, that matters. And for the rest who just want the badge, there are cheaper ways to fake it, but the Defender, on paper at least, still feels like the genuine article.