Minor mods, major price – we test Defender’s Camel Trophy tribute

Will the new-age Land Rover Defender ever reach similarly legendary status to the classic Land Rover? It’s unlikely, if only because there are considerably fewer uncharted territories left to be heroically charted than when the original was launched in the middle of the last century.

In all likelihood, JLR is quite happy to settle for the Defender being a commercial success, which it undoubtedly is. It has been around, incredibly, for six years now, with no facelift or new generation in sight, but its popularity shows no signs of abating. In that respect, the Defender is surely following in the tyre tracks of the Series Landie.

Still, some carefully considered model-year updates and a special-edition sticker pack won’t hurt to keep the sales fires lit, and that’s what we have here.

For 2026, the Defender has been treated to some new headlights (a real spot-the-difference exercise), a redesigned centre console (same), a bigger touchscreen, a couple of new paint colours (Woolstone Green and Borasco Grey) and a new off-road cruise control system.

This year also marks the 45th anniversary of the Camel Trophy, an annual competition in which a bunch of hopefuls would go on a well-publicised expedition to an exotic place in some pale-yellow Land Rovers. Because promoting cigarettes is frowned on today, this special edition is called simply the Trophy Edition.

It’s a little frivolous, because as well as the Sandglow Yellow paint you get upgraded leather seats and 20in steel wheels. You can also have it in Keswick Green, because Cumbria is famously overrun with green ungulates…

If you want the off-road paraphernalia of our test car, like the ladder, roof rack, snorkel and mudflaps, you need to add the £4995 Trophy Pack, and the matt protective film for the paint is a further £4500.

There are various further off-road packs with improved differentials and off-road programmes that also aren’t standard. Leather seats are nice and all, but are they really what you need for crossing the Sahara?

The Trophy Edition, which is tied to the 110 bodystyle, starts at £82,990 as a 2.0-litre plug-in hybrid or £84,815 for a 3.0-litre diesel, but the array of options on our D350 test car took it to £98,385.

Anyway, kitted out just right, it does look the business, and when you venture off the Tarmac, it means business too.

The Defender has already proven its off-road dominance in previous tests, and apart from being a bit big, the Trophy Edition made light work of the green-laning I threw at it. A Defender just makes traversing challenging terrain incredibly easy with its various modes that automatically sort out the differentials and traction control.

Annoyingly, despite the near-£100k price tag, our test car wasn’t fitted with the new off-road cruise control. I’ve tested a similar system on the Toyota Land Cruiser, and it’s very useful not to have to worry about keeping the accelerator steady, even when you’re being bounced around. At £370 here, it makes sense to tick the option box.

Given how good the Defender is off road, it has no business being as good as it is on it. On air suspension it rides quite well, the diesel straight six is smooth and muscular and the automatic gearbox has just the right combination of response and torque-converter slushiness to make for very relaxed yet swift progress. Even on all-terrain tyres, the handling is perfectly progressive and confidence-inspiring. 

So what of the model-year updates? Apart from the extremely minor cosmetic stuff, there are two changes of note. The first is that JLR has been forced to fit one of those camera pods on the steering column that checks if you’re paying attention. So if you fiddle around with the touchscreen for a bit too long, a warning will sound. But it’s a relatively fair judge, and anyway, disabling all the undesirable ADAS features takes just two presses of a button on the steering wheel.

The other change is a bigger (13.1in) touchscreen. When I learned this, I feared the Defender might have befallen a similar fate as various Range Rover models, which lost most of their physical controls. Thankfully, that isn’t the case, and the tactile controls for the climate and the off-road modes remain present and correct in the Defender; the screen just extends downward a bit farther. And in this application, JLR’s Pivi Pro infotainment system is a really pleasant one, with sensible menu structures, elegant graphics and snappy responses.

Particularly with the 3.0-litre diesel engine, the Defender remains an outstandingly pleasant bus to rub along with on the road and incredibly capable off it. It’s easy to see why it has become so popular despite the price for a five-door being at least £62,795 these days. Adding the Trophy Edition stuff on top of that is a bit silly, though, unless you really, really love pale yellow.

Land Rover Defender 110 D350 Trophy Edition

Trophy Edition is expensive for what it is, but model-year updates usefully enhance perennially multi-talented Defender

Price £84,815 Engine 6 cyls in line, 2997cc, turbocharged, diesel, plus ISG Power 345bhp at 4000rpm Torque 516lb ft at 1500-3000rpm Gearbox 8-spd automatic, 4WD Kerb weight 2361kg 0-62mph 6.4sec Top speed 119mph Economy 31.1mpg CO2, tax band 238g/km, 37% Rivals Ineos Grenadier, Toyota Land Cruiser