• by Tanya Gazdik , Staff Writer, Yesterday

Whenever I get behind the wheel of a Land Rover Defender, I think of the dozens of nonprofit groups the automaker has helped  via its Defender Service Awards, now entering its sixth year.  

Charitable organizations from the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada can enter for the opportunity to receive a customized Defender 130 vehicle and prize money. The six award categories are animal, wildlife and marine mammal welfare; community services; search, rescue and emergency support services; veteran and civil servant outreach; outdoor accessibility and education; and Defender service honorees award (for previous finalists).

Since its inception in 2021, the program has granted more than $1.5 million in awards and distributed 30 Defender vehicles to organizations in the U.S. and Canada. This year, public voting runs through Aug 14. Winners will be announced at Destination Defender the weekend of Sept 11 in Temecula, California. 

Besides its capability, the brand also has a very stylish and high-end side, which is why it makes perfect sense that it will make its first appearance this week at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, as part of Monterrey Car Week.

American driver Sara Price—one of the stars of Defender Rally team’s winning Dakar Rally program—will be on hand to engage with attendees, who will also have the option of pushing the Defender to its limits on guided off-road experiences.

“Set within one of the world's premier automotive gatherings, Defender will demonstrate why it occupies a category entirely of its own,” according to the automaker. “Purposeful. Durable. Unmistakable. Defender pushes beyond convention, proving luxury and capability belong together.”

Since its U.S. return in 2020, Defender has grown from the original 4x4 into a robust family of tough luxury vehicles, from the agile Defender 90 and highly capable Defender 110 to the spacious Defender 130.

I recently had the chance to drive the 2026 Defender 110 X-Dynamite SE. In a very distinctive Gondwana Stone with an Ebony Windsor leather interior, it was a head turner while also offering up enormous capability.

The gas mileage was abysmal — 14 mpg city and 18 mpg highway for a combined 16 mpg. But the 6.0L V8 engine offered up an invigorating 493 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque. 

The base MSRP is $99,100 and as equipped, the vehicle retails for $110,910. If you can afford a six-figure vehicle, what you spend on gas probably isn’t an issue. 

The luxury automaker is going though a bit of a transition. Jaguar Land Rover lost both its CEO (Joe Eberthardt) and one of its top marketers (Charlotte Blank) this year. 

But there are no changes in JLR's approach to marketing planned related to any individual executive changes, according to the company's Stuart Schorr.

“We do operate under a Global House of Brands strategic approach, with the marketing operation working hand-in-hand in with our North American brand directors,” Schorr tells DriveTime. “Our marketing plans in U.S. are in service of our global and local brand strategies which remain consistent. A commitment to service and the Defender Service Awards are a core pillar of the brand locally and globally.”

Other marketing highlights for Defender this year include Defender Trophy, Destination Defender West in September.

Schorr, who has been at JLR for 17 years, is vice president, marketing and public relations communications. He previously focused mainly on communications but added brand experience and customer relationship management in March.