For 2020, Land Rover released a new generation of updated Defenders and relaunched production of their noble workhorse for the United States. After 1997, the Defender was discontinued due to it not meeting US safety regulations because it did not have airbags. Since then, the Defender has been sold in other countries, leaving us Yanks without any boxy British love. Some determined folk went as far as to illegally alter VIN’s to import Defenders, resulting in some classic Defenders being, tearfully, destroyed by US Customs and Border Protection.
Since Daily Motor was gracefully loaned one of the all-new Defenders, a highway mpg test was in order to see just how civil the new Defender is for its return. Our test vehicle was the Defender 110 P400 powertrain, with a relatively new turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine and 48-volt mild hybrid system. A turbo 2.0-liter inline-four is also offered, in case $80k is too much for your credit score to vouch for.
After Charlie finished our 2020 Land Rover Defender mpg test in the rain, he found this British Jeep to return 20 mpg on premium fuel (93 octane). This might not seem to be very good, but considering this test was performed at temperatures below balmy and on wet roads, which increases drag, that’s not bad. In fact, the EPA measured 22 mpg. If you were to road trip this truck, the highway range with its 23.8 gallon tank would give about 470 miles in the rain. Something surprising we found on the EPA site is the four-cylinder gets only 20 mpg on the highway, so the choice is up to buyer if they want to spend money on gas or cylinders. Should be obvious!
How We Test
Daily Motor’s real-world highway-fuel-economy test consists of over 100 miles of consistent highway driving. We fill the car using the “three-click method,” meaning running the gas pump on high flow until it clicks, waiting 10 seconds, running low flow until it clicks again, waiting another 10 seconds, then running low flow one final time. We use the lowest-octane fuel accepted by the vehicle’s manufacturer. We then drive 54.2 miles on public highway in one direction and then back in the opposite direction, attempting not to draft or accelerate hard. We set the cruise control at GPS-indicated 73 mph in an attempt to achieve a moving average speed of 70 mph over the entire test. Upon return to the gas station, we refill at the same pump as the first fill using the same three-click method. Miles per gallon is determined by dividing the total miles traveled by fuel used. In cases where our observed figure differs greatly from the vehicle’s indicated figure and/or EPA’s estimate, we may recommend a number in between or plan to retest the vehicle.
See our 2020 Land Rover Defender mpg test below:
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