Land Rover's Defender will come in three distinct sizes, report says
Like the Defender of old, you'll be able to get your Defender as big or as small as you want, but unlike the old one, the numbers don't match up to wheelbases.
We're still months away from the official debut of Land Rover's long-awaited second-generation Defender, but the news leaks just keep on coming. This time though, it's not more photos -- instead it's about the three different sizes of Defender that the folks at Jaguar Land Rover will offer.
Automotive News published word on Tuesday that the Defender will be offered in three body styles aimed at three different kinds of customers. The first is the Defender 90 . If that sounds familiar, it's because that's the classic Defender that we got in the US in the 1990s with a 90-inch wheelbase.
The new D90 will be a three-door model available with either five or six seats. It's growing a foot in length over the previous short-wheelbase Defender, which is pretty dang significant. The next size up will be the Defender 110 (another historic designation), and this model will be sold as either a five-, six- or seven-seat model. It will be 17 inches longer than the new Defender 90.
The biggest version of the Defender will be the Defender 130, which was previously only offered as a double-cab truck. Now though, it'll be an even bigger five-door SUV than the 110 (by an additional 14 inches) and will seat eight people.
Land Rover's approach to marketing these new Defender models is somewhat unique. The smallest version will be the range's halo model, though whether that means it gets sexier engine options or more off-road goodies isn't yet clear. The 110 and 130 will be the volume models. Land Rover is referring to the 110 as the "Definitive Defender," while the 130 is being called the "Premium Explorer," according to Automotive News. We have no idea how much room there will be between trims in terms of pricing, or even where pricing will start for the Defender.
Even though what we don't know about the new Land Rover Defender could fill a book, it's probably the most exciting model to come from the brand in years, and that's not only because it'll be the first new Defender to hit the US since 1997.
Land Rover representatives declined to discuss market details for the Defender until the model debuts at Frankfurt.
