2020 Land Rover Defender carries evolutionary design language and will pack more modern equipment than its predecessor
Land Rover’s upcoming Defender has been subjected to several speculations by various media sources. The hot commodity from the British manufacturer is being tested with heavy camouflage on its body in Europe. A picture from Lego Technic leaked online a couple of days back and it was followed by another image of the SUV’s digital gauge circulated around Land Rover forums.
Both the images correlate with each other and showcase the exterior styling of the sturdy SUV. The 2020 Land Rover Defender will be appealing to new-age customers with a more modern styling approach while retaining its traditional upright silhouette and finish.
For instance, the front fascia will feature a more prominent round-shaped LED headlamp unit, squared wheel arches, upright and thick blackened pillars and slightly raked windshield, newly designed alloy wheels, a compact rear profile, small side window into the roof as its predecessor, black painted ORVMs, etc.
The next generation Land Rover defender is underpinned by the modified MLA platform used in Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover Sport. It will be made available in three- and five-door trims and sold with short- and long-wheelbase formats targetting a variety of customers.
It will be manufactured at Jaguar Land Rover’s plant in Slovakia alongside the Land Rover Discovery. The interior is expected to come equipped with wireless charging facility, a large touchscreen infotainment system sitting in the middle of the dashboard, a multi-functional steering wheel, fully digital gauge cluster and so on.
It will have an assortment of driver assistive and safety features onboard. The 2020 Land Rover Defender is expected to be powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol and a 2.0-litre diesel engine. Both manual and automatic transmissions will be on offer along with four-wheel-drive as an option in high-end variants.
A hybrid powertrain as seen in the Range Rover Sport can be expected at a later stage of its lifespan. The next-gen Land Rover Defender will more likely make its global premiere at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.