
Most cameras on modern cars do not work in real-time as you drive. For example, the back-up camera shows you a rear view or all around the vehicle but only stays visible for a short time. During a test of the 2024 Land Rover Defender 110 X, the real-time camera stays up the whole time you drive, and it made a huge difference during a winter storm.
The Defender X has a small camera icon in the main center display. When you click it, the camera shows you a dynamic view around the vehicle. Parked in my garage, the initial view shows a 3D render of the vehicle to help guide you around the real objects like, in my case, shovels and a parked car next to me. It looks cool but it’s also useful.
When you start driving, the camera switches to a real-time view behind you, but what’s even more interesting to me is that you can keep the camera rolling as you drive at any speed. (There is a warning to not rely on the camera above certain speeds.)
There are three modes. The default setting called On-Road shows you the typical rear view. It’s a split view showing an overhead angle on the left (more on that in a sec) and then the rear view. Both are useful for different reasons. Real-time sensors in the left view show any impediments that might be in your way and you’ll hear beeping that becomes more and more urgent if you get a little too close to, say, a shovel in your garage.
Next, the right-hand display shows anything behind you. This is very common and actually now required on new vehicles. I liked how big and clear the display looks, though, and it was helpful for backing up from tight parking spaces.
The Off-Road mode is arguably more useful. On a winter trek in my area, I used this mode to see around the vehicle as I was driving. Roads tend to get more and more narrow after a storm as the plows clear the main path but not necessarily the shoulder. Using this mode at any speed helped me judge where the snow banks were and avoid any obstructions.
I didn’t tow anything with the Defender X, but if you do, there’s a mode that shows behind the vehicle so you can keep an eye on your boat, a trailer, or (in my case) just the rear of the vehicle. Again, I have never seen a camera stay up as you drive at any speed. Of course, you want to avoid glancing at the camera view too often because it can cause distraction, but for parking, off-road, and towing, the real-time camera was surprisingly handy.
I tend to like to see as many angles on the road as possible, And, I am an avid off-roader, even if I tend to skip actual off-roading with a test car like the Defender. Instead, I like to pretend — I found a mild snowy area in a parking lot and tested the camera going forward and back as though I was on a mountain pass in 18-inches of snow instead of .8-inches. It’s a fun way to see the “what if” for someone who might actually go off-roading in this SUV.
Safety is the main reason to use these cameras, and for me that was helpful during a snowstorm in my area. I could glance to see the side of the road and judge where I was in my driveway when I finally arrived back at my house. Now, to use that shovel.