Better than a classic Defender has a right to. Although it’s still a far cry from, say, a modern Land Rover, let alone a Porsche, the suspension work Twisted has done goes a long way towards making it amenable to road use. You can’t hide the age of the design, but it certainly can tack through turns better than its kin do. The ride is smooth, but the car never bounces around. The steering is slow, as always, but it’s accurate — not loose at all.

Granted, no one fantasizes about driving a Defender around town — but that’s where my drive was, because that is where people drive them nowadays. Due to their rarity, the market has blown up so much that now, they’re largely runabouts for the well-to-do in beach towns, tony suburbs and gentleman farming communities. And while those folks might drive on the sand or down a muddy two-track every now and again, perhaps even more than most SUV drivers, they still spend 99 percent of their time on roads — so that’s where Twisted concentrated their improvements.

A bit heretical, to the zealots, but very logical from a business standpoint. (That road-going, around-town emphasis is also why I predict Twisted will do very well with their forthcoming electric Defender.)

One thing the electric Defender will never match, though: the sheer thrill of hearing that V8 roar. Punch it, and the custom exhaust makes a sound like Talladega; it’s utterly intoxicating, though I’m sure owners will be very glad for that mute switch that comes on the production versions.

It certainly never feels lacking in go, which is something you can’t say about a stock Defender. Merging onto a highway or catching up to traffic, just floor it and it goes with an alacrity that’ll stun O.G. defender drivers. The gearbox is nice and quick enough to kick down, as well, making it feel quicker than you might expect from the claimed six-second 0-60 time. Or maybe you just think it’s quicker because it sounds like an angry ZR1.