Yet, despite a budget that must pay for talents only a small percentage of owners are likely to experience, the new Defender has been a massive success locally and globally. Somehow, I notice more in the Sandton CBD than anywhere else. It truly straddles Land Rover’s dual worlds of luxury and workhorse SUV perfectly.

It’s not as plush as a Range Rover, but I’d feel much happier taking this through the muddy tracks of the Free State than its more lavish sibling. Hose the mud and dust off at the end of the day, and it holds its own at the fanciest valet stands in Sandton or Hyde Park.

Regardless of the door count, there’s a visual heft to the Defender that it shares with its Range Rover cousins – a chunky solidity that is classic yet modern. For 2026, Land Rover has introduced some subtle but impactful exterior updates. The most notable are the new flush-mounted rear lights with a dark smoked finish, giving the back a much cleaner, more integrated look. Up front, the new light technology features a redesigned signature graphic that makes it immediately identifiable at night.

Our test model, finished in the stunning Woolstone Green, stood out beautifully against the sandstone cliffs of Clarens and the Golden Gate National Park. Land Rover continues to favour simplistic wheel designs – 20-inches in this case – which offer plentiful sidewall. This pays dividends for road comfort on the long drive from Johannesburg and ensures you won’t ding an expensive alloy the moment you venture off the tarmac.

One of the most welcome updates for 2026 is the addition of the soft-close rear door. The side-hinged tailgate has always been heavy, especially with a spare wheel attached, but now you no longer need to slam it shut; a gentle push is all it takes for the vacuum motor to pull it into place.

Inside, the cabin has moved away from the 11.4-inch unit to a new 13.1-inch curved glass touchscreen. Running the latest Pivi Pro system, it’s faster, crisper, and much easier to read in the bright South African sun. Complementing this is the 12.3-inch Interactive Driver Display placed directly in the driver’s eyeline. It’s highly configurable, allowing you to prioritise full-screen navigation, traditional dials, or vital vehicle data, ensuring you stay informed without needing to look away from the path ahead. As a new addition, you can even have Waze or Google maps from Apple Carplay or Android Auto projected on the Driver Display. While the Range Rover goes for total minimalism, the Defender remains practical, retaining physical knobs for the dual-zone HVAC and drive modes.

The interior remains a masterclass in utility and chic, featuring rugged powder-coated cross-car beams and exposed bolt heads. Storage is everywhere: from the deep, rubber-lined trough ahead of the front passenger to the console refrigerator compartment that’s perfect for keeping drinks chilled on a long drive to Clarens.

The 2026 Defender is a technology hub designed for the modern adventurer. You’ll find USB-C charging ports distributed throughout the rows: dedicated ports in the first row (including one for data), two in the second row, and two in the third row, ensuring everyone’s devices stay powered. Wireless device charging is also standard although terribly slow.

On the safety front, the Defender is packed with advanced driver assistance features, including Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Assist, and Lane Keep Assist. The 3D Surround Camera with ClearSight Ground View is a game-changer when navigating tight Sandton parking or tricky off-road obstacles, effectively making the bonnet “transparent” on your screen.

In our 5+2 seat configuration, the boot space is versatile. With the “plus two” seats folded into the floor, you have plenty of room for a weekend’s worth of gear. Pop them up, and you have kid-scale seating perfect for the school run, though adults will find it a squeeze.

On the road to the Free State, the D350 straight-six mild-hybrid diesel proved to be the absolute sweet spot in the range. With 257 kW and a massive 700 Nm of torque, it never feels slow or ponderous. The eight-speed automatic transmission is masterfully calibrated, ensuring there is always grunt to spare for overtaking on the single-carriage roads heading into the mountains.

The Defender isn’t exactly nimble – its 2.6-tonne heft is always apparent – but it is incredibly smooth. The air suspension lopes through highway stretches with a stately aplomb. Point it at a gravel track, and it becomes a “stately goat.”

The driving experience is defined by the Terrain Response 2 system. With the flick of a switch, you can reconfigure the transmission, suspension, and traction settings for almost any condition, from deep mud and ruts to sand or tarmac. You also have access to All Terrain Progress Control, which manages engine output and braking to maintain a preset speed in challenging terrain, letting you focus solely on steering. For highway cruising, the Adaptive Off-Road Cruise Control makes long-distance travel significantly more comfortable.

