Photo: Land Rover
In 1948, Land Rover came to be as a result of the Series I. Developed in the aftermath of World War II by engineers headed by Maurice Wilks, the Defender went on to become the closest design to the civilian version of the Willys Jeep, introduced in 1944 as the CJ-1.
By 1985, Land Rover renamed the Series into the Defender, offered in multiple varieties over the years. The most popular are the 90 (short wheelbase with three doors) and 110 (long wheelbase with five doors). Just like its predecessors, the Defender was engineered to be a no-nonsense SUV with the off-road capabilities that would make even the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen blush with awe.
Speaking of the G-Class, the three-pointed star re-engineered the original into the second generation of the W463. Even though the designers managed to fix the problems of the forerunner, the all-new model hasn’t strayed from its genetic code. It’s particularly hard to tell the two apart from each other in traffic; that’s how similar they look! Further bringing the point home, Mercedes-Benz even retained the codename of the first generation.
Land Rover, on the other hand, is taking a different approach with the Defender. An all-new model is coming in 2019 for the 2020 model year, and hardcore enthusiasts refer to it as “Pretender” because of the unibody architecture.
Like the Discovery, Land Rover decided to make do without the body-on-frame chassis to save weight where it matters, aluminum and all. But there’s another reason for this change, and that is electrification.
The Modular Longitudinal Platform or MLA can even take an all-electric powertrain, which makes room for speculation regarding the Defender EV. Those who are more interested in internal combustion, the V8 in the Works is going away, making room for four- and six-cylinder engine options from the Ingenium family that’s also used by Jaguar.
A plug-in hybrid such as the P400e in the Range Rover could happen, and if Land Rover can make a case for it, the P300e in the Evoque could also be adapted for the Defender, three-cylinder turbo and all. On the other hand, we’re not expecting the most off-road SUV in the lineup to feature a 1.5-liter under the hood, not at the pricing point of the Defender.
On that note, “do not unwrap until 2019,” okay?
Speaking of the G-Class, the three-pointed star re-engineered the original into the second generation of the W463. Even though the designers managed to fix the problems of the forerunner, the all-new model hasn’t strayed from its genetic code. It’s particularly hard to tell the two apart from each other in traffic; that’s how similar they look! Further bringing the point home, Mercedes-Benz even retained the codename of the first generation.
Land Rover, on the other hand, is taking a different approach with the Defender. An all-new model is coming in 2019 for the 2020 model year, and hardcore enthusiasts refer to it as “Pretender” because of the unibody architecture.
Like the Discovery, Land Rover decided to make do without the body-on-frame chassis to save weight where it matters, aluminum and all. But there’s another reason for this change, and that is electrification.
The Modular Longitudinal Platform or MLA can even take an all-electric powertrain, which makes room for speculation regarding the Defender EV. Those who are more interested in internal combustion, the V8 in the Works is going away, making room for four- and six-cylinder engine options from the Ingenium family that’s also used by Jaguar.
A plug-in hybrid such as the P400e in the Range Rover could happen, and if Land Rover can make a case for it, the P300e in the Evoque could also be adapted for the Defender, three-cylinder turbo and all. On the other hand, we’re not expecting the most off-road SUV in the lineup to feature a 1.5-liter under the hood, not at the pricing point of the Defender.
On that note, “do not unwrap until 2019,” okay?
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