Land Rover Defender on the Attack
Spare a thought for the designers of the all new Land Rover which arrives in New Zealand about now. Few models of vehicle have carved out such an iconic silhouette in their lifetime. Fewer still have become a symbolism for exploration and adventure over the last several decades. So there’s a lot at stake when it comes to redesigning things.
Somehow though the designers have worked through any anxiety that might have accompanied such a process and have created something fresh and packed with modern day innovation, technology and aesthetics while also making sure that it fits within the famous family tree.
Defender DNA has also of course been carried through to the inside where the utilitarian nature of things have been embraced rather than hidden away behind plastic bits. And the foundation of the Defender’s construction also reflects its heritage with aluminum construction but this time gets a new purpose-engineered D7x (for extreme) architecture based on a lightweight aluminium monocoque construction to create the stiffest body structure Land Rover has ever produced. It is three times stiffer than traditional body-on-frame designs, providing perfect foundations for the fully independent air or coil sprung suspension and supports the latest electrified powertrains.
Obviously not wanting to do things by halves, the engineering department put the new Defender through more than 62,000 tests before giving it the sign-off. Also during development testing, prototype models have covered millions of kilometres across some of the harshest environments on earth, ranging from the 50-degree heat of the desert and sub 40-degree cold of the Arctic to altitudes of 10,000ft in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
This breadth of capability has been added to by permanent all-wheel drive and a twin-speed automatic gearbox, centre differential and optional Active Locking Rear Differential. Configurable Terrain Response debuts on New Defender, allowing experienced off-roaders to fine-tune individual vehicle settings to perfectly suit the conditions, while inexperienced drivers can let the system detect the most appropriate vehicle settings for the terrain, using the intelligent Auto function.
Further technology improvements include the Pivi Pro infotainment system, an intuitive and user-friendly next gen touchscreen and the ClearSight Ground View technology which shows the area usually hidden by the bonnet, directly ahead of the front wheels, on the central touchscreen. In addition, the New Defender takes Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) technology to a new level, with 14 individual modules capable of receiving remote updates. By downloading data while customers are asleep at home or in far-flung locations, the New Defender will keep itself up to date.
Under the bonnet the petrol line-up includes a four-cylinder P300 and a powerful six-cylinder P400, featuring efficient Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology and a pair of four-cylinder diesels – the D200 and powerful D240.
While the new Defender might be the new kid on the block with all its fancy bells and whistles, it has all the goods to carry on its famous legacy into the future.
“The New Defender is respectful of its past but is not harnessed by it. This is a new Defender for a New Age. Its unique personality is accentuated by its distinctive silhouette and optimum proportions, which make it both highly desirable and seriously capable – a visually compelling 4×4 that wears its design and engineering integrity with uncompromised commitment.”- Gerry McGovern, Chief Design Officer, Land Rover.