The big question with any Land Rover is always reliability. While the brand has worked hard to improve its reputation, they back the 2026 model with a comprehensive five-year/100 000 km maintenance plan.

Finding an SUV that occupies the middle ground between genuine off-road talent, on-road manners, and a healthy serving of prestige is a difficult task. The new Defender 110 does exactly that, but with a personality that makes it all too easy to overlook the premium price tag. It is more SUV than most of us really need, but that does nothing to dampen its immense appeal.

Priced from approximately R2 090 900 for the D350 X-Dynamic HSE, the Defender remains the gold standard for those who want their luxury to come with a side of true adventure. I’d definitely recommend you get one.

To truly put a car through its paces, you can’t just drive it around Sandton for a week. No, you need to live with it, push it, and take it on an adventure. That’s exactly what we did with the 2025 Land Rover Discovery D350. We packed our bags and embarked on the ultimate road trip, all the way from Johannesburg down to Cape Town, and then cruising along the coast to the beautiful town of Knysna. After covering well over 3,000 kilometers, I’m here to tell you everything you need to know.

The Long Haul: Power and Poise on the N1

The first leg of our journey was the big one: the long, straight stretch from Joburg to Cape Town. This is where a car can either become your best friend or your worst enemy, and let me tell you, the Discovery is the best friend you could ask for. That 3.0-litre inline-6 diesel engine is an absolute beast. With 700 Nm of torque on tap, overtaking the long lines of trucks on the N1 was completely effortless. A gentle squeeze of the throttle and we were gone. This car is not lazy at all.

But the real star of the show on a trip like this is the comfort. The standard air suspension just soaks up the road, making the nearly 1,400-kilometre drive feel incredibly smooth. The seats are unbelievably comfortable, and with those soft headrests for everyone, we arrived in Cape Town feeling fresh and ready to explore.

Coastal Cruising: Your Luxurious Home on Wheels

After a few days in the Mother City, we pointed the Discovery towards the Garden Route. This is where the car’s brilliant handling came to life. For a big seven-seater, it handles the winding coastal roads beautifully, with surprisingly little body roll. The high driving position gives you a proper bird’s-eye view, which was perfect for soaking in those incredible ocean vistas. With the Meridian sound system providing the perfect road trip playlist, it was pure driving bliss.

This is also where the interior proved it’s more than just a pretty space. It’s your home on wheels. We had snacks in the cubby compartments, valuables tucked away in the clever hidden storage bin, and the built-in fridge in the center console? My friends, that is a complete game-changer! Pulling out an ice-cold drink while cruising past Wilderness is a level of road trip luxury, I think every family deserves.

Watch our 2025 Land Rover Discovery D350 Review on YouTube below

Tech That Makes the Journey a Breeze

Throughout our entire 3,000-kilometre adventure, the tech in the Discovery worked flawlessly. The large Pivi Pro infotainment screen made navigation a dream, and the bright heads-up display meant my eyes stayed on the beautiful road ahead. It’s all so intuitive and just works, which is exactly what you want when you’re covering this much ground.

The Final Verdict: The Perfect Discovery for a South African Adventure?

So, after living with this car across three provinces and over thousands of kilometers, what’s the final verdict? The 2025 Land Rover Discovery D350 isn’t just a great family SUV: it’s the perfect family adventure machine. It has the space, the comfort, the tech, and the power to take you and your loved ones anywhere in this beautiful country in absolute style.

We averaged about 9.2 liters per 100 km on our trip, which for a massive SUV loaded with gear and our luggage, is honestly what you’d expect. With prices starting around the R2 million mark, it’s a premium car with a premium price tag. But after this incredible journey, I can tell you it’s worth every cent for the memories you’ll create. It’s a beautiful car and, without a doubt, the ultimate road trip companion.

As a competitive all-rounder, the Land Rover Discovery starts at a significantly lower price than its core German competitors. Even when you move up to a higher-specification model like the Dynamic HSE (approx. R2,137,000) to match the features of the base BMW X7, it remains competitively priced. Its key advantage is that Land Rover’s comprehensive off-road technology and air suspension are standard, whereas rivals often require additional packages for similar capability.

