Good Bye, Land Rover Defender

The world of off-roaders will get smaller and sadder in 2013, the year by when the Land Rover Defender will be discontinued. The main reason behind its demise is, as Land Rover told GoAuto News, the need for stricter safety and emission regulation being promoted across the globe. The fact that the Defender is available in the US only as highly modified, expensive versions, does not help at all.

Sad as it may be, the news is not at all unexpected. Land Rover themselves confirmed it by teasing us with several concepts. Even the current design of the Defender is now over 25 years old...

According to PistonHeads, the replacement of the Defender may be built on one of the platforms developed for the Range Rover Sport and LR4. A functional version of the respective replacement should be here in one year or two.

The Defender came into existence back in 1990, as an evolution of the over 50 years old Series 1. From the automotive point of view, it is now one of the most slow-evolving designs in the industry, despite its gazillion versions, engines, wheelbases, special editions and so on.

From the personal point of view, it is a sturdy, spartan, heavy off-road utility vehicle, equally cherished by civilians and military. Most likely, what will follow will not be the same...

But, until that time arrives, Defender lovers still have the Fire and Ice editions, released back in June. It is yet unclear whether it will be the last or a few more will follow, but the two models are, as Land Rover says, inspired by "the world’s most challenging landscapes - where Defenders have earned their reputation for rugged dependability."