UK Publication Autocar reports leaked documents from Land Rover reveal details of the long-awaited and much speculated Defender replacement.
Since the 2011 ‘DC100’ concept was met with widespread disapproval, Land Rover have kept impressively quiet on the Defender replacement. Expected concept and release dates have come and gone with silence.
If Autocar’s intel is accurate, we can expect the Defender replacement to stand apart from the Range Rover styling cues most feared; with Land Rover seeking to distinguish the three ‘pillars’ of the brand, Range Rover, Discovery and Defender, with individual style and characteristics. Classic design cues from the original Land Rover and Defender will be continued in the new design, in the same way that the Mini, Fiat 500 and Wrangler have all kept their ancestry visible.
A range of its own
The Defender replacement will include two wheelbases, with names inspired by the legendary 90 and 110 monikers of the old Defender. The short wheel base will have an entry level three door and will focus on the sporty driving dynamics and utilitarian prowess the 90 is known for. A SWB with removable roof is a potential offering, and will sit in the lifestyle market alongside the Jeep Wrangler.
The long wheel base models start with a more premium packaged five door with the Mercedes G Class being the likely closest competitor, while a utility body will also be offered to rival the Mercedes X-Class and other premium utes, in one of the strongest growing markets worldwide.
Defender replacement power and construction
There will be no V8 engines this time around, with the smaller but highly powered Ingenium engines most likely to power the range. It won’t be a case of one engine across the range either, with more powerful engines in the larger and more premium models. The Defender was always a manual, the replacement will most likely be automatic only. An all-electric powertrain option is also likely.
The Defender replacement will be based on the new Aluminium Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA), meaning the vehicle family will not feature a separate chassis instead having a very rigid and lightweight structure, with the suspension supported by a host of electronic controls and sensors to facilitate off-road and on-road performance. Land Rover are aiming to create the most capable off-road vehicle on the market, through their innovative and market leading electronic technology.
14 comments
from the series trucks to the defenders, if you had a two door or van you could take the roof or back section off and turn it into a ute for the weekend, or to move goods around as i do. this type of option will be missed by many interested in a new landy, will the new one be able to change configuration like that. i think not
You know it’s going to be bloody expensive and probably a large dud too.
Land rover are pushing the brand as luxury not as a work horse any more, especially in China, and I think LR have lost there way. Just look at the range rover velar, it’s basically a jaguar F-pace. A long long way from its roots.
I love the look of the concept DC100.
The original Land Rover was aimed at farmers which could come with a power offtake to run other machinery. Do you think farmers would be buying a land rover for the property these days? Land Rover have forgotten their roots and taken their vehicles (Defender/Discovery) too far to the luxury end of the market (not the only ones by the way), too many models that have an identity crisis, too soft, too much gimmicky electronics and plastic and too expensive! If you only want to cater to the rich then the marque is destined for the history bin. You wouldn’t take any of the current models on the camel trophy without a lot of upgrading!
“What a pity there will be no manual option.
Land Rover sadly, have definitely lost the way.
They are very quickly “DILUTING THE BRAND
The original Rover company started out manufacturing bicycles, so they really have lost their way! It all went to rot when the headlights were moved out of the radiator panel, succumbing to rules and regulations that had no standing in rural England. Next thing you know people will want to change from time-honoured cart springs to coils or, heaven forbid, air springs!
That has got to be the ugliest piece of crap ever….. who designed it Stevie Wonder? I never really liked Land Rovers but this thing I hate! The latest Range Rovers were bad enough but this is pure crap, the only thing missing is the Brown Colour.
“Landrover has lost its roots”
Bleat about something else that matters!
Car companies have to abide by laws & that includes safety.
So you crash your new Defender & your Mrs, mum, or kids get killed because LR read your moronic comments & stuck to what you wanted.
I take my 110 tray back to the supermarket & not the butcher, then the baker and in to the
green grocer… why?
Because times have changed.
Btw, you can buy tissues at the supermarket if you find you still have a sniffle & need to wipe your eyes
I just hope they are going for mil spec then something good would come out.
what a lot of ignorant comments above! Land Rovers started to meet the market expectation in 1948 and continue to do that in 2018. All that the Jap crap and Eurpoean competitors can do is stare in disbelief as innovation after innovation is leaving them for dead!
Hopefully the “all new Defender” will be based on the concept which is far better looking than anything else available anywhere in the world.
Land Rovers always looked different to other 4×4,s and that’s a good stand out thing these days when manufacturers clone off each others offerings. ( i note that Russel Coight used one as a point of stand out difference in his latest series)
I do feel that Rover have lost the plot, irrespective of how the actual new defender turns out. They have significantly shot themselves in the foot with complex electronics.
For me, many years ago, replacing a back axle or tipping in a bit of extra oil was infinitely simpler AND cheaper, than hunting down intermittent electronic faults or creeping home in limp mode etc. A mate has recently, and reluctantly, sold his Discovery. He loved it and freely acknowledges the replacement “other” 4×4 is not as good. His comments re the discovery— ” I just couldn’t trust it anymore” ( got caught once to often with a limp home mode electronic fault— source of never discovered)
It’s interesting in that both the Australian army and British have flicked the Defenders despite a long association with Land Rover. ( although i have heard that the British have mothballed many— ” just in case” ?)
At least with the Australian army the replacement Mercedes certainly looks the part.
I wont be in the market for a new defender although i might have considered the now discontinued model.
I currently drive a very common 4×4 ute and even now . after many years with a land rover — get caught out on the tracks because there is minimal feed back— i just dont know where the wheels are. The Land Rover didn’t suffer from that issue— there was plenty of “feedback”, and more
Show me a brand that hasn’t been diluted.
What a pity with this great British iconic brand, the marketers getting their way thinking we all want Chelsea tractors. LR won its spurs with innovation and invention with the first Defender marks, the iconic Range Rover and Disco. I have had 90’s, 110’s and 5 Disco’s and now no more. They now just follow the pack with plastic trim, electronics for everything and a breath of bad fuel or oils and in some cases rain it all stops, not to mention silly high entry cost. Insulting the buying public that put you on top in the first place, thinking we are all mugs and it will automatically sell because you have slapped the word SPORT on it. This multinational conglomerate owner is totally void of any individual design or ideas. By all means make a car that looks at home on the set of TOWIE and the pimped up versions you sell in LA but do not forget your roots. Listening to some Instagram star that might well have 100,000 sheep followers trust me are not your buying public. Make a car for the true masses as they are your bread and butter customers you should never forget, there will always be a mass market. If Jag/LR continues thinking this way you will recognize the bottom very soon. Back to the start of my rant, Innovate and invent, following top dollar alone and what marketer’s think we want is a road to failure. Oh and just in case you think I am wrong both BMW and Merc make affordable car versions, that by the way put your best jag and RR to shame on reliability.
I understand the British & Australian army flicked the defenders as a result of LR not being able to commit to a long term supply and maintenance obligation. I have also heard of quite a few issues relating to the merc replacements. I’m sure over time these will be solved however it doesn’t appear to be a bullet proof replacement (although no doubt much more pleasant workstation than the defender.