The all-electric Range Rover is currently being put through its paces in temperatures ranging from -40°C in the Arctic Circle to a scorching +50°C in Middle Eastern deserts. This initial phase focuses on the battery and Electric Drive Unit (EDU) – the vehicle’s heart, including the motor, transmission, and power electronics. Notably, both the battery and EDU are assembled in-house by JLR for the first time.

Testing on frozen Swedish lakes highlights a key focus: ensuring the electric Range Rover retains its off-road prowess. Land Rover claims its new electric propulsion system will even surpass the existing Range Rover’s performance on low-grip surfaces. This will allow the electric model to maintain the brand’s reputation for conquering any terrain, in any weather.

A major innovation for Range Rover is the new traction control system designed specifically for electric power. Unlike traditional systems reliant on the ABS unit, the electric Range Rover distributes wheel slip management to each individual electric drive control unit. This reduces torque reaction time at each wheel from 100 milliseconds to a mere 1 millisecond.

According to Thomas Mueller, Executive Director of Product Engineering at JLR, the electric Range Rover “means customary Range Rover luxury, refinement and capability plus near-silent fully electric propulsion; with effortlessly smooth and relaxed journeys.”

Zero-Emission Power on the Go

This isn’t your average battery bank. The Allye MAX BESS takes seven used battery packs from Range Rover and Range Rover Sport PHEVs and gives them a new lease on life. These second-life batteries are simply removed from the vehicles and placed in customized racks, avoiding unnecessary processing.

Each BESS unit can store a whopping 270kWh of energy, enough to power the average UK household for almost a month. But that’s not all. It can also charge up to nine Range Rover PHEVs simultaneously.

Hello Clean Energy

The MAX BESS is a game-changer for off-grid events and remote testing. Traditionally, the automotive industry has relied on polluting diesel generators. The JLR engineering team is using the BESS to power the testing of the new Range Rover Electric, launching later this year, with zero emissions.

This switch is a big deal. A typical diesel generator burns through 16 liters of fuel per hour, generating a staggering 129.12kg of CO2 for just three hours of usage. JLR estimates that using the BESS for over 1,000 hours of testing will save more than 15,494kg of CO2 over a year – that’s the equivalent of one passenger taking seven round-trip flights from London to New York.

More Than Just Testing

The versatile BESS unit weighs less than 3.5 tons, making it perfectly portable. This allows it to be used for various applications, from providing energy storage for retailers to acting as a buffer for JLR’s network of over 3,000 retailers to support fast-charging electric vehicles where grid connections are weak.

The good news is, the BESS units won’t be exclusive to JLR. The company plans to make them commercially available for anyone to use.

JLR South Africa said earlier today that it will incorporate both its new and used vehicles with the voice-activated what3words system, which divides the world into a grid to give each 3m x 3m square an address of three random words. The rollout means an estimated 350,000 vehicles will have the system. Drivers can use the system to navigate to any precise location worldwide, even without a data connection.

Navigation systems are becoming a key differentiator for car companies as they focus on screen size and digital features instead of the hardware under the hood. At least eight automakers, including Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Lamborghini, have integrated what3words technology into their vehicles so far this year.

JLR is the first to deliver it to vehicles already on the road through an over-the-air update. The rollout with JLR is through a partnership between what3words and Here Technologies. In 2020, the two companies teamed up to allow OEMs using Here’s navigation platform to include what3words as an in-car nav feature directly through the Here Search API.

The announcement is the latest example of how infotainment systems in vehicles have become a battleground for tech companies.

Early last week Apple announced updates to its next-generation CarPlay system, which will power the vehicle’s entire instrument cluster. Its displays will go beyond navigation and infotainment features to provide information on the vehicle’s speed, climate control and other diagnostics. Last month, Google announced upgrades to Android Auto to accommodate for larger screens by allowing split-screen displays.

What3words assigns a unique combination of three words to 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares of Earth. It’s more accurate than traditional voice-based navigation systems, which tend to provide a list of most likely matches rather than a precise destination.

For example, a driver who needs to go to the Gautrain Station in Sandton can say “Take me to dispose.geology.career,” allowing the system to bypass the other stations named “Gautrain” in Gauteng.

