It has a huge ground clearance and is capable of off-roading.
UPDATE The photo gallery below has live photos of the 2020 Land Rover Defender, taken at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show.
A completely redesigned Land Rover Defender is now available for purchase. It’s also coming to North America for the first-time in decades. You might be tired of waiting for the Ford Bronco. If the Jeep Wrangler seems too primitive and the Mercedes-Benz Benz G-Class too costly, the Land Rover may have the right utilitarian off-roader.
For Adventure, Defender:
Utilitarian is a relative word and does not mean that it is synonymous with modern. Two diesel engines will be available for the Defender: a turbocharged gas-powered four-cylinder and a straight-six gas-powered with mild-hybrid technology. Land Rover anticipates that a plug-in hybrid Defender will be available in 2020.
In the best case, one of the two turbodiesel engine in the U.S. will be available (the 2.0-liter is most likely the candidate) with 237 horsepower (317 pound-feet) of torque. The turbocharged 2.0-liter will be the base engine in North America. It is a familiar Ingenium model with 296 horsepower and 295 lb-ft. This engine shares the Defender with the Evoque and E-Pace and even the plug-in-hybrid Range Rover. A 3.0-liter straight-six will power the most powerful Defender. It is paired with an electric motor with permanent magnet and a lithium-ion pack. Expect 394 horsepower, 406 lbft of torque and a zero to 60 time of 5.7 seconds for the Defender 90 and 5.8 seconds for the larger Defender 110. Every engine has an eight-speed automatic.
That gearbox also shuttles power to an all-wheel-drive system. The all-wheel drive is amplified by a standard two-speed transmission case. The Defender also gets Land Rover’s excellent Terrain Response 2 system, as well as an manually-locking center differential as well as an auto-locking rear differential. This impressive package is made even more powerful by the optional air suspension system.
The Future of Off-Roaders
Although the height-adjustable setup was already in place on the Discovery and Range Rover, it is still present on the Defender and should offer a unique combination of off-road capabilities and comfort that the Defender has never seen before. Land Rover describes the air suspension as having a maximum ground clearance of 11.5 inches, and a “world-class offroad geometry” for the 110. The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited has 22.6-degree breakover angle, 37-degree departure angle, and 38 degree approach angles. (The Jeep has a 5.9° advantage on approach). The Defender has a greater water capability than the Wrangler, with a maximum wading depth 35.4 inches compared to 30 for the Wrangler. ClearSight Ground View, the latest ClearSight Ground View system that we tested on the Evoque earlier in the year, is the main attraction to all of this off-road goodness.
This is just one of the advanced tech features in the new Defender. The Defender is as modern as it can be thanks to the standard over-the-air software upgrades and the new Pivi Pro infotainment systems. Pivi Pro’s “always-on” nature means that the system can be used as soon as the engine starts. Land Rover claims that the new infotainment will be quicker and more intuitive than previous versions. It also reduces the average number of steps required to complete a task by 50%. Although it feels a little nerdy to concentrate on an infotainment system for a Defender, we wouldn’t lie if we said that we were not excited about the possibility of a new and better operating system.
This Defender is still a Defender and the tech does not affect its versatility. The Defender 110, the first new model to hit the market, will come in either five-seat and five-plus-two seat configurations. The Defender 90 can hold up to six people. The front-row bench is the most unique feature on both cars. The backrest of the middle jump seat can be folded forward to hold a cup or flipped up to allow for another passenger. This is not the Defender’s only party trick. Land Rover offers so many accessories that it would make any Jeep fan blush. The new Defender is a customisable vehicle. The Defender will launch with over 170 accessories, and that’s not counting the aftermarket. There are four pre-set packs.
These are not decals or wheel caps. The Explorer Pack includes a raised air intake and a roof rack. It also has super-neat side equipment carriers that look similar to saddle bags. They drape over the rear windows. Customers who require more power and protection can purchase a roof ladder. The Adventure Pack includes a 6.5-liter water tank with a shower attachment and hose, as well as side-mounted carriers and an air compressor. The Country Pack includes interior storage partitions, a rinse system and a rinse system. The Urban Pack is primarily aesthetic and includes a cover to protect the spare wheel. These items can be purchased separately and include a roof-top tent, and a front winch. The Defender is a great option for overlanders.
The five-door Defender 110, which comes in five doors, will be available on the U.S. markets starting at $49,000. The three-door Defender 90 will be available in the U.S. market in Spring 2020. Land Rover has not yet announced pricing, but it has stated that it will be following its bigger sibling to dealers next year.