Arguably the coolest SUVs on the planet, Land Rover's Defender 90 and Defender 110 have achieved a cult following around the world. Since the early 1990's they've been illegal to import into the US because Land Rover (for whatever reason) won't put air bags in them. A few companies in New York and LA still import them and then self-install the airbags but the numbers are limited and the prices high. Regardless, this fact seems to have only increased the stateside demand.

As if the scarcity of the existing models wasn't enough Land Rover has decided to give both the 90 and 110 a face lift through the release of their "Fire & Ice" limited edition models. While the standard Defenders have seen few changes over the last 60 years these new models bring with them a handful of luxury upgrades.

Among them are Recaro bucket seats, leather trim, surround sound and burlwood accents. While these accesories are common for luxury SUVs the Defender has always been a bare bones utility vehicle, and a complete stranger to the word luxury.

Word has it that the top brass at Land Rover want these new Defenders to compete with the Mercedes G Wagen. At around $100,000 they will certainly compete with the Merc on price, but we're not sure if G Wagen clientele are the same people who would buy a Defender. That said $100K for a 100% hand built car isn't too bad.



images via Autoblog