Login

Next-Gen Land Rover Defender Caught Testing

A test mule of the next-gen Land Rover Defender off-roader has been spotted testing. The design language and silhouette of the SUV is largely in contrast with the old-gen model and will be more in line with current lineup of Land Rover SUVs.
Calendar-icon

By car&bike Team

clock-icon

1 mins read

Calendar-icon

Published on December 6, 2017

Follow us on

google-news-icon
Story

Highlights

  • The next-gen Land Rover Defender will be a lot more modern and stylish
  • The next-gen Defender will borrow styling cues from the Discovery Sport
  • Engine details are unknown, the SUV is expected to make its debut in 2018

The Land Rover Defender is unarguably one of the most iconic SUVs to come out the British manufacturer's stable. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) officially pulled the plug on the legendary off-roader almost two years back, in January 2016 after thirty-two years of production, due to stringent emission norms and falling demand. Thankfully, the Tata Motors-owned luxury carmaker was rumoured to be working on the next-gen Defender and its arrival at the LA Auto Show 2017, saying that the next one will come with a 'polarizing' design. Now, just a few days later, we get to see the first images of the next-gen Land Rover Defender's test mule.

land rover defender side

The new Land Rover Defender will continue to carry its tall off-roader stance

The images of this prototype of the new-gen Land Rover Defender are more than enough to tell us what they meant by polarizing design. Though heavily covered in camouflage, we can still see that silhouette of the iconic off-roader has completely changed and is more in line with Land Rover's latest-gen SUVs. In fact, the front section of the SUV is largely similar to the new-gen Discovery and its younger sibling the Discovery Sport, replacing the boxy profile with curved edges. Up front, the SUV comes with a set of LED projector headlamps surrounded by LED daytime running lamps. The grille and bumper are heavily camouflaged so there is not much to comment on that front, but we expect to see large air intakes.

land rover defender rear

The Land Rover Defender prototype still comes with few makeshift parts

However, once you get a look at the SUV from the sides you'll notice the essence of the Defender. For instance, the test mule comes with a noticeably short wheelbase, with shorter front overhangs and larger ones at the rear. Looking at the stance of the SUV it also appears to come with independent suspension to improve its off-road capabilities, and finally, we have the massive ground clearance which is sure to make the new Defender worthy of its name. At the rear, you get wraparound LED taillamps, which don't look production ready but we can expect a similar design.

It is too soon to comment on engine specifications but we believe that 2-litre Ingenium diesel engine could find its way into the Land Rover Defender family. But we'll get to know more about the next-gen Defender once the company introduces the SUV, which is expected sometime in the second half of 2018 as a 2019 model.

Image Source: Autoblog

Stay updated with automotive news and reviews right at your fingertips through carandbike.com's Google News

Related Articles

Latest News

Popular Land Rover Models