When it was announced that production of the ‘old’ Land Rover Defender was to come to an end after more than 70 years in production, it was the end of an era. Despite the Defender being completely out of date in terms of passenger comfort and safety, it was still an incredible off-road performer, being the standard by which all other 4X4s have always been – and still are – measured. Many fans lamented the passing of the Defender and, indeed, we would never see its like again.
But Land Rover had no intention of phasing out the Defender name and, in 2019, the ‘new’ Defender was launched to huge international interest. Here was a vehicle that possessed all the practical Defender traits, not least of which was incredible off-road ability, in a completely new package that put driver comfort and safety at the top of the list, while retaining many visual links to the classic models.
Now, in 2024, Land Rover has announced a raft of enhancements across the range, improving performance and luxury, as well as making it easier than ever to specify your Defender to your own requirements.
Passenger comfort is taken up a notch with a new Signature Interior Pack and, for Defender 130 clients, the introduction of the luxurious new Captain Chairs Pack. The new seating option for the second row elevates the passenger experience with two individual luxury seats, featuring armrests on either side and comfortable winged headrests, separated by an aisle that gives walkthrough access to the third row. Across the line-up, the introduction of a new D350 powertrain also provides a powerful, flexible new engine option.
Mark Cameron, Managing Director, Defender, said: “Our vision for Defender is to continuously improve what is already a superb vehicle that can go anywhere and do anything. The introduction of the new Sedona Edition, enhanced interior options and our most powerful Defender diesel engine to date mean our clients now have more choice than ever. And with the new Captain Chairs in Defender 130, up to seven people can now travel in greater comfort on both epic adventures and localised expeditions.”
New Defender 110 Sedona Edition
The Defender 110 Sedona Red body is complemented by an Extended Black Pack, with Narvik Black Defender script, front grille and skid plates plus 22-inch Gloss Black alloy wheels and a body-coloured spare wheel cover. The Sedona Red colour was first seen on Defender 130 and the Defender 110 Sedona Edition will be offered for one year only.
Defender 130 Captain Chairs Pack: first-class comfort in the second row
The luxurious new individual chairs available for second-row occupants in Defender 130 provide comfort, spaciousness and versatility. With heating and cooling technology, they bring front-row comfort to those travelling in row two.
New Signature Interior Pack
The new Signature Interior Pack combines a comprehensive suite of upgrades to Defender’s interior across seating and trim finishes. Available across all body designs, the Signature Interior Pack is standard on Defender X and V8 specifications, and optional for Defender Dynamic HSE.
In the front row, it provides 14-way electrically controlled seats with heating, cooling and memory functions, with supportive new winged headrests. In the second row, climate seats are fitted – with winged headrests on Defender 110 and 130 models. For those in the third row of Defender 110 and 130, heated seats ensure cold-weather comfort across the entire vehicle.
Simplified specification choices
Defender clients now have a choice of S, X-Dynamic SE, X-Dynamic HSE, X and V8 specifications across 90, 110 and 130 body styles. A simplified range of optional packs are also available:
Driving and ADAS packs:
- Off-Road Pack – Electronic Active Differential, black roof rails, all-terrain tyres, domestic plug socket, Wade Sensing
- Advanced Off-Road Pack – All-Terrain Progress Control, Terrain Response 2, Configurable Terrain Response
- Driver Assist Pack – Blind Spot Assist, Rear Collision Monitor, Rear Traffic Monitor
Cold Climate and Towing Packs:
- Cold Climate Pack – Heated windscreen, washer jets and steering wheel, plus headlight power wash
- Towing Pack (90 and 110) – Advanced Tow Assist, electronically deployable tow bar or tow hitch receiver, All-Terrain Progress Control, Terrain Response 2 and Configurable Terrain Response
- Towing Pack 2 (130) – As above, but with a detachable tow bar or tow hitch receiver
Interior Packs:
- Signature Interior Pack – Front-row heated and cooled electric memory seats with winged headrests, second-row climate seats with winged headrests, suede cloth headlining, leather steering wheel, Windsor Leather and KvadratTM or UltrafabricsTM seats
- Signature Interior Pack with Captain Chairs Pack – As above, but with second-row Captain Chairs with heating and cooling, and winged headrests
- Comfort and Convenience Pack – Configurable Cabin Lighting, Meridian Sound System, front centre console refrigerator compartment and soft-close tail door
- Premium Upgrade Interior Pack – Leather steering wheel, Extended Leather Upgrade, leather gearshift, 14-way heated and cooled electric memory front seats and electrically adjustable steering column
Third Row Seating Packs:
- Family Pack (110) – Three-zone climate control, air quality sensor and Cabin Air Purification Plus, and manual third-row seats
- Family Comfort Pack (110) – As above, but with heated third-row seats and three-zone climate control with rear cooling assist
Updated engine choic
Land Rover has introduced a powerful upgrade to the Defender diesel line-up with the introduction of a new D350 engine globally, replacing the prior D300 engine.
With 350PS (257kW) – an uplift of 36kW – and more torque (50Nm increase to 700Nm), the Land Rover Defender has greater flexibility and faster responses, meaning everything from overtaking to towing is even more effortless than ever.
The updated Defender line-up is available now from – www.landrover.co.za/defender
