THE new Land Rover Defender has moved a good few wheel turns closer to production after successfully completing arduous testing in Kenya.
A prototype model fitted with an integrated raised air intake and wearing specially devised camouflage was used by the Tusk Trust for their lion conservation work at the 14,000-hectare Borana Conservancy.
Wildlife managers forded rivers, pulled heavily loaded trailers and negotiated deeply rutted tracks, steep rocky inclines and thick forests during a series of real-world tests for the new 4x4.
The prototype model was even used to help replace a failed tracking collar fitted to a male lion, which was sedated at close range from the security of the new Defender.
Jaguar Land Rover engineering vehicle line director Nick Collins said: “We are now in the advanced stages of the new Defender’s testing and development phase.
“Working with our partners at Tusk in Kenya enabled us to gather valuable performance data. The Borana reserve features a wide range of challenging environments, making it a perfect place to test to the extreme the all-terrain attributes of the new Defender.”
The new Land Rover will make its world premiere later this year.