However, security researchers have concerns about the system’s reliability, finding that the voice commands may route the system to a different location whose three words sound similar.

What3words and other advanced navigation systems also serve as a stepping stone for eventual self-driving cars to navigate to precise pre-programmed destinations. HERE’s end-to-end system provides real-time traffic data, turn-by-turn guidance and information to find on- and off-street parking.

Despite Land Rover making several changes, there’s no hiding the resemblance of this teaser to the interior of the new Range Rover. We’ve already seen a couple of teasers of the Sport, including a few camouflaged shots here and there. Plus, Land Rover essentially showed us an unvarnished look at the front, revealing more sharper lights, while concealing the remainder of the grille.

What we’re waiting for now are the specs and features that will separate the Sport from the bigger Range Rover version. You’ll be able to tune in on May 10 at 8pm Mzansi time to see the reveal happen live, and then you can read all about it on TWFLD directly after.

While initial reviews from yesteryear– ours included – were positive, one omission was under the bonnet. Land Rover launched the Defender with a pair of inline-six engines as the biggest on offer, not exactly slow but also not having that V8 grunt that some fans (myself included) of the SUVs really wanted. Happily, it has been corrected for the new 2022 model year.

The 2022 Defender V8 has a 5.0-liter supercharged V8, with 386 kW of power and 625 Nm of torque. It is offered in both the Defender 110 and Defender 90 body styles – with five and three doors, respectively – with the latter doing 0-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 240 km/h. That’ll make it the fastest and most powerful production Defender ever, Land Rover says. And we agree.

For our review, we were granted the 90 model. As you’d expect, all-wheel drive is standard, along with special suspension and transmission tuning. There’s a new Electronic Active Rear Differential which deliver improvements in handling and body control, and an eight-speed automatic transmission. A new Dynamic program in the Terrain Response system is exclusive to the V8 SUVs, intended for more spirited driving on asphalt and loose surfaces.

Helping there, there is larger solid anti-roll bars, and retuned Continuously Variable Damping. Torque vectoring with braking is supported, with Land Rover fitting Xenon Blue front brake calipers for the 15-inch front discs. V8-exclusive 22-inch alloy wheels and quad tailpipes add mean styling to the defender. Our Defender 90 V8 came in Santorini Black – with Shadow Atlas exterior trim detailing, but if that’s not up your alley there’s also Carpathian Grey and Yulong White, both with a contrast Narvik Black roof colour options.

See our video review of the Defender 90 V8 below.

Inside, there is special Ebony Windsor Leather with Mike Suedecloth and Robustec accents. The exposed cross-car beam running along the dashboard is finished in Satin Black. The steering wheel gets Alcantara on the rim and satin chrome paddle-shifters, along with leather on the airbag housing that matches the gear selector trim. Finally, the illuminated tread plates have V8 badging.

For other specs, there’s the electronic air suspension, adaptive dynamics, tri-zone climate control, and adaptive cruise control. It also features the updated Pivi Pro infotainment system, which is new for the 2022 model year. That has wireless device charging with a phone signal booster, plus can be had with a larger 11.4-inch touchscreen with curved glass.

Land Rover has simplified the menu structure, and there’s new navigation with dynamic guidance. Intelligent route learning promises to figure out your common routes and propose them – complete with adjustments for traffic – when you get into the car.

Pricing for the 2022 Defender V8 retails from R2.3m.

The P510e Extended-Range Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), as it is technically known, offers exceptional efficiency with up to 113km of EV range, exceeding initial expectations. At its reveal last year, Land Rover suggested an EV range of 100km would be attainable.

Under the bonnet you’ll find a combination of a 38kWh lithium-ion battery, 105kW electric motor and 3.0-litre six-cylinder Ingenium engine. This powers the Range Rover PHEV from 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds.

New Range Rover PHEV is available in South Africa in Autobiography and flagship SV trim levels, with an exclusive First Edition available during the first year of production. Meanwhile, pricing is from R3,527,000.

The partnership will see all new Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles being built on the NVIDIA DRIVE software-defined platform—delivering a wide spectrum of active safety, automated driving and parking systems as well as driver assistance systems. Inside the vehicle, the system will deliver AI features, including driver and occupant monitoring as well as advanced visualisation of the vehicle’s environment.

