The Land Rover Defender 2020 is an icon of the 4 × 4 of the 21st century

FRANKFURT, GERMANY – The original Land Rover did not invent the 4×4 – this honor certainly belongs to the Jeep of the Second World War, but it is almost synonymous with this term. Inspired by the Jeep, the first Land Rovers went on sale in 1948 and have been (very) slowly updated over the years through the I-III Series, then as a Land Rover 90 and 110, then as than Defender, who has finally come out of production. in January 2016. Along the way, despite its agricultural roots and its taste for driver comfort or ergonomics, the Defender has earned a reputation for being able to go anywhere, which partly explains why the examples used are now ridiculously expensive the United States. Land Rover obviously does not ignore this fact because he left and designed a brand new Defender, which made its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year.

If you were expecting a traditional body-on-frame design, think again. This Defender, like its Range Rover cousins, is now an aluminum monocoque chassis, which, according to Land Rover, is three times stiffer than anything the brand has built up to present. Like the old antediluvian 4×4 that it replaces, the new one comes in two sizes; the 90's and 110's, numbers that referred to the number of inches in the wheelbase. (In fact, the 90 has a wheelbase of 102 inches / 2,588 mm and the 110 has a wheelbase of 119 inches / 3,026 mm.) If you want a 90, you are limited to a single engine – a mild hybrid of 395 ch (295 kW) supercharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder, but the largest Defender can also be equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine developing 296 horsepower (220 kW). Both engines are gasoline; there is no diesel planned but next year, a plug-in hybrid will join the lineup.

The transmission options will also be somewhat unknown to fans of the venerable and old Landy. Forget a simple manual gearbox; all new defenders will utilize ZF's excellent eight-speed 8-hp automatic transmission. But it has a permanent four-wheel drive transmission, a two-speed transfer case and can be equipped with lockable center and rear differentials, as well as the latest Land Response electronic Terrain Response driver assistance.

Despite these modern fundamentals, Land Rover says the new Defender is just as good as the old off-road, as evidenced by some of the photos from the gallery above. The ground clearance is 291 mm (11.5 inches) and Land Rover indicates that the Defender 110 has angles of approach, tilt and departure of 38˚, 28˚ and 40˚. In addition, he can ford at depths up to 900 meters (35.4 inches) and tow up to 3,720 kg (8,201 pounds).

In my eyes, this is not an unattractive machine. But you can certainly say that it's the work of Chief Designer Gerry McGovern, with all these rounded edges. (I dare say it, Mercedes-Benz has done a more successful grubbing job, bringing its prehistoric SUV into the digital era.) Inside, things are much more dark than any defender of the past. There is a digital master dashboard and the touch screen infotainment system runs a newer operating system than the current Range Rovers. At the front, there is an optional third place between the driver and the front passenger, which means that the Defender 90 can accommodate six, the Defender 110 comes in five, six or five + 2 positions.

The Defender 110 will go on sale in the US in the spring of 2020, starting at $ 49,900 for the 2.0L and $ 62,250 for the mild 3.0L hybrid. Defender 90 sales will follow later this year.

Jonathan Gitlin's picture