The first time we officially saw the reborn Land Rover Defender was at the Frankfurt auto show in 2019. In automotive terms, that’s an eternity and even though it’s nothing by the standards of the original, the old Defender isn’t the new one.
Base Trim Engine
Ingenium 2L ICE
Base Trim Transmission
ZF 8-speed automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
All-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
296 HP @5500 RPM
Base Trim Torque
295 lb.-ft. @ 1500 RPM
Base Trim Battery Type
Lead acid battery
Infotainment & Features
7 /10
In other words, the Defender is due for a refresh and Land Rover is working on one. The CarBuzz spies have just snapped it for the first time, showing off some of the changes. Thanks to the camouflage wrap that JLR has applied to parts of this SUV, we can’t see the specific changes. But we can see what has and what hasn’t been changed, and there’s not much. At least on the outside.
Defender Is Getting The Short Ends Of The Development Stick
Let’s start with what hasn’t changed. The hood and front fenders appear to be identical, along with the front fender vents. The doors and rear fenders are also the same as the ones still on sale at dealers today.
It’s the two ends that will get the revisions, starting with a freshened nose. The headlights appear to be the same, but Land Rover has redone the fog lights. This model moves them much lower in the nose of the vehicle, adding a ventilation duct above them. It also switches the lights from square to more rectangular, while feeding more air to the intercooler or to the brakes hints at changes to the running gear, not just the design.
The front facia is also new. The mesh panel hides most of it, but we can see that the front camera has been relocated in the grille mesh, and it appears that the mail slot in the center of the Defender’s face is gone. Another set of vents below the new running lights isn’t new, but has been reshaped.
There Could Be More Significant Changes Underneath
Land Rover Defender Facelift spy photoCarBuzz/Valnet
Around the rear, the bumper shape has been changed to make it shorter. Land Rover is moving the reverse lights to be higher up and is making them more integrated by losing the bulging rear garnish of the current SUV. While the Defender on sale now has a rear bumper with three distinct sections, this prototype seems to be bringing that back into one for a sleeker appearance.
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Higher up on the Defender’s rear, a spoiler is also new. Adding the small spoiler won’t have a major impact on the SUV’s looks, but it could have a sizable impact on the vehicle’s fuel economy and interior noise levels. Speaking of interior, it’s tough to see them in these images, but the CarBuzz spies tell us the new Defender will add more luxurious seating. Rear seat passengers will be able to get individual seats instead of a bench, for comfort levels more like those of larger SUVs.
This is the second different Defender the CarBuzz team has snapped in the last seven days. At the end of last week, we saw a much more aggressive model, what looked to be an even more extreme version of the twin-turbo V8 Defender Octa.
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The current Defender is available in short-wheelbase and two-door Defender 90 form, as well as the longer-wheelbase Defender 110 and the longer-bodied 130. The US lineup is available with a 296-horsepower gas four-cylinder, or two V8s: a JLR-sourced 518-hp 5.0-liter supercharged V8, or the Octa with its 4.4-liter 627 hp twin-turbo V8 from BMW.
Expect to see more of this Land Rover soon, and it could debut as soon as this year’s Munich auto show, the replacement for the Frankfurt event.
