All-terrain experts from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) put Defender to the test even before it was launched.
They wanted to check that the reborn legend was up to the job of supporting humanitarian work in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach communities. The IFRC fleet specialists got their answer in Dubai.
From desert dunes to twisty tarmac, they experienced the 4x4’s assured handling and comfort as they wound their way up the tallest mountain in the United Arab Emirates.
Defender passed every test, to the delight of Ilir Caushaj from the IFRC. He said: “The Red Cross supports millions of people in crisis every year, working in almost every country in the world. We operate in some of the most hard-to-reach places on earth, often working in very difficult terrain, so our teams have to be able to cope with anything.”
The IFRC fleet experts tested the Defender in soft sand among the rolling dunes of the desert, where the prototype model shrugged off the steep ascents, demanding side slopes and blind crests that characterise off-road driving in the region.
With temperatures above 40c, the hairpins of the Jebel Jais highway were the next destination. The Defender demonstrated its on-road comfort and agile handling, scaling altitudes of nearly 2,000m.
Dubai was a fitting destination to continue Defender’s partnership with the Red Cross. The relationship dates back to 1954, when a specially adapted Series Land Rover entered service in the region as a mobile dispensary.
