Defender 110 Trophy Edition Review: Dressed For Adventure

There are cars that attract attention because they're expensive. Others because they're fast.

Then there's this.

And before we go any further, it's worth getting something straight: Defender is now a brand in its own right. Under JLR's House of Brands strategy, Defender now sits alongside Range Rover, Discovery and Jaguar as one of four distinct marques. Land Rover hasn't disappeared - its heritage still underpins Defender - but the name above the door, figuratively speaking, is now simply Defender.

Which makes the Defender 110 Trophy Edition rather interesting. Because if Defender is going to establish an identity of its own, this might be one of the clearest expressions of what that identity is supposed to be.

Park a Defender 110 Trophy Edition in Deep Sandglow Yellow somewhere in Singapore and people look at it as though you've just returned from crossing the Sahara instead of, more realistically, collecting coffee from Arab Street.

That's partly because the modern Defender remains one of the most distinctive SUVs around. But the Trophy Edition takes an already imposing vehicle and decorates it with enough expedition equipment to suggest your weekend plans involve considerably more than IKEA.

And the wonderful thing is, most of it actually serves a purpose.

On the Outside

The Trophy Edition pays tribute to Defender's long association with international off-road challenges, and Deep Sandglow Yellow is unquestionably the colour to have. Against a regular Defender 110, there's plenty separating this one visually.

You get contrasting Gloss Black detailing, Trophy graphics and 20-inch Gloss Black wheels (aka ‘steelies’) wrapped in all-terrain tyres.

Then come the serious-looking bits: An Expedition Roof Rack sits upstairs, accompanied by a deployable roof ladder; then let's not forget the must-have raised air intake and classic mud flaps.

Suddenly, a regular Defender 110 looks almost… underdressed.

Admittedly, most Trophy Editions in Singapore will probably spend considerably more time negotiating multi-storey carparks than muddy trails. With that expedition roof rack fitted, height-limit signs suddenly deserve considerably more attention - trust me, I almost forgot about it several times.

But that's almost irrelevant when it looks damn fantastic.

The Defender's upright proportions, short overhangs and square shoulders already give it tremendous road presence. Add all this expedition jewellery and that Sandglow Yellow paintwork, and you've got something that turns heads without requiring enormous wheels, carbon fibre or an exhaust system audible from Johor Bahru.

The Inside Story

Interior wise, things calm down considerably. That's probably sensible anyway, as you wouldn't want Sandglow Yellow leather everywhere; unless your ambition was to recreate the inside of a school bus.

Instead, you get Ebony Windsor leather and Trophy-specific detailing and illuminated metal treadplates to provide subtle reminders that you've bought the special one.

The rest remains recognisably Defender, which is no bad thing.

There's an honesty to its architecture that still works beautifully. The dashboard is upright, storage spaces are everywhere and important controls remain suitably chunky. Yet, this isn't some agricultural off-roader pretending luxury doesn't matter.

The seats are comfortable, build quality feels suitably substantial and the large Pivi Pro touchscreen provides enough technology without making the cabin resemble an electronics showroom.

Space remains one of the Defender 110's greatest strengths too. Five adults fit comfortably, while the broad, airy cabin makes longer journeys genuinely pleasant.

And despite all the Trophy equipment bolted to the outside, practicality hasn't been sacrificed. There's a substantial 853-litres of cargo capacity behind. Should that somehow not be enough, well, there's always that enormous roof rack.

Technically Speaking

Look at that raised air intake, all-terrain rubber, mud flaps and expedition rack and you'd expect something suitably enormous under the bonnet.

Instead, Singapore gets the P300e plug-in hybrid. Its 1,997 cc turbocharged four-cylinder works with an electric motor to produce a combined 296 bhp and, more importantly for something this substantial, 625 Nm. Power goes through an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels.

Despite weighing 2,538 kg - before you've loaded the family, luggage and questionable Decathlon purchases - it'll still reach 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds.

That's plenty.

There's also a huge 90-litre fuel tank, while the plug-in hybrid system provides the option of handling shorter journeys electrically when there's sufficient charge.

