So I pull the brushable, hoseable, rubber mat onto the floor and set about it. It has a small flap too, which can have a dual purpose of protecting the bumper if you’re loading a potentially scratchy object into the boot or, more likely, protecting you from grime on the bumper if you’re sitting on the boot lip to change your wellies. The front and rear footwells have similarly utilitarian mats.
Incidentally, inside the boot lip is a button that can lower or raise the cars ride height while stationary to boot floor, which is good if the boot is full, and there’s also a storage cubby in the door that would be handy for hi-vis vests, or cleaning kit, gloves, dog leads, whatever.
JLR may well think of itself as a luxury design house these days, but credit to the designers and engineers who still think of utility things like this in a car like this. It’s an expensive wagon, certainly, but still an exceptionally useful one.
I’ve yet to tow anything with this Defender – there’s an electrically deploying towbar and you have no idea at all that it’s there when it’s stowed – but having pulled stuff with them before, I know they are terrific at it. I’ll have to think of a reason to try it.
Meantime, I get back into the tidied, and now apparently more secure, driver’s seat of one of the most practical and easygoing cars on the market, and have it melt into my life as easily as it ever does.
