Auto Spies Agent 001 here — after one last perfect spring, summer, and this fall behind the wheel, I finally get it. I’ve owned more Wranglers and Broncos than I can count on both hands, and I always thought I understood the love. Turns out I didn’t. Not even close.

The Defender isn’t just better — it’s in a different league. Criminally underrated.

Enter the Land Rover Defender 110 diesel on Howard Ritchie's Cars Uncovered.

We all know this is a hero car. We’ve seen the videos, the expeditions, the impossible places it’s been. But what almost no one talks about is just how incredibly usable, refined, and downright desirable it is every single day.

There are cars we can live without… and then there’s the Defender. One of the last of its kind: mechanical, alive, built to survive anything the world throws at it — at a time when the world is quietly deciding cars like this might not exist much longer.

This is your shot at one of the most iconic off-roaders ever made, with the 6-cylinder hybrid motor (can’t get the best engine in the USA, the 6 cyl diesel which he reviews in the video)and engineering that feels more like instinct than technology.

Mine has the County package because I love the vintage look and the white wheels like my old 1979 Jeep Renegade. Air Suspension, Heads-up display, Meridien sound, Cold Climate, and a number of other options.

* Electronic Air Suspension with Adaptive Dynamics — rides like a luxury SUV until you need it not to
* Cold Climate Pack (heated washer jets, headlight power wash)
* Sliding panoramic roof with electric blind
* Heads-Up display

It’ll still wade 35 inches of water with no extra mods, tow 3,500 kg, carry big weight on the roof — and somehow costs much less than a comparable BMW X5.

It also didn’t hurt buying a service loaner with only 5k miles and unlimited mileage LR bumper to bumper warranty for over $18k off the original MSRP. 

Which ended up being only $4k more than a loaded Jeep Rubicon with a $20k discount. 

Mileage is impressive at 21 MPG average around town. Haven't tested it on a long trip yet but my guess is 

You may never need every ounce of what it can do.

But there’s something deeply, profoundly human about knowing you could.

Enter on Howard Ritchie's Cars Uncovered. Enjoy his lovefest that only a Brit could do as well. And enjoy shots of mine. BRILLIANT! INNIT? 

Special thanks to Sammi Naoum at Land Rover of Troy, Michigan and Eric Vergith at Land Rover Flatirons, Colorado.