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The new Land Rover Defender Puma that will be available in South Africa
was on show at the Auto Africa motor show. As we know there are no
major changes from the outside except for the subtle removal of
the vents and the raised bonnet. So it was with curiosity that we
snooped around the inside to see what was happening there. This is
what we found.
Under the bonnet the engine looks a lot less ominous than the
outgoing TD5. No big plastic cover hiding everything. It
actually looks quite promising especially for the more
mechanically minded types who like to see what is going on
with the engine. It is a taller engine and hence the raised
profile on the bonnet. The Defender was quite an attraction at
the show, more curiosity than desire though, although there
some droolers around.
Clever designing left the grooves in place for the front air
vents. So it still looks like they are there, although they
aren't. Sitting in the front seat there does appear to be more
room. Mainly because the aircon has been removed from where it
used to bang your knee caps, so now there is more space. The
dash also sill has the vertical type look so that keeps it out
of the way. Some things don't change though, as can be seen
from the steering column connection to the dash. It is the
same as it was, grey plastic and all, which is not great
because it looks a bit tacky and will have a bit of a wobble
and squeak after a few hundred kms
All round the
seating has been improved, using more modern seats from a
comfort point of view as well as folding and fitting. Moving
on to the rear where the inclusion of the forward facing rear
seats has meant some changes to the wheel arches. In order to
fir the seats in and make space for the passengers feet the
wheel arches have been made smaller. It is not evident until
you lift the rear carpet and see the step up in the once
square wheel arch.
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