CarBrandLogos archive · Land Rover · 2019

Land RoverDefender (L663)

The hardest replacement job in the industry, and the ladder frame did not survive it.

Photo: Damian B Oh · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Land Rover history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Land Rover Defender (L663), then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

2020 Land Rover Defender 110 X being tested, front left

Origins

Land Rover took three years to replace the old Defender, and spent much of that time deciding what a Defender actually was. The answer, when the L663 arrived in 2019, was not a modernised version of the original. Gerry McGovern's team kept the proportions, the flat sides, the alpine roof lights and the side-hinged rear door with the spare wheel bolted to it, but underneath there was no ladder frame at all. The D7x aluminium monocoque is claimed to be the stiffest structure the company has built, with independent suspension front and rear and air springs on most versions.

2020 Land Rover Defender 110 X being tested, front left · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

2020 Land Rover Defender 110 X being tested, rear left

Design and engineering

That decision caused a long argument. The people who had kept the old one going for decades pointed out that a monocoque cannot be repaired in a field with a welder, and that independent suspension gives up axle articulation. Land Rover's counter was straightforward: the old car sold in small numbers to a shrinking group of specialists, and the new one had to work as a road vehicle for people who would occasionally use it hard.

2020 Land Rover Defender 110 X being tested, rear left · Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

2020 Land Rover Defender S Diesel Automatic 2.0 Interior

In production

Commercially the argument was settled quickly. Built in Nitra, Slovakia, in short 90, mid 110 and long 130 forms, with everything from a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid to a supercharged V8, it sold far beyond what the original ever managed and became one of the brand's most profitable products. Whether it is the same vehicle as the one it replaced is a question owners of both still enjoy having.

2020 Land Rover Defender S Diesel Automatic 2.0 Interior · Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

2019–present

Engine

Petrol engine

Designer

Gerry McGovern

Body

3-door SUV

Technical specification

The Defender (L663), in detail.

Production: 2019–present
Class: Compact luxury 4X4 (90); Mid-size luxury 4X4 (110); Full-size luxury 4X4 (130)
Body style: 3-door SUV (90) ; 5-door SUV (110 & 130)
Layout: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive
Engine: Petrol engine; Petrol: ; 2.0 L Ingenium engine family; P300 AJ200 Turbocharged; turbo Straight-four engine; I4 ; 2.0 L Ingenium engine family; P400e AJ200 turbo PHEV I4 ; 3.0 L Ingenium engine family; P400
Transmission: ZF Friedrichshafen; ZF 8-speed automatic; 2-speed transfer case
Designer: Gerry McGovern
Assembly: Slovakia: Nitra (JLR Slovakia)
Manufacturer: Jaguar Land Rover