Defining a Defender: 5 features that define an icon
Land Rover has elaborated on an all-round capability and toughness from their very first 4×4 conception. The Defender and Series models before it have gone over and above for many years securing an iconic status for their ability to help people make more of their activities worldwide.
Though distinctive, an overall silhouette makes the New Defender recognisable as the original. There are a number of features that have been passed through generations of Series Land Rover and Defenders since the original made its debut at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1948.
Chief Design Officer of Land Rover, Gerry McGovern says, “The New Defender is respectful for its past but 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 cable – a visually compelling 4×4 that wears its design and engineering integrity with uncompromised commitment.”
The New Defender takes these characteristics and reimagines them for the 21st century. Here is a list of five features which contribute to the Defender’s iconic status that can be found on the latest repetition:
Alpine windows
A feature of all Defenders, Alpine windows in the upper-rear roof are specially designed to let light into the cabin. The name Alpine alludes to their original purpose offering a scenic view when touring mountain ranges.
Side-hinged tailgate
A tailgate that swings open like a conventional door has been a trademark of all Defenders. The design gives the New Defender its unique rear profile and allows a mounting place for the spare wheel.
Externally mounted spare
In the early days, the spare was fixed to the bonnet and later on the tailgate. Land Rover’s spare wheel has always been mounted externally. The mounting position helps achieve a short overhang on the rear. The spare is secured with heavy-duty locking wheel nuts.
Rugged steel wheels
Though alloy wheels are common these days, rugged steel rims remain an option on all Defenders. The New Defender comes with optional 18-inch wheels in Gloss White and off-road tyres with an outside rolling diameter of 815 mm.
Pale green hue
From the first Series 1 Rovers, colour choice was dictated by surplus aircraft paint, the 4×4 has come with pale green body panels. The more recent Heritage Edition was finished in a throwback Grasmere green. The New Defender is available with the latest iteration of the historic Pangea green.
Creative Director of Land Rover, Massimo Frascella says, “For us designers, nothing comes close to redesigning the last automotive icon. The design of the New Defender is a manifestation of our modernist design philosophy, elemental yet incredibly sophisticated.”
The New Defender 110 is scheduled to make its debut in South Africa in the first half of 2020 with a short wheelbase 90 derivative set to follow later in 2020.
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