More importantly, underneath all the Trophy decoration remains proper Defender engineering: You still have the four-wheel-drive and off-road hardware that makes the Defender considerably more capable than most owners will ever require, while air suspension combines independent double wishbones up front with a multi-link arrangement behind.

So despite looking like somebody enthusiastically attacked a Defender with an accessories catalogue, this isn't cosplay - it remains the real thing.

Driving Experience

At more than 2.5-tonnes, nobody is mistaking this for a Lotus. Yet the Defender has always possessed an uncanny ability to disguise its considerable mass.

Around Singapore, the first thing you notice is the commanding driving position. You sit high, that enormous bonnet stretches ahead and, suddenly, practically everything else on the road seems to have become a hatchback.

Better still, get onto the expressway and something rather amusing happens - move into the fastest lane and you suddenly feel like Moses. Traffic ahead simply parts.

I'm not suggesting you should use a bright yellow, two-and-a-half-tonne Defender to intimidate other motorists, obviously. But there's something about seeing that enormous square face filling the rear-view mirror that apparently encourages remarkable lane discipline. No flashing of headlights required, too.

Away from biblical traffic management, the Trophy is surprisingly civilised. The steering remains light enough that manoeuvring it around town isn't the upper-body workout its dimensions suggest, while the air suspension does an excellent job of taking the aggression out of Singapore's less-than-perfect surfaces.

You'll, nevertheless, remain acutely aware that this thing is 5,018 mm long and 2,008 mm wide. Throw in that Expedition Roof Rack and suddenly carpark height-limit signs become compulsory reading rather than background decoration.

Once the road opens up, however, that 625 Nm makes itself useful. It doesn't explode forward like some unnecessarily powerful performance SUV, but there's enough muscular shove to make overtaking effortless. Electric assistance also helps get all that metal moving smoothly from a standstill.

Ask more of it through corners and physics eventually taps you on the shoulder. There's body movement, and you're always aware of the Defender's height and mass.

But that's hardly criticism. What impresses is how composed everything remains. You don't attack corners in this; you flow through them, sitting high above everyone else while feeling mildly pleased with your life choices.

The four-cylinder engine isn't particularly memorable when worked hard - you'd hardly describe its soundtrack as worthy of all that expedition equipment - but the overall drivetrain gets the job done effectively.

And beneath you remains the reassuring knowledge that if the tarmac suddenly ends, the Defender probably won't care.

Well, you might; it won't.

In A Nutshell

You don't need the Trophy Edition to understand why the Defender 110 is so appealing.

A regular Defender gives you essentially the same commanding driving position, spacious cabin, impressive comfort and serious off-road engineering.

The Trophy Edition's appeal is considerably less rational. And that's precisely why I like it.

The expedition roof rack, deployable ladder, raised air intake, side-mounted gear carrier, mud flaps, all-terrain tyres, gloss black detailing and Trophy graphics make it feel properly decorated straight out of the factory. Nothing looks like an aftermarket addition ordered online at 2:00 AM after watching too many overlanding videos…

Then there's its limited run. That rarity turns the Trophy Edition from simply another Defender derivative into something genuinely desirable. More importantly, wherever I went with it, people noticed.

Could be the Deep Sandglow Yellow paint; could be its imposing stance. Or, it could be the ridiculous amount of expedition hardware hanging off it. But I reckon it's simply because it's a Defender.

Whatever the reason, this is one of those cars you find yourself looking back at after parking. And when something already as distinctive as a Defender manages to feel even more special, perhaps rational justification becomes rather beside the point.

To be frank, if I ever strike it big, there won't be signs. But this will be in my garage.

For sure.

Technical Specification - Defender 110 Trophy Edition

Power/Torque: 296 bhp (combined)/625 Nm
Engine type: 4-cylinder in-line, 16-valve, Twin-scroll turbo
Hybrid system: Plug-in, 19.2 kWh battery
Capacity: 1,997 cc
Fuel tank: 90-litres
0-100 km/h: 7.6 seconds
Top speed: 191 km/h
Efficiency: 3.1 L/100 km (combined)
Agent: Wearnes Automotive

Photos by Azfar Hashim (@azfar.talks)

---

Before you buy or sell your car, Carousell first.

Carousell Autos. Singapore’s largest direct owner marketplace for everything cars and motorcycles.