With the demand for sport-utility vehicles continuing to soar, Jaguar Land Rover plans to enhance the iconic Land Rover Defender for the 2021 model year.
New for 2021 Model Year is the Defender X-Dynamic, which bridges the gap between Defender and Defender X with a tough exterior look and unique interior fittings to set it apart from the rest of the line-up. The Defender X-Dynamic can be enhanced further with a choice of S, SE and HSE Specification Packs.
The Series and Defender models before it have gone above and beyond for decades, securing iconic status for their ability to help people make more of their world. The new Defender takes these much-loved characteristics and reimagines them for the 21st century, according to Gerry McGovern, chief design officer, Land Rover.
(Land Rover Defender rolls into U.S. showrooms.)
“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,” he said.
Some of those updates are found inside the new Defender, according to Alan Sheppard, director, Interior Design, Land Rover.
“Within, we strived to harness the Defender vehicle’s profound spirit of boundless adventure,” he said. “A comfortable interior which is at once impeccably handsome for the discerning, shrewd in functionality and prudently qualified in anticipation of any adversity.”
The new Defender X-Dynamic features unique interior materials that confirm its place between core Defender models and the X. Highly durable Robustec material is found on the seat ribbons and Console Finisher. Robustec is a protective and hard-wearing material inspired by textiles used in extreme outdoor activities and is used inside the Defender on areas that are subject to heightened wear.
Configurable Terrain Response makes its debut in the new Defender, allowing drivers to set up the vehicle to suit the off-road conditions. The Terrain Response 2 system also includes a new Wade program, which optimizes all of the vehicle systems accordingly.
Raising the position of the body by 0.8 inches compared to the Land Rover brand’s existing range of large SUVs, and relocating elements including the battery and cooling circuits, enabled Land Rover engineers to deliver ultra-short front and rear overhangs, which boasts impressive approach and departure angles of 38 and 40 degrees respectively.
(Land Rover expects new Defender to appeal to a wider audience.)
The monocoque body construction has a stiff aluminum body, able to withstand 6.5 tons snatch load through the recovery points. This strong, stiff structure provides the perfect foundations for the 4×4’s advanced all-independent suspension.
The double wishbone front and integral link rear suspension optimizes off-road performance while delivering excellent handling dynamics and comes with a choice of coil spring or Electronic Air Suspension – offered standard on Defender 90 First Edition and X variants, as well as all Defender 110 models.
The suspension layout uses all-new components to deliver world-class durability with new steel subframes and uprated ball joints and bushes that are designed to withstand several off-road impacts – the wheels can withstand up to seven tons of vertical load into the body.
An available Adaptive Dynamics allows customers to adjust driving characteristics. The system’s adaptive dampers monitor body movements up to 500 times per second and respond almost instantaneously to optimize body control and comfort.
Customers can choose between a turbocharged four-cylinder P300 engine and an efficient six-cylinder P400 Mild-Hybrid powertrain.
The inline six-cylinder Ingenium gasoline engine, with MHEV technology, features both a conventional twin-scroll turbocharger and an advanced 48-volt electric supercharger, with a belt-integrated starter motor in place of the alternator to assist the gasoline engine, and a 48-volt lithium-ion battery to store energy captured as the vehicle slows down. All engines drive through a smooth and responsive eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox and twin-speed transfer case, to provide a set of low-range ratios essential for towing or off-road driving when more control is required.
In addition, there is a choice of three settings for the throttle and gearbox response, steering and traction control, allowing experienced off-roaders and all-terrain novices to tailor the vehicle set-up to suit their requirements. The system allows four individual profiles to be saved, so different drivers can quickly activate their preferred settings.
(Land Rover doubles up to increase the connectivity of the new Defender.)
The Defender is also the first Land Rover vehicle to feature a Wade program within the Terrain Response 2 menu. The new setting automatically softens the throttle response, sets the heating and ventilation to recirculate cabin air, locks the driveline and adjusts the ride height to its off-road setting while activating the Wade Sensing screen on the infotainment system.
