2020 DEFENDER FINALLY ARRIVES
After months of teasing us with photos of disguised pro- totypes, Land Rover finally unveiled its 2020 Defender. There’s a tremendous amount of heritage in the Defender name, and this newest Defender may be somewhat retro in its design, but this is no low-tech throwback. It is built using an aluminum monocoque platform, codenamed D7x, which LR says offers torsional rigidity three times stiffer than a traditional body-on-frame design.
Electronics operate the drive systems. A touchscreen controller engages the center and/or rear limited-slip differentials, and an optional Terrain Response 2 system “can recognize the driving surface and configure the vehicle appropriately with no input from the driver,” says LR.
Just how high-tech is the new Defender?
Within that Terrain Response 2 system is a Wade Sensing program that softens throttle response, switches the climate control to recirculate, locks the driveline, and adjusts the ride height to its off-road setting while also activating the Wade Sensing screen on the Defender’s infotainment system, so the driver can monitor the depth of the water around the vehicle. (The new Defender’s maximum wading depth is just shy of 3 feet.) It will even automatically drag the brakes when driving out of the water to clean and dry the discs.
Two engines will be offered. Standard and S models will be powered by a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine called the P300, which produces 296 hp at 5,500 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque between 1,500 and 4,000 rpm. LR says the four-banger will propel the Defender to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds. Upmarket models receive the P400 engine, a 3.0L, inline-six, mild-hybrid gas-electric powerplant rated at 395 hp at 5,500 rpm and 406 lb-ft of torque between 2,000 and 5,000 rpm. Here, the zero-to-60 sprint takes just 5.8 seconds.
Both engines feed a full-time 4WD system via a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and a two-speed transfer case with a 2.93 low range. Four-cylinder Defenders have 4.10 axle gears; six-cylinder models have 3.55s. We don’t have the space here to get into all the accessories and personalization options available with the Defender, or the long list of amenities inside the cabin. But you can imagine how fancy this rig can get when among its trim options are “a curated range of veneers and finishes.”
Ultimately there will be two Defender versions. Shown here (all photos are of European models) is the Defender 110 with a 119-inch wheelbase, seating for up to seven in three rows, and a starting MSRP of $49,900 when it goes on sale in spring 2020. The Defender 90, with a 101.9-inch wheelbase and seating for up to six in two rows, “will join the lineup soon after,” says LR.
source:
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
Electronics operate the drive systems. A touchscreen controller engages the center and/or rear limited-slip differentials, and an optional Terrain Response 2 system “can recognize the driving surface and configure the vehicle appropriately with no input from the driver,” says LR.
Just how high-tech is the new Defender?
Within that Terrain Response 2 system is a Wade Sensing program that softens throttle response, switches the climate control to recirculate, locks the driveline, and adjusts the ride height to its off-road setting while also activating the Wade Sensing screen on the Defender’s infotainment system, so the driver can monitor the depth of the water around the vehicle. (The new Defender’s maximum wading depth is just shy of 3 feet.) It will even automatically drag the brakes when driving out of the water to clean and dry the discs.
Two engines will be offered. Standard and S models will be powered by a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine called the P300, which produces 296 hp at 5,500 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque between 1,500 and 4,000 rpm. LR says the four-banger will propel the Defender to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds. Upmarket models receive the P400 engine, a 3.0L, inline-six, mild-hybrid gas-electric powerplant rated at 395 hp at 5,500 rpm and 406 lb-ft of torque between 2,000 and 5,000 rpm. Here, the zero-to-60 sprint takes just 5.8 seconds.
Both engines feed a full-time 4WD system via a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and a two-speed transfer case with a 2.93 low range. Four-cylinder Defenders have 4.10 axle gears; six-cylinder models have 3.55s. We don’t have the space here to get into all the accessories and personalization options available with the Defender, or the long list of amenities inside the cabin. But you can imagine how fancy this rig can get when among its trim options are “a curated range of veneers and finishes.”
Ultimately there will be two Defender versions. Shown here (all photos are of European models) is the Defender 110 with a 119-inch wheelbase, seating for up to seven in three rows, and a starting MSRP of $49,900 when it goes on sale in spring 2020. The Defender 90, with a 101.9-inch wheelbase and seating for up to six in two rows, “will join the lineup soon after,” says LR.
source:
4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD
Prestige Automobile
Aucun commentaire