New Land Rover Defender Trophy Edition 2025 review: a family SUV for every terrai

The appeal of this new Land Rover Defender Trophy is almost entirely subjective. If you like the Sandglow yellow paint and gloss-black details, or have a particular affinity to the Trophy event from the late 20th century, then you’ve got a unique-looking Defender that will get you anywhere you choose to take it. Yet many will see the opportunity to save the best part of £20k by opting for a less polarising but just as capable take on the venerable 4×4 – and with a broader paint palette to boot.

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Land Rover is no stranger to a special edition. You only need to have scanned the Auto Express website over the last few weeks to know that; from the premium Discovery Tempest to the stealthy Range Rover SV Black, almost every model in the range has been gifted additional variants to boost their popularity in 2025.

The Land Rover Defender is no exception. At the end of May, the firm announced a series of model-year changes applicable to all versions, as well as a nostalgic Trophy Edition inspired by the 4x4s that competed in the legendary Camel Trophy between 1980 and 2000.

Those aforementioned model-year changes are also applicable to the new Trophy model you see here. These include a subtle tweak to the Defender’s iconic daytime running-light signature, brighter LEDs to the rear that also now fit flush with the body – and are therefore easier to clean – plus reprofiled bumpers and ‘Defender’ branding for the wheel centre caps.,