Land Rover Defender wins Best Luxury off-road SUV under $150K

Yesterday at 06:25 PM

For those who want a bit of go-anywhere ability and do-anything poise rolled into one neat choice, then it's hard to go past a big, well-appointed and comfy four-wheel drive.

It's been a prestigious and aspirational choice for Australians for decades, ever since the likes of Range Rovers and LandCruiser Saharas were the sought-after options.

It'a s tricky segment: while a compelling choice should pull no punches in terms of off-road capability, it also needs to deliver in a variety of other areas: Technology, comfort, refinement and family practicality. 

Cue the Nathan Cleary comparisons, because the Land Rover Defender is a three-peat champion in this Drive Car of the Year segment and is in the box seat to make it four in a row. 

Make no mistake, going three-in-a-row is a rare and major feat, which speaks to the quality of Land Rover's reborn techno-Defender.

Up against it is a new foe, in the form of the Lexus GX550. A staple of the United States stable for decades, the LandCruiser Prado-based luxury off-roader is now in Australia.

The underwhelming Prado diesel donk makes way for a gutsy 3.4-litre twin-turbocharged V6, and suspension – depending on the spec you choose – gets some interesting tech and tuning.

And as you'd expect, the interior of the Lexus GX is a highlight, in terms of materials, technology and comfort.

In this segment is also the Toyota LandCruiser Prado, which can be had in a high-spec Kakadu offering for around $99,990 plus on-road costs.

MORE: See the finalists for Drive Car of the Year – Best Luxury Off-Road SUV under $150,000
MORE: See all the winners – visit the Drive Car of the Year 2025 hub

Winner: Land Rover Defender

Drive’s pick: Land Rover Defender D350 X-Dynamic SE from $108,795

Launching back in 2019, and replacing the antiquated and iconic original, the new Land Rover Defender doesn't feel like it has taken a backward step over the past half-decade.

This is for a few reasons. Firstly, development hasn't slowed down over the years and this year sees some important updates for the Defender range.

The D350 engine choice – new for 2025 and our pick from the range – produces 258kW and 700Nm, beating the 300 Series LandCruiser for power and matching it for stump-pulling torque from its 3.0-litre capacity, six in-line cylinders, and two turbochargers.

A plug-in hybrid, with a claimed 43km of electric-only range is available, and the 294kW/550Nm six-cylinder P400 engine continues to impress, for those who want straight petrol power. 

The recently introduced Defender 130 provides a proper three-row choice for larger families as well, trading in some departure angle for a decent third row. And for those who want the shorter wheelbase and footprint, the three-door four-seat Defender 90 remains an interesting option. 

There's a range of new technologies and adjustments to specification included for the Defender in 2025, but the bones of height-adjustable independent suspension, smart driving technology and a modern unibody chassis underpins the appeal of a vehicle that is both a highly capable off-roader and refined urban cruiser.

These are normally two things that are at odds with each other, but the smart adoption of air suspension technology, along with one of the best off-road traction control systems in the business, makes the Defender a beast off-road. 

There’s 291mm of ground clearance available in the highest setting, lots of stability-inducing articulation available, and a huge 900mm wading depth. In terms of clearance angles, wheels right at each corner of the bodywork gives 38 degree approach and 40 degree departures angles. Rampover angle is good at 28 degrees, which means the Defender beats a Wrangler Rubicon for everything bar approach angle.

MORE: Read the latest Land Rover Defender news

For those who crave the more extreme and remote kind of four-wheel driving, they will need to be judicious with their tyre selection. A minimum tyre diameter is 19 inches for most specs, with 18s only available on a few lower-specced models. 

While clearance and stability are both getting big ticks, you can do the same thing for traction. Standard off-road traction control, which has a range of modes to choose from, gives drivers a huge amount of confidence and control off-road through its limit of wheelspin and lurching. There are times when you feel the Defender completely take over your throttle, controlling it smoothly and accurately to give you steady forward progress.

Instead of having to cop some kind of major compromise around town, this relatively unique suspension and chassis setup of the Defender also impresses on-road. Bump absorption is good, and body control also rates well considering the size, weight and height of the Defender.

Steering feels excellent as well, to the point where inertia of a tall, heavy body starts to outstrip mid-corner tyre grip. 

Smooth and responsive engines are elegant under load, and give ample shove and responsiveness for town driving. They're matched to a proven and well-loved eight-speed automatic transmission from ZF, which seems to be a perfect companion to the engine and four-wheel drive system 

As good as it is around town, the Defender is also an excellent highway cruiser, tow vehicle and load-lugger. Throw in a pleasing, quality and practical interior, and you'll struggle to find an area where the Defender comes up short.

Our pick of the range is the new D350 X-Dynamic SE, which is mid-range for the Defender and comes with plenty of good standard equipment for the asking price. But if you start digging into the wide range of options, pricing can quickly balloon with plenty of customisation options available.

FIND YOUR NEXT CAR: Search Land Rover Defenders for sale

The post Land Rover Defender wins Best Luxury off-road SUV under $150K appeared first on Drive.