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The 2023 Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition is the ultimate vehicle for all off-roading challenges, and only 220 units will be offered in the U.S.
Land Rover is well-known for making four-wheel drive off-road capable creations and has done so for nearly as long as they have been making vehicles, and one of the most well-known and loved of their SUVs has been the Defender. Back in June of 2022, Hotcars writer Claire-Kaoru Sakai reviewed the 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 D300 with positive results. Now, the company is taking the performance capabilities of their strongest vehicle a step further with the limited-edition 2023 Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition.
Land Rover is so sure of their upgraded Defender that they are including an adventure competition experience in the purchase of one. If purchased ahead of the competition in October, Land Rover will invite new owners of the Trophy Edition to participate in off-road challenges and could potentially move on to an extreme adventure challenge in the U.K.
With incredible upgrades to the Defender legacy, new all-terrain equipment, and a super limited run, the 2023 Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition is sure to turn heads.
Let’s take a closer look at the 2023 Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition!
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Last year’s iteration of the Trophy Edition paid homage to the truck’s rally history. It started with the Defender 110. However, the Defender 90 did not get its due at that time. This year, though, the shorter two-door is the center focus of the Trophy Edition. According to Land Rover, the 2023 Trophy Edition starts with the 2023 Defender 90 P400 X-Dynamic SE as a base, but with some interesting updates to both design and performance.
The Trophy Edition will feature a vehicle wrap in a heritage-inspired yellow color just like the Defender Works V8 Trophy and an extended black exterior pack that gives the truck a sportier appearance. The 2023 Defender has all-wheel drive with an 8-speed variable automatic transmission. A mild hybrid twin-charged 3.0-liter inline-six engine powers the SUV and is capable of up to 395 horsepower and 406 lb.-ft of torque. It gets a very unimpressive 17 city and 22 highway miles per gallon for all the capability it packs.
Although the base 2023 Land Rover Defender 90 P400 X-Dynamic SE starts at just $54,000 according to Kelley Blue Book, the Trophy Edition will cost much more at $95,000. However, the Trophy Edition also comes with an invitation for two to attend the North American Defender Trophy race. The one-day off-road challenge race happens at the Land Rover Experience Center in Manchester, Vermont in early October. Each of the ninety participants to sign up will divide into teams.
The winning team will have the opportunity to continue on to compete in the Classic Land Rover Trophy Competition in the U.K. in the Spring of 2023. Trophy Edition purchasers from 2021 are also invited back to compete but at the cost of $5,000 per team (whereas the 2022 purchase of the Trophy Edition includes the cost of the experience) and includes just fifteen two-person teams in total on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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The Defender Trophy Edition can take on the most demanding of terrain and endurance challenges by design. Additional equipment sported by the SUV includes an Expedition roof rack, deployable roof ladder, electronic winch, winch accessory pack, integrated air compressor, deep-sided mats, load space rubber mats, and front and rear mudflaps. Basically, the SUV is fully loaded with all the off-road upgrades Land Rover has to offer.
The air-suspension pack included in the Trophy Edition allows the vehicle to raise and lower by up to three inches, allowing for an increased maximum of up to 11.5 inches of ground clearance (even more than offered currently by the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon). The cold climate pack on the Trophy Edition includes a heated windshield, washer jets, seats, and steering wheel as well as a headlight power wash.
The off-road pack and advanced off-road capability pack are also both included on the 2023 Trophy Edition and include a domestic plug socket, off-road tires, electronic active differential with torque vectoring by braking, all-terrain progress control, terrain responsiveness, and the ability to configure responses to the terrain. It also comes with a tow hitch receiver. In addition to the off-road features, the SUV will also include an ebony grained leather and textile interior, an 11.4-inch touchscreen, a clearsight rearview mirror, and many luxury touches as well. The SUV is spacious, and interior materials offer some level of customization during the ordering process, as well.
The Trophy Edition includes basically anything an off-road enthusiast could want in the coming year. Everything from towing capacity to a free pass into one of the most exciting off-road races is part of the package with the new Defender. Limited to just 250 units this year, the SUV will only be available at select dealerships, but with such desirable specifications as well as race entry offered, they will not last long!
Nikia Hunt inherited her love of cars from her dad as she grew up watching him work in his garage on everything from classics to diesel trucks. Currently a huge fan of American muscle and off-road-ready vehicles and with an acute interest in the future in EVs, Nikia splits her time between writing for HotCars and teaching high school language arts. Nikia has many contributive works in several creative writing publications and holds a Master's degree in English with emphasis in Creative Writing from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.