The modern Land Rover Defender takes the spirit of the original and wraps it in layers of comfort, technology and luxury that would have seemed unthinkable a generation ago. It’s no longer a bare-bones workhorse, but a highly capable and versatile 4x4 that can tackle serious off-road terrain one day, then a long motorway journey the next without breaking a sweat. There's even a high-performance version, the Defender Octa, which already boasts Dakar Rally-winning kudos. It’s expensive, imperfect and not immune to the brand’s reputation for poor reliability, but few vehicles combine character, usability and outright ability in quite the same way. If you want something distinctive that can genuinely do it all – and you’re willing to accept the costs that come along with that – the Defender remains a compelling choice.