Comments: Land Rover Defender Breaks Cover

[Drew Dowdell]

Land Rover has transformed their Defender off-road vehicle which went out of production in 2016 into a more luxurious, roomier, and much more high tech.  The new generation of Defender comes in 3-door and 5-door versions.  The first on offer will be the 110, a 5-door model with 5, 6, or 7, seats that will arrive in early 2020. Later that year will be the 3-door 90 short wheelbase model with 5 or 6 seats and a van version of the 90 will be on offer also. Following in 2021 will be the longer 130 version with a choice of 7 or 8 seats. While not all pricing has been released, the 110 version will start at $50,925 and will be the only version offered in the US for now. 

Powering the Defender will be a choice of 296 hp 2.0-liter, JLR's new 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder with a mild hybrid system that packs 395 horsepower. Diesel power may come later, won't be available at launch. A plug-in hybrid version will also show up later in the production cycle. 

JLR says the new Defender will leave you refreshed after a long drive but still pass through water up to 35.4 inches deep and tow 8,200 lbs.

The new Defender is built on a heavily modified version of the D7u platform used on the Discovery, but that it is so heavily modified, it gets its own codename (D7x) and own assembly line. It also introduces a new entertainment system called Pivi Pro that is more user friendly and uses fewer inputs to perform common tasks. It is capable of taking over the air software updates with 14 different modules capable of taking updates remotely. 

 

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[David]

Side profile looks like it has been smoothed out for an EV and Hybrid version. Better wind flow.

[Robert Hall]

I like it...the rectangular trim on the C-pillars seems like an afterthought, though.  Neat retro touch w/ the white roof and windows in the roof sides.  Seems like the Bronco will be of a similar shape and proportions.

[regfootball]

[smk4565]

It looks pretty good, the old Defender fans will love it I think, and if you had a 4Runner or FJ or maybe Jeep and are looking for an upgrade, this fits the bill.  I think with people loving off roady SUVs, this will do quite well.  And it breaks the mold of bland rounded off crossovers.  Good pricing too, and a real 2 door coupe.  I like what they did here.

[surreal1272]

I’ll give credit where credit it due. At least Land Rover stayed true to its SUV roots with the Defender and gave a two door as an option. Now about that reliability and pricey parts...