Autoblog

Click above for 28 new hi-res photos of the Defender SVX

Companies can crow about the ability of their SUVs, but for a great number of people, the land Rover Defender is the epitome of the SUV concept. As iconic as the original Jeep, the Defender does its thing, and does it better than just about any other vehicle in its class. Wagon or convertible, new or old, the Defender will happily wade into whatever slop its driver points it at and come out the other side no worse for wear. As we reported late last year, Land Rover is building a limited run of 1,800 Defender SVX models to celebrate the marque's 60th anniversary. The SVX kit dresses up the Landie with flashier trim on the grille, side steps and roll cage; a swankier set of wheels; special badging and decals; plus interior appointments including Recaros, a Garmin GPS, and that all-important iPod hookup. Glitzing up a Defender seems akin to a mud wrestler putting on Harry Winston jewelery before heading into battle, but at the end of the day, at least you know it'll clean up nice.


[Source: Land Rover via The Land Rover Chronicles]

Click on the image above to view in high resolution

Close your eyes, we're going to play a little automotive word association. Just one round. Think of "malaria" – now what vehicle are you associating with the unfortunate disease? It could only be the Land Rover Defender, the go-anywhere, no-nonsense sport-ute that has probably traveled more malarial swamps and barren deserts than any other vehicle in history. Granted most marketing firms would not recommend that their clients associating their product with a debilitating disease, but this marketing association is geared towards raising funds to eliminate the disease. That's good.

Land Rover Netherlands has teamed up with designer Piet Boon to produce a limited edition Defender. The Dutch designer has added some minimalist details to the truck, equipped with LR's 2.4-liter turbodiesel, in return for €56,900, a portion of which goes towards the Drive Against Malaria foundation. Like the previous Piet Boon Edition of the Range Rover Sport, only 15 will be made available, so if malaria is your cause, you live in Holland, and you're in the market for a new truck, we'd like to meet you better get yours now.

[Source: Piet Boon Design via Land Rover Owner International]

I remember as a young child visiting the local British car dealership while my dad inked the deal on a new Jag (which I dearly miss to this day). I was busy checking out a big red Land Rover Defender 90. Sitting there next to the polished Bentleys, Rollers, Jags and Range Rovers, the Defender stood out in its primitive, bare-bones essence, the inside of its doors exposed so you could see the latch cable and its fenders covered in industrial diamond-plating. That's the same basic experience people have been enjoying for nearly sixty years, that's how long the Defender has been in production. Every so often, Land Rover gives it some new features, but the outer extremity of the utility off-road market is the one place left in the industry where you don't mess with success: nearly two million Defenders have been sold to date, despite the tiny market of off-road enthusiasts that would even consider buying one.

The 2007 model is about to hit the market in the UK, and comes with a new list of equipment. There's a new 2.4-liter common-rail diesel driving all four wheels through a revised six-speed with taller ratios. The new engine is rounded out by an integrated front fascia, new seating setup and an improved A/C system.

Even before specially-built versions like ambulances and airport fire trucks are taken into account, the Defender is offered in no less than 14 distinct body-styles, including various configurations of the Defender 90, 110 and 130, all produced on the same assembly line. Among its varied customer base, NGOs love the Defender, despite the atrocious carbon emissions levels, for which a unique tax is applied in the UK. The Defender starts at £18,645 and ranges all the way up to £26,605, and that's before any special equipment is added into the mix.

The "updated" Defender hits the road – and the road less traveled – as a reminder of a time when SUVs were mud-playing beasts, like when the Defender first hit the market, or like when I was a little boy. And, the occasional minor tweak notwithstanding, I (for one) hope it stays just as it is.

Follow the jump for the press release.

[Source: Land Rover UK]

UPDATED history posted after the jump!



Admittedly, none of the writers at Autoblog HQ are dedicated off-road hoons. But that doesn't mean we don't occasionally dream of fording streams, crawling over condo-sized rocks or just scaling the median on our commute to work. There's a short list of vehicles we'd assign to those fantastical tasks and this 1985 Land Rover 90 is one of them.

Owned by Autoblog reader and Flickr member tarheelvolvos40, this four-wheelin' gem is the picture of pure functionality. Equipped with both Hella fog lamps and 4000 Euros, a Dixon-Bate 5-ton tow jaw in the rear, an OME HD suspension, diff protectors, a Brownchurch roof rack and side ladders, it begs to be driven in the most abusive way. Power comes from a '93 Rover V8, mated to the stock LT77 transmission, which sends power down to BFGoodrich AT/KO tires.

A vehicle like this confirms that our little world shouldn't just be about powerslides, massive G's and big dyno numbers, but about the all 'round motoring experience. We're smitten, but we're pushovers like that.

As mentioned previously, we won't be having a theme for this week's RR of the Day, but next week, it's on. Submit your turbocharged and supercharged vehicles to our Flickr pool by following the directions after the jump. We want to see them all, whether it's a home-brewed Civic hatch or a modded Cummins diesel, all are welcome

The Land Rover Defender is the longest surviving SUV, and it soldiers on for 2007 with some important enhancements to its interior and powertrain. First off, the Defender still looks the same way it always has, which is to say utilitarian and square. The only exterior change is to the hood, which receives a new profile to fit around the Defender's new 2.4-liter four-cylinder CRD diesel engine. The new motor puts out 120 hp and 265 ft-lbs. of torque, and a new six-speed gearbox with a lower first gear and higher sixth gear improve responsiveness while rock crawling and highway cruising, respectively. The Defender's dash has also been completely redone and features bits and pieces from the LR3, a more powerful HVAC system and an improved stereo system with AUX-IN jacks and high-mounted tweeters. Seats have also been upgraded and for the first time the station wagon model can be ordered with a third row of seating.

Tons more pics of the 2007 Land Rover Defender and an official press release with more details can be found after the jump.

[Source: Land Rover]

That stalwart icon of Land Rover all-terrain capability, the Defender, will be with us at least until 2010. What Car? reports that the legendary 4x4 is slated to receive major updates starting next spring that could carry the boxy off-roader well into the next decade.

Although Land Rover is working to extend the Defender's lifespan as far as possible, it seems likely that it will eventually be replaced by a more pavement-friendly model.

Elsewhere in the Land Rover product line, the new version of its entry-level Freelander will debut at the British Motor Show this summer, and What Car? says an even smaller SUV is rumored, based on Ford's upcoming Focus 4x4.

[Source: What Car?, Land Rover]