![]() ![]() The Defender’s base price is even a cheaper than the Discovery - the least expensive Disco starts at $68,600 while the Defender 110’s base MSRP is $65,500 - but when you add the higher-spec engine and all its doo-dads (there’s even a V8 model to be had), it can get pretty pricey. And, despite Land Rover’s attempts to accommodate third row passengers - the seats are heated - it’s still best left for toddlers or Brutus, the pet Chihuahua. It’s only flaw is that, like the Disco, it offers a third row of seats in back. Indeed, in my road test, I gave the Defender’s décor the first 10/10 I’ve ever issued for cabin decoration. And its interior, though more Spartan again than the Discovery’s is more attractive in its rugged-outdoorsman-shops-at-Saks elegance. It’s off-road specifications - ground clearance of 291-mm along with a 38-degree approach, 29-degree break-over and 40-degree departure angles - read like a billy goat’s resume. One also gets more power - this version of the 3.0-litre turbocharged and hybridized inline six also gains an electric supercharger - the Defender boasting 395-hp which scoots it to 100 kilometres an hour in just 6.1 seconds. Article content 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 Photo by Chris Balcerak / Driving This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Visually, it’s obviously a throwback to the utilitarian Defenders of yore and you can outfit it with gear - an exterior, side-mounted gear carrier, front and rear scuff plates and my favourite, an intake snorkel, to name but a few of the add-ons - even if you’re not planning on going anywhere more challenging than the yearly time-share in the Kootenays. ![]() Featuring even greater off-road nous, the Defender has a more serious bearing, a more vivid personality if you will. You want a little more character in your Land Rover. May I suggest you look at JLR’s Defender 110. All told, the Volvo is an excellent choice for anyone looking for safety and comfort, less so if you’re looking for personality and/or off-road bona fides. For audiophiles, there’s an upgraded Bowers & Wilkins audio system that will really burst your eardrums. That said, the infotainment system can be a trial. The Volvo is also more obviously opulent inside and is well laid out. There’s also more cargo space behind the third row of seats. The Volvo’s third row is a little roomier than the Disco with more legroom and, just as importantly, has slightly better access. ![]() Article content 2021 Volvo XC90 Recharge Inscription Expression Photo by Clayton Seams Combine it with two electric motors and the whole shootin’ match is good for 400 horsepower, not only all but equaling the best of the Land Rover turbocharged sixes but offering some 29 kilometres of electric autonomy. ![]() And not just a regular PHEV, but one powered by one of the highest tech engines in the biz, a 2.0-litre inline four that is both supercharged and turbocharged. More importantly, XC90 is available as a full plug-in hybrid (for $77,600). Volvo’s XC90 has been Sweden’s flagship for so long that we sometimes forget what a revelation it was way back in 2002. You want a real plug-in hybrid rather than one of those milquetoast mild jobbies. Pity the poor buggers in that third row of seats! If that kind of thing matters to you, you always could, if you had $104,750 burning a hole in your pocket, opt for the SQ7 and its 500-hp, 4.0-litre twin turbocharged V8. While only 20-hp down on the Discovery, the Audi’s V6 is not nearly as smooth as Land Rover’s inline version nor as sweet sounding. Article contentįor $69,750, you get a 3.0-litre V6 that delivers 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. ![]()
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