I have to admit I never tire of seeing a convoy of Defenders heading into the wilderness: ordered, authoritative, poised. The Walter Mitty in me feels like an extra in a new Bond movie.
This drive experience, hosted by Land Rover New Zealand in December, was about using the full Defender 2026 range in terrain that removes any ambiguity around capability. Just outside Taupō, the Rangitāiki Conservation Area delivered deep ruts, soft ground, water crossings, and steep mounds and dips. The course was already well cut in, which made it a useful test of how the vehicles behaved once momentum, traction, and wheel placement really mattered.
Driving the Defender 90, 110, and 130 back to back made their differences easy to understand. The 90 felt closest in character to earlier Defenders. Without air suspension, there’s more vertical movement through the chassis, particularly at lower speeds, and more feedback coming back through the seat. It’s still highly capable, but it asks you to stay more involved. There’s a bit more bounce, a bit more physicality, and it feels nimble and stout, with an engaging drive experience.
The 110 sits in the middle and makes a strong case as the all-rounder. Its wheelbase gives it composure through ruts and on descents without feeling cumbersome on tighter sections. The 130, despite its length, remained impressively stable once the terrain became heavily cut up. With the extra length all in the back end, the platform drives and performs as it should, with more room for picnic supplies in the boot.
In deeper ruts, the Defender’s calibration really showed. Low range, traction control, and torque distribution work together to maintain momentum without constant throttle correction. The vehicle rarely feels like it is scrambling for grip. At times it manages wheel placement and traction so effectively that it feels as though it is doing most of the work for you. The result is a slightly disarming sense that even an amateur driver can move through difficult terrain with confidence.
Expert guidance from Downforce reinforced that approach. The coaching from Rich and the team focused on letting the systems work rather than forcing progress, which suited the Defender’s character. This is a thinking person’s off-road drive, where patience and calm override aggression.
It was within this context that the Defender Octa stood out. The Octa uses a 6D Dynamic air suspension system that replaces traditional anti-roll bars with hydraulically linked dampers, actively managing body movement across the vehicle. At times, you can hear the faint sound of the hydraulic system working constantly to manage the terrain. Off-road, the benefit is clear. Where you would normally expect body roll or a moment of settling as articulation increases, the Octa remains level and predictable.
Inputs feel clean, responses consistent. The vehicle feels less reactive overall, even as conditions become more complex. It is, by any reasonable measure, ridiculous. What is surprising is how calmly and coherently it puts that capability and brute power to work.
There are subtle performance cues in the Octa’s execution, including the use of carbon fibre, but the bigger surprise comes back on sealed roads. Given what it can achieve off-road, its stability and body control on asphalt feel almost out of step with expectations. It feels tight, controlled, and far removed from the compromises you might assume. With the right tyres on, it chews the tarmac in a blistering 0–100 km/h time of around four seconds. Remember, this is a 2.5-ton SUV, not a hot German station wagon.
Between drives, we stopped for lunch set up out of the back of the vehicles in the middle of the course. A generous spread appeared in a field surrounded by rutted tracks and parked Defenders, with the atmosphere of a British shoot rather than an off-road event (or catering for my Bond fantasy). It was unexpectedly civilised, and oddly fitting.
The camera-based rear-view mirror proved surprisingly useful, giving a clear view back along the course. Watching fellow drivers ahead test wading depth through muddy crossings became strangely addictive.
The vehicles we drove reflected light updates for the 2026 model year. The larger 13.1-inch centre screen made accessing vehicle settings straightforward, particularly when moving between drive modes, and two new colours, Woolstone Green and Borasco Grey, felt well judged in this environment. Beyond that, the changes are subtle. Compared to my previous Defender drives, the overall experience feels evolutionary rather than dramatically different, which speaks to how resolved the platform already is.
The day concluded at Kinloch Manor, its calm, architectural restraint offering a clear contrast to hours spent concentrating behind the wheel. It was a natural place to decompress and reflect, and importantly to admire the freshly washed Defenders in a refined environment after a day in the mud.
What stayed with me was not a single feature or obstacle, but how consistently capable the Defender felt across a wide range of conditions. It does a remarkable amount of work in the background, allowing the driver to stay focused without feeling tense or over-involved.
The modern Defender does not need to shout about what it can do. It simply gets on with the job and makes difficult terrain feel far more manageable than you expect.
Nicholas Burrowes travelled to Taupō courtesy of Land Rover New Zealand.
Main photography Kayle Lawson
Extra images Nicholas Burrowes
