Video: Land Rover Defender rolls six times in wild freeway crash

Lab-based crash testing and computer modelling can provide tremendous insight into the structural rigidity and occupant protection capability of modern cars, but the controlled situations can only go so far.

This terrifying crash in the US state of Florida pushes the Land Rover Defender’s strength to the limit, and showcases just how strong a modern car can be.

The high-speed accident near Orlando in Florida, shows a Mazda CX-5 making a sudden dash for a freeway exit when it clips the Land Rover Defender that is hidden on the far side of the truck.

What follows is 10 seconds of momentum-driven mayhem, with six full rollovers before the high-flying Land Rover Defender comes to rest on its wheels.

Reports from the time of the accident, which occurred a couple of months ago, note that the driver and passengers in the Land Rover Defender were able to walk away with only minor injuries.

While the damage is significant (for example, the five-spoke wheels have been shattered but are still attached to the hubs) you can see the how the Land Rover Defender’s passenger cell has held up considerably well.

Full-length curtain airbags can be seen deployed, and although the left windscreen pillar has been crushed, much of the roof structure is still holding up.

While we cannot see a single reason – let alone 14,600 reasons – to buy the wreck, it serves as an impressive reminder that behind all those technology acronyms and marketing straplines, modern cars are engineered and built to survive some truly shocking incidents.