Daffodil hardly smells good, especially when her five cylinders are turning the crank at 800rpm on idle. Then again, no diesel does.
Daffodil is a bright yellow Defender 110 Double cab. The 110 nomenclature refers to the wheelbase of all Land Rovers, and the Defender 110 TD5 typically has a wheelbase of 2 794mm in modern parlance.
The Land Rover family has never excelled in creature comforts. So if you look at the standard fitment list, you’ll notice it’s rather scant: there is a standard radio/CD to drown out the rather agricultural clatter from the 2 498cc motor, central locking, power steering, immobiliser with alarm, manual-wind windows and a very efficient air-conditioner.
Driving a Defender around town is pleasant, thanks to the 300Nm of torque and 90kW generated by the engine, which is fed to the wheels via a rather heavy five-speed gearbox. But with 16-inch wheels, shod with 85 series 235mm rubber, and suspension that is designed to conquer the roughest terrain, you’ll understand that it is not an everyday vehicle. Parking is a handful, thanks to a 13,41m turning circle, which is effected through the power steering and a worm and roller box steering type.
The 110 Defender is more than spacious inside and will comfortably seat five large adults, along with their luggage in the rear box. But it is not Daffodil that we will harp on about today. It’s her overgrown cousin.
The Defender 147 High Capacity Station Wagon offers unrivalled roominess with a seating configuration that can accommodate up to 11 people.
Essentially the 147 is an ultra-long wheelbase version of the iconic 110 and boasts a heavy-duty suspension, two additional doors and up to 40% more legroom for the second- and third-row passengers.
The prototype Defender 147 begins life on the normal assembly line at the Land Rover South Africa plant, where a substantial amount of the production is completed before it is transferred to the special vehicle section for final assembly.
While the front and rear sections remain the same, the Defender has grown 701mm to 5,3m in total length. Special adaptations include an additional door and C-pillar on each side, as well as the adoption of heavy-duty suspension components consisting of a 1 580kg-rated front axle, 2 200kg rear axle and co-axial helper springs.
To date, there are just seven of these behemoths on our roads, and one is owned by Kian Barker of Shakabarker tours in St Lucia. With a zoology degree and honours in ichthyology, Barker is nobody’s monkey and he soon realised that to provide his guests with the ultimate turtle egg laying/ hatching experience, he needed a very different vehicle.
“I originally had a 130, but this proved too small and I would end up using one of my open-top medium-heavy vehicles if the tour was big. This wasn’t ideal, thanks to the inclement weather,” says Barker, adding that the 147 provides the perfect solution.
Driving the 147 is a very different experience. Performance is fractionally slower than the 110, thanks to an increase of 337kg (a total of 2 392kg) unladen. Add to this the weight of the extra passengers, plus catering paraphernalia, and you have a very heavy vehicle. Besides the turning circle (now topping 15m), the quality in ride comfort is immediately apparent. It’s almost limousine-like, soaking up corrugations and bumps like blotting paper. It seems quieter too, especially if you’re sitting in the back. The steering remains reasonably responsive, but parking is an art.
If you’d like a unique experience, try the 147. If you’re lucky, the leatherbacks and loggerheads will still be making their way out of their nests too.