2020 Land Rover Defender sheds some of its test mule mascara

New photos showing the upcoming 2020 update of the Land Rover Defender SUV have arrived, and it looks like the car has lost some of its test mule cladding. The premiere will not happen until at least early fall of 2019, so let us take a closer look now.

The next-generation Defender takes advantage of a new lightweight architecture and independent (i.e., per-wheel) suspension. Engine availability remains unannounced, but most industry pros agree that the car will no longer be available with V8s of any kind. Instead, it will come powered by turbocharged V4s and probably also V6s. A hybrid version is also possible.

Land Rover says it has tested the new Defender generation exhaustively, sending various three- and five-door prototypes out for lengthy test drives. The total covered distance ultimately exceeded 1,500,000 kilometers (932,000 miles). The cars have climbed 3,000 meters (~10,000 feet) above sea level in the Rocky Mountains region, gone beyond the Arctic Circle, visited Eastern Africa, and been to various other remote corners of the Earth. In doing so, they experienced extreme temperature swings from -40°С to +50°С (-40°F to +122°F).

Rumor has it that the 2020 Land Rover Defender range will incorporate a pickup truck version and an LWB (long wheelbase) variant.

Photos: Jaguar Land Rover