COVER Land Rover Defender scoop
Spies catch new 4x4 on road for first time ahead of 2020 launch
WE’VE known that a new Land Rover Defender has been in the works for a few years now, but these brand new spy shots are confirmation that the project has reached an important milestone: the 4x4 is now on the road and in production bodywork, ahead of a planned release in 2020.
The latest pictures serve up our first proper look at its size and shape compared with the shortened Range Rover Sport cloaked mules seen before. They also show Jaguar Land Rover’s executive director of engineering, Nick Rogers, behind the wheel – another sign that the project has reached a serious stage of development.
The five-door test car has a large, completely flat bonnet that appears covered by heavy cladding, while the slim grille below has similarly sleek headlight units at each end.
Behind the front wheelarches the familiar Land Rover vents are visible, and the windows are set back from the boxy shoulder line, which suggests more substantial cladding on the doors, hiding the final design.
At the rear, the new Defender’s sides taper towards the roof, while a side-hinged tailgate gives access to the luggage bay, flanked by more familiar-looking, squarer lighting units.
This, of course, won’t be the only shape and size; as with the old model, you’ll be able to buy the Defender in a number of configurations and styles.
The family will include a three-door Defender similar to the popular ‘90’ model of old, while Land Rover is expected to offer variants such as a pick-up bed Defender and more.
An SVR performance version could also emerge, and an opulent model is also planned to bookend what will be a broad line-up ranging from honest workhorse to luxury item.
Speaking at the Paris Motor Show, Jaguar Land Rover chief marketing officer Felix Bräutigam said: “It’s exciting to now start getting one step closer to officially announcing the rebirth of an icon.
“Our first, really excited customers should have their cars by 2020. We will stage it properly; the train has left the station, but we are not rushing to a specific date.”
While the new model will display similarities with the old car, it is clear Land Rover doesn’t want to create a replica of the original. Bräutigam said: “The new Defender will not simply be a copy-cat, something retro. It will be something that moves the game on.”
DVLA Licence plate checks on previous sightings have revealed that Defender mules are equipped with 2.0-litre diesel engines, but with Land Rover having already confirmed that all its post-2020 models will be electrified in some way, we expect that powertrain to feature at least a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.
The firm insists the Defender will need a “balanced engine portfolio” in order to succeed in all global markets, however.
A look under the rear of the car also appears to reveal an independent suspension set-up. We know Land Rover has been hard at work ensuring that the Defender will remain enormously talented off road. Last year, Jaguar Land Rover boss Dr. Ralf Speth assured us that the new car will be “even more capable” than the outgoing Defender when the terrain gets challenging.
We anticipate a £40,000 starting price when the Defender arrives in 2020.
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