Defender’s diamond edition
BY BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS | 2nd Dec 2008
Of the 1800 specially-numbered vehicles produced to mark the occasion, Land Rover Australia is importing 82 examples of the British-made 4WD icon.
The $63,320 price tag represents a $14,330 increase on the price of the regular MY8.5 Defender 110 seven-seater four-door wagon ($48,990), upon which the SVX is based.
Fittingly, diamond-themed five-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels mark the anniversary special, along with satin black body decals (against the standard ‘Santorini Black metallic paint job), tubular side steps, an aluminium front under-shield protector and a sunroof.
SVX buyers also receive body-coloured wheel-arches, ‘Titan’ bonnet badging, special grille and headlight surrounds, rear LED bulbs, locking wheel nuts, a body-coloured roof and heated rear window with washer/wiper, plus mudflaps, a rear folding step, rear door stowage net, machined aluminium transmission knobs and a cubby hole lid with interior lights.
On top of the standard anti-lock brakes comes traction control, ventilated disc brakes, air-conditioning, remote central locking, electric front windows, a perimeter alarm and first aid kit.
Otherwise, the SVX is an addition to the latest version of the Defender launched in November 2007.
Powered by a 2.4-litre 16-valve common-rail four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine derived from a unit found in Ford’s VM Transit van range, the Defender delivers 90kW of power at 2200rpm and 360Nm of torque at 2000rpm.
As before, torque is transmitted in a 50/50 full-time split to all four wheels, with high and low-range gearing included.
The only gearbox on offer is a six-speed manual transmission. As before, no automatic is available.
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