How does all of this work?

Well, according to the release, this full-stack solution is based on NVIDIA’s DRIVE Hyperion, which features DRIVE Orin centralised AV computers; DRIVE AV and DRIVE IX software; safety, security and networking systems; plus, surround sensors. 

In essence, DRIVE Orin is the AI brain of the car and runs the Jaguar Land Rover Operating System, while DRIVE Hyperion is the central nervous system.

This technology will be made available on vehicles released from 2025 onwards.

There’s also privacy glass and a panoramic roof, red brake calipers and 19-inch Gloss Black wheels in ‘Style 5106’.

Inside, its enriched with beautifully crafted Satin Charcoal Ash veneers, while bright metal pedals add a further finishing touch. There’s also Jaguar’s Premium Cabin Lighting feature, which offers a choice of 30 colours in place of the previous 10. The Pivi Pro infotainment system we’ve seen in other Jaguar Land Rover models is now present here too; In the XF it already has a range of embedded apps, including Spotify, and Apple CarPlay® as standard. Android Auto is standard too.

Jaguar says wireless Apple CarPlay will become available to customers in a software-over-the-air (SOTA) update. No word on wireless Android Auto yet.

Under the bonnet is a choice of two engines to choose from. There’s the 147kW D200 diesel engine good for 430 Nm of torque. Then there’s the petrol P250 engine which delivers 184 kW and 365 Nm of torque and enables the XF to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.9 seconds with a top speed of 250km/h.

Pricing for the Jaguar XF R-Dynamic Black D200 is set at R1 122 000 while the P250 will set you back R1 118 600.

Fot those not aware, the Formula E shatters every preconceived notion of car racing you might have. It is much a novelty for racing fans as it is for technology fans. For in what world would you hear about Qualcomm’s wireless charging technologies playing a critical role in racing events, at least in safety cars. The relatively quieter hum of electronic motors, and even the rather odd “voting” system for “Fanboost” truly makes the FIA Formula E not your grandfather’s car race.

The race is even more special for Jaguar, whose return to racing through the Formula E was announced back in 2015, also making it the car maker’s first time to enter the all-electric racing event. Back then, if you can remember, it also named Panasonic as its sponsor with the announcement of the Jaguar I-Type 1 and the Panasonic Jaguar Racing.

The Cape Town round will be the first FIA World Championship single-seater race in South Africa since the 1993 South African Grand Prix. The provisional dates are 26 March 2022.

Not only that, it also goes above and beyond when it comes to tackling off-road terrain that would have most other sport-utility vehicles in its class breaking out the maps to try to find a paved road around.

That the Discovery Landmark Edition is so effective on road and off, without compromising daily driving comfort, is an impressive accomplishment, and also a big part of what differentiates Land Rover from its rivals Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi. While the Discovery’s capabilities are well proved off road, we kept the Landmark on road for our test period, driving through famous landmarks in the Sandton area and surrounds.

Let’s take a look at our favourite things you need to know about keeping the Land Rover Discovery Landmark on-road.

First Impressions Count

When creating the Discovery Landmark Edition, engineers at Land Rover took the well-appointed SE as a starting point, then added the Dynamic Pack, which includes a more purposeful front bumper design and Narvik Black mesh grille and fender vents. Those with a discerning eye will appreciate the Narvik Black nameplate scripting on the bonnet and tailgate that is also joined by unique Landmark badging on the tailgate.

The exterior is also marked out by a fixed panoramic roof, front fog lights and signature tail lights, while privacy glass and 20-inch Gloss Black wheels complete the modern and contemporary look perfect for city cruising.

Step Inside

Jump inside the Discovery Landmark and the first thing you notice is the ultra plus interior, which is available with a choice of three premium Windsor leather colourways with contrast stitching. A Satin Brushed Aluminium centre console and titanium mesh finishers also set it apart from the rest of the Discovery line, with the 380W Meridian Sound System.

For the techies at heart, there’s Android Auto and Apple Carplay as standard.

The Discovery Landmark Edition is available exclusively with a 190kW/600Nm 3.0-litre TD6 engine paired with 8-speed automatic transmission.