Land Rover Defender Is Almost Here; Completes 1.2 Million Test Kilometres

• The special camouflaged prototype will embark on a mission to carry supplies to the Borana elephant conservancy in Kenya.
• It's been 71 years since the original Land Rover, and the brand is celebrating it with a special testing regime for the upcoming Defender.
• The SUV will be tested at extreme conditions in various locations around the world 

The protoype of the upcoming Land Rover Defender has completed 1.2 million test kilometres on the road. Land Rover is also celebrating 71 years of all-terrain expertise with plans for the Defender prototype. The SUV with a special camouflage will embark on a mission to carry supplies to an elephant conservancy in Kenya with partnership from Tusk Trust, a British non-profit organisation.

The upcoming Defender is likely to be based on the Discovery’s JLR D7u platform. The SUV is expected to come with a 2.0-litre diesel engine, with chances of a hybrid option. Expect the Defender to be fully packed with off-road oriented features like Land Rover’s Terrain Response System, a low range gearbox, locking differentials, hill descent control, and more.

The prototype will go through unforgiving activities like towing heavy loads, river wading and carrying supplies through the 14,000 hectare reserve. The Defender, when it makes public debut later this year would have completed more than 45,000 tests in the most unforgiving and grueling environments in the world. The Defender has already seen the extremes, starting from 50 degree heat of the desert to 40 degree below zero cold of the Arctic, and even altitudes of up to 10,000 ft of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

Commenting on this achievement, Nick Rogers, Director Group Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “In addition to the extensive simulation and rig testing, we’ve driven new Defender 1.2 million km across all terrains and in extreme climates to ensure that it is the toughest and most capable Land Rover ever made. The incredible opportunity to put it to the test in the field, supporting operations at the Borana Conservancy in Kenya, with Tusk, will allow our engineers to verify that we are meeting this target as we enter the final phase of our development programme.”

The prototype was not only tested for durability and reliability but its dynamics and handling were honed and fine-tuned at the famed Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany.  The SUV’s off-road capabilities were also tested at the muddy roads of Eastnor, UK, rocky trails of Moab in Utah, and the sand dunes of Dubai.

The upcoming SUV will be manufactured at Land Rover’s advanced manufacturing facility in Nitra, Slovakia. The prototype has been tortured and simulated for every road condition imaginable to make it the toughest and most capable Land Rover ever made. The SUV is expected to be unvieled by September 2019 with sales speculated to begin from 2020. After its global unviel, the Defender is also likely to reach our shores by 2020. 

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