Land Rover Expands Defender Lineup for 2021 Model Year
DESIGN: REINVENTING A DESIGN ICON
Land Rover has defined all-terrain capability and toughness from the conception of its very first 4×4. 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.
With its distinctive silhouette and optimum proportions, the New Defender has toughness at its core while its interior’s rugged modular architecture embraces the spirit of adventure that has been a fundamental part of Land Rover DNA for more than 70 years.
Gerry McGovern, Chief Design Officer, Land Rover, said, “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.”
The New Defender is available in perfectly proportioned 90 and 110 body designs, sharing the same short front and rear overhangs. Several models are available, including: Defender, X-Dynamic, Defender X and First Edition, with S, SE and HSE Specification Packs for Defender and X-Dynamic.
Exterior finishes
Land Rover has developed a curated exterior palette with unique colors just for the New Defender. A lot of body work is exposed in the interior – so the color palettes are modular between interior and exterior.
On the X derivative, the gloss black inset contrast hood is standard along with Gloss Black claddings. To give further differentiation between the X and Core vehicles, the front and rear skid pans and other detailed exterior parts are coated in a Starlight Satin finish. To perfectly bridge the gap between the two, the Defender X-Dynamic blends gloss painted Narvik Black exterior door and wheelarch cladding with Silicon Satin skid pans.
Constructivist interior design
The constructivist modular interior architecture of the Defender communicates its highly functional nature, underpinned by its practical layout and reductive design.
Alan Sheppard, Director, Interior Design, Land Rover, said, “Within, we strived to harness the Defender vehicle’s profound spirit of boundless adventure. A comfortable interior which is at once impeccably handsome for the discerning, shrewd in functionality and prudently qualified in anticipation of any adversity.”
HSE models feature high grade Windsor Leather, while the Defender X features Windsor Leather in combination with Steelcut Premium Textile accent for enhanced durability. This premium textile from Kvadrat is a 30 percent wool blend and is also available as a full alternative to the leather upholstery paired with Miko Suedecloth.
Customers can also choose from a curated range of veneers and finishers, which include a rugged rough-cut Walnut or Natural Smoked Dark Oak Veneer, both of which are open pore to give a more natural haptic. Powder coating colors available include Dark Grey for the ‘X’ derivative and Light Grey as standard on mainline Defender and X-Dynamic models, with the option of the product-inspired white for all the exposed metal parts.
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. The Robustec accents feature in the same selection of colorways available across S, SE and HSE models.
Amy Frascella, Director, Color and Materials, Land Rover, said, “Essentially a tool – obtaining this balance of tactility, softness and durability was key to create a modern premium aesthetic for both the interior and exterior materials. We have enabled innovation of materials by creating new approaches to development, challenging conventions of traditional methods of make and modifying existing technologies.”