KEY POINTS:
Within bushes metres from where I'm sitting, a wombat is snuffling around. I hope. The Wolgan Valley is rife with tiger snakes. Gulp. Cue derisive cockatoo laughter.
Sydney is 200km to the southeast. We're camping out in Wollemi, the largest wilderness area in New South Wales. Part of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, it's a maze of canyons, cliffs and forest.
First highway, then gravel and finally dirt trails. On the rutted Blackfellowshand Track a sump is fatally holed. Our five-strong convoy is reduced to four.
We've gone bush to drive the newest version of the oldest Land Rover, the Defender. Ice-cool icon. Utter anachronism. Think Laurens van der Post or Daktari.
This outing celebrates the old codger's one last update - the most substantial in many years, with 700 changes.
Waste not, want not is clearly a credo taken to heart at Land Rover. The main change component, a 2.4-litre diesel engine, is from the Transit van. Ford also provided the six-speed manual transmission.
The main instrument cluster and the air-conditioning/heating system are out of the current Discovery 3.
The body proper, of course, is timeless. The present shape, now 23 years old, evolved from the Series III, which in turn owed much to the Series II that drew from the original Series I. Of 1948. Gen two doors will fit the 2007 edition. True.
Land Rover continues to offer the Defender in three different wheelbase lengths (90, 110 and 130 inches, or 228.6, 279.4 and 330.2 centimetres), all cheaper than before. The entry 90 starts at $61,990, the 110 five-seat wagon is $64,990 and the seven-seater adds $2000. The pickup version costs $64,990 while the 130, a special order item, is $61,990.
Just two exterior changes are made, both immediately obvious to fanatics. The trademark flip-out air vents below the windscreen are sealed up. And the bonnet has a bulge to accommodate the engine.
The Transit powerplant was seen as the most sensible transplant, having proven its reliability on high mileages under full-load at the mercy of time-pressured delivery drivers.
The power output of 90kW is no better than that from the asthmatic 2.5-litre five-cylinder it replaces, but there's a 60Nm improvement in torque, taking output to a meaty 360Nm.
The engine update is no small effort, but without it the car wouldn't have met this years Euro 4 emissions standards.
It's a temporary reprieve: The clock is ticking for this timeless machine. New regulations regarding crash safety standards due in Europe in 2010 will render the design obsolete. (Crash standards? One famous joke about Defender is that it DOES have crumple zones. They're called other cars.)
Will there be another? Land Rover-supplied T-shirts on the launch proclaimed "Go beyond 2010". It's brave, but utterly wishful, thinking.
Plans for an all-new Defender have been repeatedly pushed back. The adventurer's choice is the smallest volume Land Rover, the trickiest and most time-consuming to build and probably the least profitable.
The financial viability of maintaining the utilitarian focus and multiple wheelbase/body configurations on a projected global volume of just 23,000 units per annum has always been an issue. The brand itself is now for sale. Will a new owner take the risk?
Part of Defender's charm is that it remains faithful to the basic formula devised by the Wilkes brothers, who had the idea of taking a World War II Jeep and improving it. But our 170km outback jaunt highlighted that the oldest four-by-four by far is feeling its age.
Comparison with any modern four-wheel-drive is ludicrous. Yes, 90 and 110 have anti-lock brakes and traction control and all seats are now forward-facing and have three-point seatbelts. But otherwise there's a comprehensive absence of modern safety features such as airbags or stability control.
The new drivetrain and suspension makes for a more comfortable drive. Having a sixth gear makes it appreciably quieter at cruising speeds and there's less body roll in bends. Improved door seals reduce wind roar. But it's still ponderous, has unresponsive steering and is languid, with a top speed of 132km/h and 0-100km/h in 14.7 seconds.
The brick shape defies the wind tunnel.
Yes, the overall cabin aesthetics are an improvement. The new instrument cluster is easier to read and the air-con is, for the first time, actually effective.
The upgraded stereo beats the wind and tyre roar at highway cruise. And there's now an iPod socket. I wonder which of the 60 military forces who back this car requested that?
The seats are better, though tallness is an asset only when climbing in, due to the high ride height. From thereon its a curse, due to the awkwardness of the driving position.
Passengers fare no better.
But when the terrain turns tough, it's a titan. Many modern off-roaders will not see which way it goes.
Some critics have suggested the absence of a front differential lock in favour of an electronic traction control balancing act with the rear differential lock goes very much against the utilitarian philosophy. Perhaps.
But in first gear low-range with the differential lock engaged and constant throttle application to aid the operation of the traction control system it is unstoppable.
Damage isn't an issue, either. Defenders wear their dents with pride and, if the dings are too bad, the tough bolt-on body allows easy replacement of buggered bits.
Ford power suits it. The torque spread is broad - 315Nm is available from just above idle and the turbo spools up seamlessly at low speeds to virtually eliminate lag.
Ensuring it can operate in 50C heat under high engine load is an 11-blade fan, which has been fitted to ensure optimum cooling. The electronically modulated anti-stall capability is impressive; allowing the car to haul up hills on the tickover torque alone.
The new transmission retains the H-gate transfer case shifter for engaging high- or low-range and the differential lock. The transfer case (also ex-Disco ll) drives new propshafts. The classic ladder-frame chassis and coil-suspension set-up is largely unchanged. Axle articulation remains copious.
What Defender needs is a new age of exploration. What it gets is city dwellers who think it has street-sense. How misguided.
