Specifications

Model: Land Rover Defender 90

Price: £26,235

Engine: 2.4-litre diesel

Performance: 0-60 in 14.7secs; 28.3mpg

C02: 266g/km

Worth considering: Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, Santana PS10

I’ve always wanted to join a secret society. But the Skull and Bones didn’t have a chapter at my university and my trouser legs are short enough as it is without rolling one up. However, a secret society is within reach of anyone who chooses to buy this particular car – because every other Defender driver that passed me by waved enthusiastically, confirming that there’s a brotherhood out there based on a car that most people assume is aimed at farmers, soldiers and eccentrics.

British SUV gets a fuel-saving Stop-start system. We find out how it performs by coming to a standstill.

Here at Auto Express, we generally drive cars to find out what they are like on the move. But when we were invited to try this Land Rover Freelander proto­type, we were more interested to see how it performed once it had stopped.

That’s because this test model is one of the first cars from the brand to be equipped with stop-start engine technology. The system is designed to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy, and is fitted to a standard 2006 Free­lander. The innovation will be on sale in 2008, and is the first step in a bold plan to make all Land Rovers more fuel efficient.

This computer-generated image shows how Land Rover’s baby 4×4 could look.

A teaser picture of the three-door car was released by Land Rover at this year’s Frankfurt motor show, but it revealed little about how the final car would appear.

The car is known to be smaller than a Freelander, as the marque is eager to add a more environmentally friendly car into its range.

However, it’s not expected to be a budget model, with prices pitched only marginally lower than the Freelander’s.

Land Rover is likely to show a concept version of the car at next year’s Detroit motor show in January.

If you’re old enough to remember “My Mother the Car” or “Knight Rider,” then you already know that cars can talk. If you don’t remember either of those TV shows, let me tell you about a vehicle that speaks volumes: the Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged.

Check out that name and you might question what language the British maker is speaking. The name rolls off the tongue about as smoothly as a peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich, so let me translate. Land Rover is the maker, Range Rover Sport is the model, and Supercharged is the trim level.