Road Test: Land Rover Defender 2.4 Diesel 2dr

What's not to love about early Land Rovers? Slab-sided, pock-marked with dings and scratches, and clad in a perma-coat of rural effluence, this is the car to stir something primordial in even the most effete of modern motorists.

But time has watered down this unique and effective formula. The Defender is still a stalwart of British military and agricultural engineering, but that honest, utilitarian purity of purpose just seems to get a bit hazier with every ultra-modest face-lift.

The '07 model year takes it to new extremes though. What customers have demanded is a vehicle that takes it a bit easier on its driver without losing any of its all-terrain capabilities. So there's a new 2.4-litre common rail diesel engine in there, transplanted, rather unglamorously, from a Transit.

This larger lump demands a bonnet bulge and a new radiator grille, made of plastic for the first time, but that's pretty much all she wrote for the exterior.

The major changes are internal. A new six-speed gearbox with longer gearing promises more comfort and economy at higher speeds. A totally revised fascia that borrows bits from more upmarket Landie products also gives the Defender a slightly more modern feel.

The heating and ventilation is finally centralised and simpler to operate, while things like heated seats and an iPod socket are now on the option list.

The drive, however is still a punishing one. Monstrous ride quality and thunderous tyre, wind and engine noise will leave you speechless. It may be a bit softer on the senses now, but there's still an epic expanse in refinement between this and any other SUV on sale.

The Land Rover Defender ultimately remains a focused commercial vehicle. Huge payload, great towing possibilities and an off-road ability that is still unrivalled are all exactly what you want if you work on a farm. But if you fancy one of these as a lifestyle accessory, well, you're probably a mercenary, so I'm not going to argue with you.

Land Rover purists will inevitably bemoan the concessions to 21st- century motoring that pepper the new Defender's cabin. But the real hard core of buyers, the people who actually spend far too long in this brutal and uncompromising machine, will be delighted.

A shade less noise at motorway speeds, loads more in the way of creature comforts, and a new engine and gearbox set-up that means improved performance and economy. Ooh, and an iPod socket. Where would the backbone of Britain's farming industry be without one of those?