Jaguar Land Rover had posted another series of photos showing its next-generation Defender SUV during road tests in various remote corners of the world. It also revealed some interesting details about the pre-production test routine.
As it turns out, the Defender test mules have covered over 1,500,000 kilometers (932,000+ miles) by now, having traveled beyond the Arctic Circle, along the ruined quasi-roads of Kenya, and even in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado rising 3,000+ meters (9,000 ft.) above sea level. The company used these locations to see how well the new Defender would perform in temperature extremes ranging from -40ºC to +50ºC (-40…+122ºF). Overall, it has conducted over 45,000 individual unit tests.
Land Rover is currently testing the three- and the five-door versions of the upcoming Defender. Chances are good that it will eventually also release a long-wheel-base (LWB) variant of the SUV, as well as a pickup truck version, but neither of these are official yet.
The new Land Rover Defender takes advantage of a lightweight new platform. Rumors persist that it will no longer be available with eight-cylinder engines. As such, it might ship with a choice among turbocharged V4s, V6s, and hybrid powertrains.
The premiere should take place before the end of 2019, so stay tuned!
Photos: Jaguar Land Rover