Car Review: Outbound is rough and ready
May 5—Outdoor enthusiasts already know about Land Rover's off-road prowess with its Terrain Response system that turns a novice driver into a pro with multiple off-road electronic drive modes.
This year brings a new twist with the addition of the Defender 130 Outbound, an extreme, rugged and large SUV weighing in at nearly three tons. Around for 76 years, Land Rover's legacy dates to post World War II. It was boxy back then and has not changed with today's Defender lineup.
Today, you can have your pick between a three-row people hauler or a five-seater with massive cargo. Defender is available in three body styles: Defender 90 is a two-door model; Defender 110 comes as a four-door with two rows and the Defender 130 has three rows of seating while the Defender 130 Outbound eliminates the third row so Rover, the family Rottweiler, can chase his tail around for hours and be right at home on heavy rubber matting.
This behemoth has a commanding presence with a length of 17.6 feet. Its rear exterior panels are covered and flanked by a retractable ladder on the driver side and a catchall lockable container for tools and stuff on the other side. It's unmistakable on the road.
Twenty-inch wheels are wrapped with Goodyear Wrangler Territory Duratrac all-terrain paws. If you are less adventurous, the Outbound can be dumbed down with 22-inch all season rubber, but why? The full-size spare is bolted to the rear gate that, unfortunately, opens toward the curb and curtails rear visibility.
High-end large SUVs have become pricey in recent years, and the Outbound is no exception, with an MSRP of $84,500. Our loaded tester was priced higher.
The Outbound is powered by a 3.0-liter, 24 valve inline turbocharged six-cylinder gasoline engine developing 395 horsepower with 406 lb-ft of torque. A smooth shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, two-speed transfer case, locking center differential are standard fare on the Outbound as is air suspension and adaptive dampers.
For all its bulk, the Outbound reached 60 miles-per-hour from a dead stop in 6.1 seconds — better than rivals Land Rover Discovery, Jeep Wrangler and Mercedes-Benz G Class.
Aside from being at home in the woods, the Outbound has up to 11.4 inches of ground clearance and will wade through three feet of water; although, we're thinking a lot of Outbound owners will stick to pavement and enjoy the sophisticated ride.
Surround camera views are a nice touch, especially when manipulating a tight parking spot. Conversely, we found the outer rear panels obstruct views and seem to impact blind spot monitors' ability to see around them.
The Outbound is loaded with comfort and convenience items, including a 11.4-inch infotainment screen populated with mostly easy to use apps. Adaptive cruise controls were fussy at times and set speeds would sometimes vary or need to be reset.
Ride quality is superb around town and on interstates with little noise penetrating the rugged and luxurious cabin. We recommend a test drive at your nearest Land Rover dealer.
Contact independent automotive columnist Len Ingrassia at editor@ptd.net.
