For decades, the Land Rover Defender has battled through the world’s rocky riverbeds and tackled its steepest terrain, always identifiable by its angular, utilitarian look. The latest edition of the burly off-roader, unveiled this week at the Frankfurt Motor Show, comes with a more sculpted vibe. But don’t mistake a few rounded corners for an abdication of its mission: The 2020 Defender still promises to wriggle, wrestle, and wade its way through whatever challenge you can find, and it's brought some new, high-tech tricks to do it better than ever.
The Defender has been absent from the Land Rover lineup since 2016, and it returns as the company’s technology leader. The optional 48-volt power system makes it a mild hybrid, supporting the engine with electric power. It carries an electric supercharger for extra power, an optional self-healing wrap that erases small scratches, and robust connectivity features that the automaker says will swat away hackers as effectively as the 4x4 dispenses with snow, mud, and ice.
Though infusing such wizardry into a rough-and-tumble brawler might seem a bit contrarian, Land Rover’s bosses say they’re being realistic. “This car needs to go there because that's the way the world is going,” says Defender technical director Rob Atkin. “This is what the car must do to exist in the digital world.”
The new Defender hits showrooms in the spring, in two variants. The two-door Defender 90 and four-door Defender 110 will each be available with assorted trim levels and accessory packs to suit various adventures. (A stripped-down commercial/utility variant might come to the US if buyers show interest, says the company’s US CEO, Joe Eberhardt.) The two engine options are a 296-horsepower, four-cylinder turbo, and an inline six-cylinder that uses the 48-volt power system to generate 395 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque.
The surround-view system now uses a more powerful graphics processing unit to replicate the terrain around the vehicle and allows users to quickly spin the view around. It fuses camera and ultrasonic sensor data to “paint” the landscape, stitched together into a single image. That’s nice when you’re trying to squeeze your Range Rover into your garage, but potentially vital for off-roading, where limited visibility means you don’t see that rock blocking your path forward.
The same system allows for granular steering control while dealing with trailers—always a pain. You can use the steering wheel if you like, or direct the vehicle with a rotary dial that’s synced up to the camera view. The system then calculates which way to point the front wheels to aim the Defender toward the trailer for hitching it or to back the whole shebang into a designated parking area.
With digital tricks, though, come digital threats. Modern vehicles, this one included, have a bevy of connectivity functions. Passengers sync up their personal phoness, streaming music and services via onboard Wi-Fi. The vehicles automatically download system updates. To protect the Defender and harden it against a cyberattack, Atkin’s team split the car’s systems into 14 modules, each individually protected. And they can be remotely updated, so you don’t need to leave the mountains and head to the dealer to get the latest defenses. “You don't just do it on day one and that’s it for the life of the car,” Atkin says. “You have to keep doing it because these guys are pretty clever and they'll keep going.”
Still, not everything’s about tech. Simpler innovations include the available, stowable center jump seat, when you want to have three people up front. And if you’re not into cameras, go for the Defender 90 with the canvas roof: Roll it back, stand up (in the back seat), and take in your surroundings the old-fashioned way.
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