Iconic off-roader is set to come in at least two body styles, while a new inline-six has just been announced for use in the Range Rover initially.
It almost looks like a Disco of yore…
Once again, Land Rover has released some teaser shots of its all-new Defender due for a reveal later this year before hitting showrooms in 2020.
Under the camouflage appears to be a very boxy appearance resembling past iterations of the Discovery, which has already shifted away with a sleeker profile in its current generation.
It seems that the famous British 4x4 maker has prepared for this in advance so that the all-new Defender can easily maintain its legendary off-roading pedigree.
One official picture shows that the Defender will have three- and five-door SUV bodies to choose from. A stretched five-door is rumoured to be in the pipeline, as well.
The old model had 90, 110 and 130 designations indicating the wheelbase lengths in inches.
Will it still have a chassis-on-frame underbody?
Land Rover hasn’t discussed technical details for the new Defender yet and has only talked about the grueling tests the vehicle has undergone in various parts around the world.
But as all current Land Rover models are now made on a monocoque (aka uni-body) platform, expect it to underpin the Defender for better on-road dynamics.
Of course, Land Rover will ensure that the Defender can get its hands dirty with no problems because that’s what it has always been ever since its inception decades ago.
A four-cylinder diesel-turbo is most likely to main seller, although petrol options should certainly be available as well for markets that require something that isn’t an oil-burner (like China, for one).
This week, Land Rover has announced a new 3.0-litre inline-six for use in the Range Rover initially. Coupled with 48V mild hybrid and eight-speed automatic, the six-pot petrol produces 400hp.
A plug-in hybrid option almost seems like a dead cert for the Defender, too. The P400 model of the Range Rover feature 2.0-litre petrol-turbo engine and plug-in hybrid.
Will it have a V8 to rival the G63?
While the old Defender never had a high-performance version (for all the obvious reasons), pundits shouldn’t rule it out in the new one (the Nurburgring in Germany was one of the new Defender’s proving grounds).
It’s still not clear whether Land Rover will continue with the existing 5.0-litre supercharged V8 or outsource a new one from another carmaker.
But that new straight-six could probably be improved to make more power for a model bearing the SVX nameplate, first used in a V8-powered concept of today’s Discovery.
Although still using the traditional body-on-frame floorplan, the G63 from Mercedes-AMG has 571hp 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 forming as the most potent model of the existing G-Class.
