Land Rover Defender 90 and adventures in the Swiss Alps. Mission accomplished – PHOTOS

Effective braking: The guard it slides a little and then stops. We continue Swiss Alps, the Maloja pass was closed due to bad weather and, returning to Italy, we take the road towards the Bernina route. There will be about fifteen centimeters of snow and ice on the ground. Strangely, three days ago, when we arrived everything was clean and there was green on the side of the road. The heavy snow that fell more than one and a half meters in 48 hours, surprised us. It doesn’t matter, we’re on Defender 90, SE 200 diesel (list price is more than 68 thousand euros). The only caution we had was to fill up the Alpine diesel completely. At night the thermometer drops a lot and there is a risk of fat freezing.

A test on board a small Defender saw us leaving Rome, we entered Engadin and back. About 1900 kilometers between highways, consular offices and mountain roads that we traveled in all conditions: dry on the highway, wet on the Aurelia, and now snow and ice. In the “legs” of the Defender, as the original equipment tire Michelin Latitude Tour HPdesigned for SUVs and 4x4s and can provide long walking distances.

We were a little hesitant about the tires’ performance in extreme conditions, so much so that we occasionally engaged the brakes to check support and stopping distance. Everything is fine. The guard did his part, equally, with ease in all cases. There’s plenty of silence on board, even at high speeds. The feeling from the driving seat is that of having everything under control, excellent visibility of the surroundings and clear and easily interpretable instruments. When overtaking, tap on the accelerator, the eight-speed ZF gearbox downshifts and shuts off. Leaving La Spezia behind us, we head towards Parma with Cisa. Cruise control on the uphill section, a little more sprint on the second section.

Despite the ground clearance and short wheelbase, the Defender proves to be superior to most of its competitors in terms of hold the road. Once in Valtellina, a short way to visit the future stables of the La Fiorida farm. Here everything was designed for the tranquility of the animals. Milk is collected directly, everything on the floor is clean. Quality of location. We install Maloja with the speed of kubex. A few kilometers from the arrival we look at the fuel used: 10.2 liters per 100 km, according to what was announced by the manufacturer (9.8x100km).

On the way back, a few kilometers from the saddle of Bernina, the worst step: the snowfall it becomes violent, as the snow passes us on the other side we see several cars chained up. We move steadily forward, constantly checking how the tires are holding up on this extreme section. At the crossroads of Livigno the signs indicate that this pass is also closed. We continue to descend, the snow turns to rain and the road becomes clear. We head straight to the capital, no problem.

In short, an unforgettable trip that allowed us to test the Defender in all conditions. With its combination of performanceCharacteristic design and the ability to move easily on any terrain, English 4 × 4 has proven not only a reliable friend, but a true partner in this adventure.