The Land Rover New Defender is more than just a practical and comfortable vehicle in an urban environment or cruising long stretches of highway, it is a champion in its natural habitat: the most remote and challenging terrain. But is it really infallible?
As far as overlanding is concerned, buying a Defender is often more than just ticking boxes on a list of must-have criteria. Emotions and nice-to-haves also play their role in the decision-making process. But at the end of the day, once you’ve chosen your vehicle and parted with your hard-earned cash, you’re going to want to know your investment is as best protected as possible. Simply put, if you want to take your Defender into the environment for which it is intended, then you you need to take a long hard look beneath the car—its potential Achilles’ heel.
THE EXPERTISE
Since the 1980s, Cologne based Matzker has been synonymous with two types of Land Rover: those capable of successfully competing in abusive desert rallies and custom configured expedition vehicles. Unsurprisingly, their R&D department has tested the New Defender and, in cooperation with RE-Suspension, developed a range of modifications and accessories to enhance on-road performance and off-road safety and durability.
Part one in this series concentrates on vehicle protection and salvage.
UNDERBODY ARMOUR
Out of sight should not mean out of mind. Even though the running gear and underbody components of the Defender have been designed and built to travel anywhere, deep ruts, rocks, and tree trunks still pose a threat that can turn the trip of your dreams into a stranded nightmare.
Matzker’s solution: 8 mm aeronautical aluminium plate; water-jet technology for precision cutting; CNC folding equipment to shape each panel. The result is a masterfully produced and exceptionally tough armour extending from the front to the rear of your vehicle.
The full kit comprises eleven parts, including a winch mount behind the original front bumper along with panels to protect the engine, gearbox, tanks, exhaust drive train, and running gear.
ROCK SLIDERS
Black powder-coated rock sliders made from strong Cr-Mo steel ensure your sills remain intact. But, they also provide added protection for the compressed air tank, control units, hoses for air conditioning, and fuel lines.
GETTING OUT OF A JAM
As previously mentioned, the underbody kit includes a winch mount fitted with a WARN XDC 12V 4,300 kg winch for those moments when ground level meets the chassis.
One of the best attributes is the fact that Matzker have managed to subtly integrate the winch into the car’s existing front. The benefit? Despite being an almost invisible but highly efficient piece of equipment, off-road approach angles remain just as impressive as the standard vehicle’s, and pedestrian safety is unchanged.
TAILORED PEACE OF MIND
Installation of Matzker’s underbody kit is a bolt-on affair thanks to the supply of all necessary hardware. Upon completion, closer inspection reveals a landscape of snuggly fitting armour with strategically positioned slots providing ample ventilation for mechanical parts and channels for inevitable small debris, mud, and water picked up en route, to escape.
With the full kit installed, and despite being virtually invisible to bystanders, you can rest assured that everything beneath the car and the bodywork below the doors are protected against nature’s toughest when you navigate through rough terrain or unpredictable riverbeds.
VALUE FOR MONEY
You can approach this in different ways. If you know you are going to be venturing into difficult terrain without adequate protection, you are aware of the risk of not being able to complete your journey and running up potentially expensive salvage and repair bills. Or, you can invest in preventive measures in the knowledge you have taken the best available precautions against damage whilst adding real value to your vehicle.
The full set of body armour with the 4,300 kg winch, but without the rock sliders, amounts to €5,640 including VAT, ex works. Rock sliders cost €1,395 including VAT, ex works.
If you feel the whole package is overkill or too much to swallow in one lump, you can either choose to purchase just the armour you feel meets your needs, or buy the individual component groups separately until the puzzle is complete.
That’s a cover-up I can live with. Made in Germany.
