2016 Land Rover Defender 110 XS TD D/C

With fewer than 14,000 miles on the odometer, ‘SJ65 NUL’ is a Keswick Green, seven-seat Land Rover Defender 110 XS that has been in the care of its discerning owner since new.

Why discerning? Well, she replaced the factory ‘Boost’ alloys for a set of Limestone steelies for the duration of her ownership, which means she is very much our sort of person – but as steel wheels can be a bit of a niche thing, you might be pleased to note that the hitherto unused OE wheels have been refitted for the auction.

Beautifully maintained and immaculately presented, this is a rare opportunity to get your hands on a well-fettled, low mileage, subtly upgraded example of an evergreen 4x4.

Keswick Green is one of our favourite colours for the Defender, not least because it tips its hat to the heritage models of old. This one has been further enhanced by having had its roof painted in the same hue – and the presence of a body-coloured Brunel grille and headlamp surrounds doesn’t do it any harm either, does it?

And it’s still in a terrific condition, even after nine years.

As you can see the front bumper runs straight and true. The rear towing point, which is adjustable for height and supplemented by single electrics, is pretty much unmarked. Even the rear crossmember, the Defender’s Achilles’ Heel, is free of apparent rust.

The lamp lenses, wheelarch extensions, and badges are all excellent. Even the strap that retains the fuel filler cap when it is unscrewed is still in place.

Everything we see supports our impression of careful curation, and we can’t imagine it has led a hard life as it ambled across Scotland supporting its owner’s love of country pursuits.

As for the wheels, the factory alloys are in the sort of condition you’d expect given they’ve only been recently refitted after having been removed when the Defender was new.

Practically unmarked – there is a small mark on the nearside front – they are fitted with a set of Continental Cross Contact AT tyres whose depth of tread can still be almost measured in feet rather than the more usual millimeters.

Other useful additions to the factory specification include a pair of sidesteps, a rear step, four hefty mudflaps, and Xenon bulb upgrades in the headlamps.

As for work to do, the sidesteps and rear step have started to rust but this looks superficial and could be caught with a rattle can of paint for now.

Other problems are equally trivial: the rear door hinges are bleeding rust stains and, as usual, some of the exterior fasteners are rusty.

Oh, and the hinge brackets are corroded but as they’re an alloy this is merely unsightly rather than anything more serious.

NB: The original headlamp trims and grill have been retained and form part of this listing, so the new owner could refit them if they wanted to return it to the factory specification.

The seven-seat dark grey leather interior is in a fine condition. Stitched in contrasting thread, the five seats in the main cabin are all plump and seemingly untroubled by the passage of nine years.

Mind you, those nine years have only seen an average of around 1,500 miles per annum, which makes their condition a bit less of a surprise. But low mileage or not, seats only stay in this sort of condition if they’ve been looked after.

The rear luggage space has had a lockable security box fitted. A Longline heavy-duty sliding drawer, it fits in between the wheelarches neatly and sits level with them to form a useful luggage platform – and to help it fulfil this role, chequerplate is fitted the top of the drawers and along the wheelarches.

Its installation did necessitate the removal of the two forward-facing rear seats. However, they have been retained and could easily be refitted if the drawer were to be removed.

Rubber mats are fitted throughout to protect the (very good) metal floors. These are all in a very good condition, as are the door cards and headlining.

A standalone Garmin sat-nav has been fitted along with a Tracker and an Alpine headunit. The latter sits in a very good dashboard whose controls and switches still show bright white lettering.

Toys include heated seats in the front, electric windows, central locking, and air-conditioning.

We are told that everything works as it should.

As for flaws, a small section of the nearside boot trim is damaged, there’s a rip in the trim under the front of the driver’s seat, and surface rust has developed on the sill along the offside door openings.

The Defender’s service history is recorded as follows:

• 26.01.2016 – pre-delivery inspection by MacRae & Dick Ltd of Inverness
• 12.01.2021 and 11,135 miles – service by McAndie Garage Services of Lossiemouth
• 25.01.2022 and 12,166 miles – service by McAndie Garage Services of Lossiemouth

As you can see, the 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine fires into life and settles into an immediate idle. It revs well too and doesn’t make any unusual noises.

It produces 122 bhp and, more importantly for most users, a stump-pulling 265lb-ft of torque, which should be enough to get most jobs, including towing up to 3.5 tonnes, accomplished.

The engine and underbonnet area are both ridiculously clean but then that’s what happens when meticulous curation happens over such a short distance travelled.

There is light surface rust on the odd metal bracket and some of the fasteners but that that these are the only cosmetic flaws we can find tells you all you need to know about everything else.

The underside has, we’re told, been Waxoyl’d from new. We see nothing to make us think this isn’t the case, and although the underseal does need touching up in a few places, the underside is in a very good condition indeed.

The Defender’s MoT certificate is valid until October 2025, and it, like every single one bar the two for “emissions too clean to register”, was issued with no advisories – and we think you can discount them given what they were for, surely? We’ve certainly never seen that comment written down before…

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and the Defender comes with the book pack and wallet.

With a guide price of between £35,000 and £40,000, this isn’t going to be a cheap Defender.

However, we think it does offer value for money; the price of the new model starts at £60,000, and it doesn’t take much of an itchy finger to see that rise to £80,000 or more.

Of course, if you go down the new Defender route you will be able to play with the online configurator, and if deciding whether you want marketing nonsense such as ‘Resist and Resolve’ seats floats your boat then this probably ain’t the vehicle for you anyway.

But, if you want to be driving your Defender in thirty years’ time then it very much is – and given its cossetted start in life, it may well be your grandkids that end up piloting it around, dodging ULEZ zones and towing electric vehicles out of trouble, all while sitting behind the steering wheel of what is probably the most egalitarian vehicle ever built.

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