2020 Land Rover Defender India Launch Next Year: 5 Things To Know

2020 tata land rover defender front
2020 Land Rover Defender

The upcoming Land Rover Defender was recently spied testing on Indian roads and will arrive in the second half of 2020

After missing from its line-up for almost three years, Land Rover unveiled the new 2020 Defender a few weeks back. Unlike a handful of models that were resurrected in recent years, the new Defender does not possess an ounce of sacrilege while being modern and apt for today’s time.

Slated as a 2020 model, the new defender will arrive in two versions that have been thoughtfully designed to fit a range of purposes. The Defender has been a renowned model in the company’s lineup with boiling popularity for its performance off-road.

Hence without any further ado, here are 5 things you need to know about the SUV

1. New Platform

Underpinning the new Defender is Land Rover’s new D7X platform. The fact that it is a monocoque chassis can give way to numerous questions. However, Land Rover claims that the new one is the stiffest chassis that they have ever designed. For the ones who are still not convinced, the company also stated that the D7X is, in fact, three times stiffer than its body-on-ladder frame.

2020 tata land rover defender front tilt

2. Two Versions

Similar to the previous generation, the new Defender also comes in two versions offered with two body types. The three door-version is called the Defender 90 and will have a shorter wheelbase. The 5-door version is the 110 which comes with a longer wheelbase. Reports suggest that the company has also planned for a 130 variant sometime later which will seat a total of 8 people.

3. Three Engine Options

Buyers are offered a choice of three engine options that include the newly developed 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines that are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The British carmaker will add a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder plug-in hybrid engine in the line-up later next year.

2020 tata land rover defender

4. Modern Elements

Unlike the previous generation which primarily catered to the off-road enthusiasts, the new Defender brings enough tricks on the table in order to please the young buyers. The point in case would include the new Pivi Pro infotainment system which comes with over-the-air (OTA) software updates that are functional anywhere in the world.

The new infotainment system supports two phones that can be connected at the same time. Other aspects in the car include a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and head-up display and 85 ECUs that can process 21,000 network messages.

5. Off-Road Capabilities

2020 tata land rover defender dashboard

Living up to its name, the Defender gets fully independent air suspension, a maximum payload of 900 kg 900 mm wading depth, towing capacity of 3720 kg and Land Rover’s most advanced Configurable Terrain Response 2 system to optimize traction and complement all the mechanicals.

In addition to this, the new Defender can also electronically raise itself by 145mm when tackling difficult terrains. The car can also be lowered by 50mm to ease getting in and out of the car. The car will make its way into our shore by late next year and have already been spied on our roads doing test runs.

2020 tata land rover defender rear 90

The new modern elements on the outside including the LED lights and a neat grille all accentuates the tough and worthy look of the upcoming Defender. The combined package of the new car has totally made its development period worth.

The new generation went into works before the previous generation was discontinued by the company. And over the course of more than three years, the car has been put through 62,000 different tests and 1.2 million kilometres of different terrains around the world. All we now need to know is how well the car performs in terms of pricing.