London - Land Rover’s reincarnated Defender was revealed to the world at the Frankfurt Motor Show on Tuesday, to much fanfare as many brand loyalists seem to have given it the thumbs up for the way it completely modernises an off-road icon.
The Grand Tour’s Richard Hammond is one of those that seems to agree with the positive sentiments and he also happened to be one of the UK journalists that were given a private meeting with the newcomer in the woods recently, ahead of its global reveal.
While no one outside of Land Rover has driven the new Defender as yet, Hammond did get up close and personal with the new 4x4 during his session, exploring its cabin and taking us through some of its coolest features.
The video also includes driving some driving footage supplied by Land Rover, so we get to see the newcomer parading through some tough terrain in locations around the world.
As reported on Tuesday, the 2020 Defender is built on a new aluminium monocoque platform and will be offered in short-wheelbase ‘90’ and long-wheelbase ‘110’ body configurations. It will also be highly customisable when it comes to trims and specifications.
The vehicle is set to launch in South Africa during the first half of 2020, and will be available initially with two turbocharged engines - a 177kW/430Nm 2-litre diesel and a 294kW/550Nm 3-litre petrol unit - while other engine options are set to follow later in the year.
Although it trades the traditional part time four-wheel-drive system for a more modern permanent all-wheel-drive set-up, the new Defender still has many off-roading tricks up its sleeve.
Read more about the 2020 Land Rover Defender
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