New Land Rover Defender tows big truck

The new Land Rover Defender, due to arrive in Australia in June, is shaping up as a real heavy-duty towing option after a pair of the cutting-edge off-roaders helped haul a Scania big-rig out of an African desert...

After being stranded in the Namibia Desert in Africa for three days, the truckie was rescued by a Land Rover media team who stumbled across the marooned semi-trailer livestock truck during a video shoot, where the new Defender 110 was being put through the wringer ahead of its press launch in the same location late next month.

The Angolan driver had been stranded in the remote desert of south west Africa for three days with little to eat and drink and no communications to call for help.

As well as rescuing the truckie, the pair of new Land Rover Defender 110s (connected via snatch ropes) managed to extricate the truck and its payload from the dry riverbed as well.

With a claimed towing capacity of 3500kg apiece, it's fair to say the Defenders exceeded their official towing capacity. Not bad considering grip levels on the sand were less than ideal.

Footage of the rescue was posted to Facebook by photographer Damian Blakemore, who wrote: "International Rescue, New Defender style," on his Facebook post.

"The driver and his truck had been stuck in this dry riverbed for three days, miles from anywhere. What a car! What a team!"

The all-new Land Rover Defender 110 five-door arrives in Australia in June, priced from $69,990, while the shorter Defender 90 three-door model will lob in October, with pricing to be confirmed.

The born-again British 4WD will be offered with a couple of 2.0-litre of turbo-diesel engines (147kW/430Nm and 177kW/430Nm) and a big 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol (297kW/550Nm) with mild hybrid tech.