Land Rover Defender named Best Off-Road SUV 2022

The Land Rover Defender has been named carsales’ Best Off-Road SUV for 2022.

From 15 eligible models, our judges shortlisted the most affordable version of the 12 best off-road SUVs available in Australia and then compared them against more than 110 individual criteria across seven key assessment categories to name just one winner.

Pre-requisites included four-wheel drive, a dual-range transmission and a price cap of $100,000, and the number of assessment areas in carsales’ latest Best award was expanded to include safety, technology, comfort and convenience, driving performance, off-road performance, payload and towing, and ownership costs.

In the end it was the Land Rover Defender that attracted the most points, thanks to its wide breadth of ability including impeccable road manners, outstanding off-road and towing capability, top-shelf safety and technology, strong comfort/convenience features and generous aftersales provisions.

Large off-road SUVs are among the most practical and popular vehicles in Australia, providing ample, versatile space and seating for all types of families and their cargo, while matching the towing capability of the best dual-cab 4x4 utes and bettering many of them for all-terrain capability.

That makes them the perfect fit for a wide variety of automotive consumers including weekend adventure warriors, families and grey nomads heading off on the Big Lap, and those who need up to seven seats AND the ability to tow a heavy trailer boat, caravan or horse float.

Priced from under $82,000, the Land Rover Defender 110 P300 is powered by a 221kW/400Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission. It consumes 10.1L/100km and comes with a five-star safety rating under ANCAP’s latest testing protocol.