If you know nothing about the iconic Land Rover Defender, at least remember this: It's a British 4x4 that's been used all over the world for generations, and it left our shores over a decade ago. We've missed it ever since. We've been waiting for the camouflage to come off the 2020 Land Rover Defender, and someone recently posted a totally uncloaked version of the car on the set of the next James Bond film, "No Time To Die." See the somewhat blurry photo below:
What you see is a black Defender 110 (the four-door version) with British plates and a front-mounted winch. What you will also notice is that it looks similar to the DC100 Concept in the lead image, a vehicle that Land Rover said would not be the basis for the 2020 Defender's looks. Oops. Though it still retains its very vertical greenhouse from the last-generation Defender, it takes the curved front end from the DC100. Things get smoothed out quite a bit compared to the very boxy Defender of yore. It's a bit confusing because the version that's been seen testing seems more squared off. See below:
The new Defender still has the overall shape of the original with everything rounded off to translate to a more modern look. We're not sure if that's good or not since we can't see the vehicle uncloaked in its entirety. We're sure Defender devotees will criticize it. We're more concerned, however, with the fact that the new Defender will be unibody construction (more car-like) rather than the original's very rugged and capable body-on-frame build.
The new Defender will thankfully be sold in the states, not something we had expected. That's great news for those who would rather have a less-luxurious Land Rover Defender that's true to the original. But don't expect it to be nearly as Spartan as the original. In order to sell, it's got to have some of the creature comforts buyers expect of the brand.
The new Defender will come in three body styles: the 90 (seats 5-6); the 110 (seats 5-7); and 130 (seats 8). It was also recently revealed that the Defender will come with no fewer than six engine options including a PHEV for the eco/green set.
More details on the new Defender are forthcoming in terms of standard equipment, power output, amenities, approach/breakover/departure angles, locking differentials, and all that good stuff. We can't wait to see it in the flesh and actually drive it, though if we had our druthers, we'd just want the no-nonsense original back.