a car as off-road as always but more premium than ever

Eight years ago that Land rover He began to think about how he could replace the eternal Defender, in production since 1947. And almost four years ago that the last Defender left the factory, it was in January 2016.

Meanwhile, speculations, delays, doubts and design changes of the future Defender were coming to light. But the wait is over. It's official, the legend that is the Land Rover Defender He has returned, with an intact off-road capability and a premium touch to expand his fan base.

Land Rover faced a challenge that many manufacturers fear: replacing an icon with a new model. Volkswagen, for example, did it with the Golf that arrived after the Beetle. On the other hand, the Porsche 928 that was supposed to kill 911 did not succeed. Porsche finally decided to evolve 911 almost continuously. Only time will tell if the English firm will overcome this challenge.

A current design full of winks to the past

At the moment we know that he has chosen to preserve what the essence of the Defender does, that is, his simplicity of design and enormous off-road skills, at the same time that it gives a more premium and less radical approach to a wider and more global audience.

From the previous Defender, in the last year of its manufacture, 5,000 units were sold to individuals and some 10,000 units to fleets. In order for it to be profitable, the new model must sell five times more so that, together with Discovery, the new factory in Nitra, Slovakia, whose annual production capacity is 150,000 units, will travel.

Initially, the new Defender should be very similar to the DC100 concept car, and although the final design has a certain resemblance to that of that concept car, it has its own character. Obviously no winks to defendsuch as the short overhangs, the straight box line, the flat bonnet with a bump, the square silhouette and even the upper rear windows (also known as alpine windows) and a spare wheel on the tailgate.

The flat dashboard, made of magnesium alloy, is a structural part of the Defender. In Land Rover they have chosen to place it as low as possible to improve visibility in off-road situations. However, the 10 inch digital display It is not integrated in the dashboard, it seems an addition. The idea is to keep some old school touch.

The screen also shows the next generation infotainment system Land Rover, called Pivi Pro. According to the brand it is easier to use and intuitive and requires up to 50% less tickets to perform frequent tasks with respect to the current system. System updates will be done remotely (over the air).

Extreme customization for a true off-road

The new Defender will be available in short chassis, Defend 90, and long chassis, Defend 110. Both the Defender 90 and 110 will be available with folding side seats (as in the original Defender), while the larger 110 can accommodate five, six or seven people depending on the configuration.

With the folding side seat option, the smaller two-door Defender 90 can accommodate up to six people, although the standard configuration is for five passengers. By the way, the Defender 90 can optionally equip the folding fabric roof that covers the entire car.

And is that the new Defender is highly customizable. In Land Rover have created more than 170 accessories to customize the Defender, transforming him into an heir of the Camel Trophy or a work vehicle or even a luxury car. Almost everything is possible.

In addition, Land Rover is confident that it can also sell military and emergency services versions in several countries. In that sense, it should be noted that the Defender is approved to support 300 kg of weight on the roof, pull braked trailers up to 3,500 kg and up to 750 kg if they do not equip brakes.

Regarding its capacity outside the asphalt and in difficult terrain, the new Defender has 291 mm of ground clearance, an angle of attack of 38º, an exit angle of 40º and a wading capacity of 90 cm (with a system that also closes the cabin hermetically). The all-wheel drive is permanent type, with central differential lock, active rear differential lock and gearbox.

Diesel, gasoline and hybrid engines

The new Defender, like its illustrious predecessor, is not a small car. The Defender 90 is 4.32 m long (4.58 m with the option of outside spare wheel) with a battle of 2,587 mm. The Defender 110, meanwhile, reaches up to 4.75 meters long (5.01 m with spare wheel) with a wheelbase of more than three meters (3,022 mm). Both versions are 1,996 mm wide (not including mirrors).

At the time of its launch, the Defender range (either 90 or 110) will feature two diesel engines, a gasoline and a mild hybrid gasoline, all of the Ingenium family and associated with an automatic change of 8 relationships. In diesel, it will be a 4-cylinder 2.0-liter in charge of encouraging the Defender. It will be available in a 200 hp and 240 hp version, in both cases the maximum torque will be 430 Nm at 1,400 rpm.

It will follow in the range of 4 cylinders 2.0 liters turbo 300 hp, which we have seen in other models of the group, and 400 Nm at 1,500 rpm. The top of the range will consist of a 6-cylinder inline 3.0-liter supercharged by turbo that receives the help of an electric motor associated with a lithium-ion battery. This model develops a total of 400 hp and delivers 550 Nm at 2,000 rpm and gives the Defender 110 a 0 to 100 km / h in 6.1 seconds (6 seconds on the Defender 90).

From the beginning, the range could evolve with the arrival of a plug-in hybrid version, a powerful version made by the SVO department to rival the Mercedes-AMG G-Class and even a new extra-long body, the Defender 130.