2020 Land Rover Defender SE D Auto

With just one former registered keeper and 53,000 miles on the odometer, this 2020 Land Rover Defender 110 has been in the seller’s care since February 2023.

Finished in Tasman Blue with a black leather interior, ‘SN20 VKH’ also benefits from a selection of expensive URBAN styling parts including a roof panel with four powerful LED lights.

Powered by the two-litre turbocharged D240 diesel engine that offers 236bhp and a stonking 317lb.ft of torque, this example offers seating for five people.

Coming from a man who loves his 4x4s – he’s only selling his Defender because his new Land Cruiser has arrived – it’s being offered for sale in an honest condition that includes a few light marks, making it ideal for the enthusiast who wants to use it for work and play. 

Tasman Blue is a great colour for the model, cleverly echoing the Marine Blue of the outgoing model while being reassuring contemporary. It also works very well against this one’s black addenda with the combination of factory trim, tinted windows, and a carefully judged selection of bits from URBAN working cohesively to make it stand out from the pack without looking garish.

The modern lamp lenses are all free of chips and cracks too, and the badging is both extensive and in good order.

The 22-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels , which are finished in black to match the wheelarches and bonnet, are in a good condition with almost no marks to the rims.

The tyres are a matching set of 285/45ZR22 Saferich Extra FRC88 M&S. While they are still road-legal, will need to be replaced soon as some of them are getting close to the tread depth warning marks.

Nonetheless, we will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. 

As for blemishes, the Defender is a working vehicle, and it shows: The nearside front wing has stonechips, a scratch, dents and peeling paint on the wheelarch trims; the nearside front door has a dent near the door handle; the nearside rear door has a scratch in the middle and near the handle plus scuffs to the wheelarch trim; and the nearside rear wing has road rash to the wheelarch. 

The offside front wing has a couple of scuffs; the driver’s door has two scratches in the middle; the offside rear door has a scuff to the wheelarch trim; and the offside rear wing has road rash to the wheelarch, a scuff to the wheelarch trim, and bubbling at the top.

There is also heavy sun-damage to the roof light console; rubbing marks and scratches to the side steps; scratches to the door mirrors; faded paint on the  bonnet; and damage to the spare wheel cover. Finally, the trim under the tailgate is scuffed, and there is a chip and peeling paint on its offside.

The black leather interior is still in good order with only gentle wear that manifests itself by way of light creasing and the odd mark, most notably to the door handles and front seats plus the rear section of the headlining.

And where the outgoing Defender was all hard-edges and austerity, the new one softens those edges and adds a huge dollop of luxury; while the old model might have come as a culture shock to anyone who’s sat in any passenger car made after 1950, no-one other than a Bentley driver would feel shortchanged in here.

You’ve got air-conditioning, and heated and electrically adjustable seats plus electric windows, central locking and a high-end stereo that plays through Merdian speakers and is powerful enough to make your ears bleed.

A rear-view camera works in conjunction with a 360-degree birds-eye view system to relay all the information you could ever need for either parking or off-roading, which is clever but not half as clever as the fact it’ll warn you that the pressure in the spare tyre is too low, which isn’t something we’ve ever seen before.

There are charging points in the back of the front seats too plus more storage than you could ever use. Rubber mats on the floor too, which have been so cleverly designed and incorporated that their presence instead of carpet feels like a positive. (Overmats, which are made of carpet material, are also fitted.)

You also get an array of buttons that a Boeing pilot would appreciate: A dab here and a push here and your Defender will be traversing the sort of terrain that would make a mountain goat puke. 

As you’d expect given its service history, everything we tested still worked as it should although there is a warning on the dashboard to say that emergency steering and braking are not available. 

The Defender’s service history is recorded as follows:

• 05.09.2025 and 49,060 miles – service by Sinclair Land Rover, Ludlow
• 01.02.2023 and 40,954 miles – service by Cartech Garage Ltd
• 28.09.2021 and 20,314 miles – service by Pentland Jaguar

The Ingenium engine starts well, idles quietly for a diesel, and revs without making either excessive noise or smoke.

It presents well too, even if most of the working bits are hidden beneath an acoustic cover. Yes, you could get it detailed, but what would be the point? Far better to leave the thin veneer of dirt and get on with exploring the sort of unpaved parts of the world lesser vehicles would baulk at.

As for the underside, it too is a bit grubby. We spotted a few rusty fasteners too, but there is a towbar and electrics, which might come in handy for pulling Jeeps out of the mud. 

The front plastic undertray is scuffed and cracked but that’s what it’s there for and if it bothers you (*hint* it probably shouldn’t) then you could just buy a new one and bolt it on yourself. 

All the door lights work too, which is rapidly becoming something of a bellwether for us; if they work, then other, even less accessible stuff probably does too. 

The Defender’s MoT certificate, which is valid until January 2027, received an advisory for a coolant leak, which you may like to investigate. It was otherwise untarnished, as were the previous three tests.

The recent Vehicle History Check is also clear, and it comes with two key fobs, the Land Rover wallet, some invoices, and a printout of its service history. 

This is only the second ‘new generation’ Defenders we’ve sold but we’re becoming increasingly smitten, not least because they wear a patina every bit as lightly as the old model does.

It also makes a pleasant change to see one that’s been used as intended; too many owners hesitate to use their vehicles for fear of harming their residual value, which kinda defeats the point of buying something like this, surely?

It’s also good news for anyone who thought a Defender 110 was still out of their reach because we suspect the virtual hammer might fall on this one at around £30,000 – and even with a following wind we suspect it’ll run out of steam before it’s reached £35,000.

Which would be stellar value for a sell-serviced and equipped 4x4 of this calibre. 

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.