Tata Motors-owned luxury carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover has been working on the next-gen Defender for some time now. It seems the SUV is now ready to hit the market, as a test mule of the upcoming defender has been spied testing. The Land Rover Defender is one of the most iconic SUVs from the British carmaker and it is expected to be showcased at the ongoing Los Angeles Auto Show, followed by the launch sometime in 2018.
Jaguar Land Rover had previously discontinued the production of the legendary off-roader SUV two years back in January 2016. The thirty years of production was halted due to the strict emission norms as well as for the decrease in the demand. Now, the manufacturer is back with its next generation, which continues to carry the tall off-roader stance.
The next-gen SUV is designed with the new polarizing design philosophy, which is in line with the company’s present line-up of SUVs. The spy images of the testing mule clearly replicate the new design concept. The front fascia of the car looks almost similar to the new generation Land Rover Discovery and its sibling Discovery Sport, eliminating the boxy appearance of the SUV with curvy edges up front. The testing mule comes with LED projected headlamps with DRLS, while the grille and bumper up front are camouflaged.
The side profile of the testing mule retains the essence of the Defender with a short wheelbase. It retains the tall-boy stance of the previous-gen Defender and comes with an independent suspension system to offer better off-road driving experience. The higher ground clearance of the model does justice to the name Defender. At the rear-end, it receives wraparound LED tail-lights.
No information on the specs of the engine is available as of now. However, it is believed that a new 2.0-litre in-line Ingenium diesel engine is to be introduced in the Land Rover Defender family. Once launched, the off-roader SUV has to be up against the likes of Mercedes-Benz G-class and Jeep Wrangler.
image source: Autoblog.com