Defender series set for 2019 return

When the Defender Series was discontinued last year, the world wept as the iconic British explorer rode off into posterity, leaving behind an oil trail and millions in dire anticipation of what the future would hold for their beloved bundu-bashing, continent-crossing personification of British safari-ready sensibility.

The news of Land Rover setting 2019 as the year in which the Defender would be reborn, could have only been dampened by the somewhat ill-received DC100 Concept that was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, which other than hinting at a sexy 'lil convertible a la Evoque, irked purists with a somewhat dinky-looking front end.

Thankfully, JLR design guru Gerry McGovern, prompted by the public reaction, announced that this way only the start of a long journey to developing the successor to brand-bolstering Defender, which by the way, was last redesigned 30-years ago.

Fast forward to 2017 and with an onslaught of premium Land Rovers out, they've reclaimed the luxury-SUV segment, but desperately need the rugged charms and brand legitimacy that only the Defender can offer, if they want to save the brand from becoming more about prefect hair and designer coffee rather than being hardy and hearty with a healthy affinity for epic-story inducing safari-scratches.

At the launch of the All-New Discovery in Windhoek last week, Jaguar Land Rover Windhoek dealer principal, Albert Pretorius, confirmed that we will be seeing a “family” of Defenders models locally in 2019 and says that from what he has heard from people who have seen and driven the new-generation Defender, that it won't let us down.

“We believe it will not only live up to the previous Defender's legacy, but forge a new path, much like the Series I did in 1948.”

It's believed that the Defender will also benefit from Land Rover's homogenous approach by receiving an aluminium monocoque architechture and many components from other models in the range.

We know that we can expect them to be available in 90, 110, 130 Series models, meaning a two-door, a seven-seater and a pick-up, as well as the funky looking two-seat convertible concept they showed off in Frankfurt… which simply was too popular not to put in production and shares some similiarities with the Evoque convertible.

There have also been rumblings of a high-performance SVR version, a hard-core off-road SVX and everything in between. The SVR would go up against the G63 AMG, and will undoubtedly be exceedingly popular in the bling and slightly brash markets in Russia, China and yes, Namibia.

While purists hope to be won back by a terra-firma taming Defender as those from days of yore, they'll have to accept Land Rover's general move towards refinement. Having said that, they can be cautiously aware that the new Defender cannot go soft, because it's one of the products that give the Land Rover brand the equity to sell thousands of Range Rovers, Discoverys and the sort.

And so we wait...



YOCHANAAN COETZEE