Land Rover Just Donated a Bunch of Defenders for Fight Against COVID-19

Motoring media events are being canceled left and right due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. One such canceled event is the all-new Land Rover Defender 110’s international ride and drive event. However, instead of idling these units though, Land Rover actually put them to good use.

Land Rover deployed a fleet of 2020 Defender 110 intended for media-related activities to support their partner agencies such as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in their fight against COVID-19.

The Red Cross has been a partner of Land Rover’s go-anywhere SUV since 1954, and was actually selected as one of the agencies that helped shakedown the all-new Defender. At the time, the Defender was deployed in the United Arab Emirates where it helped reach remote Red Cross and Red Crescent bases.

Land Rover’s decision to donate these media units come at a difficult time for the car brand which has actually stopped production at its facilities until the week of April 20. In spite of that, they remain committed in any way they can to help in the fight against the coronavirus.

The P 6.21-million "Urban Pack" is the Most Popular Land Rover Defender 110

Order books are now open for the three-door Land Rover Defender 90 following the successful launch of the five-door Defender 110.

Since its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2019, there has been an unprecedented demand for the luxury off-roader. More than 1.21 million people have configured a Defender on the official Land Rover website, with over half choosing one of the four Accessory Packs.

The introduction of the Accessory Pack makes the all-new Defender the most accessorized and personalized vehicle Land Rover has ever produced. Statistically, the Urban Pack—with its front undershield, bright rear scuff plate, metal pedals, and a spare tire cover has been the most popular choice, selected in more than 35 percent of those who wanted an Accessory Pack. Followed by the Explorer Pack.

Now that order books for the Defender 90 have been opened, Land Rover says interest is sure to grow even more.

The Front Row Center Seat aka jump seat allows three people to travel in the front row. Conceived and designed as an occasional seat, the practical addition means the Defender 90 can accommodate six occupants in a size no bigger than a compact family hatchback. When not in use, the seatback folds down to provide a front armrest and oddment storage, including a pair of additional cupholders.

The addition of the three-door model aside, the Defender family will grow even more later this year as an efficient plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant and even commercial derivatives come into the mix as well.

For the Philippine market, customer deliveries for the Defender 110 starts by May 2020, with the Defender 90 arriving some time in July. Pricing for the 2020 Defender 110 starts at P 6.090 million, but with the addition of the Accessory Pack it goes up to: Defender 110 Urban (P 6.21 million), Defender 110 Country (P 6.26 million), Defender 110 Adventure (6.34 million), Defender 110 Explorer (P 6.51 million), and finally the Defender 110 First Edition (P 9.29 million).

All-New Land Rover Defender Did Its Own Stunts in No Time To Die

The all-new Land Rover Defender will be pushed to its limits in the new James Bond film, No Time To Die.

The new Bond film uses the first few Defenders to roll off Land Rover’s Nitra factory in Slovakia. They’re based on the Defender 110X model in Santorini Black and fitted with darkened skid plates, 20-inch dark finished rims, and special off-road tires. For its stunt work, they are stock Defenders with the exception of a safety roll cage put in.

The first few photos showed the all-new five-door Defender doing its own stunts including being launched into the air. Throughout filming, it was put to further extreme tests as the vehicles were driven at top speeds through swamps and rivers.

The 25th James Bond film stars Daniel Craig in his last appearance as 007. It also stars Ralph Fiennes, Rami Malek, Rory Kinnear, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux and Jeffrey Wright. The film is directed by Cary Fukunaga.

The film will be released in Philippines theaters this April 2020.

Land Rover and Zenith Team Up to Celebrate the All-New Defender

Zenith has worked with Land Rover to create a special edition watch celebrating the all-new Land Rover Defender.

Like the legendary SUV that inspired it, the Defy 21 Land Rover Edition is modern, durable and highly desirable. Timed to coincide with the arrival of New Defender, it is limited to only 250 pieces.

The Defy 21 Land Rover Edition is the latest result of a four-year partnership between Land Rover and the historic Swiss watchmaker.

It represents a complete makeover of Zenith’s chronograph with a raw and minimalist look. Crafted in a special micro-blasted titanium case that absorbs light from all angles to better accentuate its faceted surfaces, it is both eye-catching and stealth-like.

The dial appears as one with the case with its muted matte grey color, offering a very different look to the open-dial standard versions of the Defy 21. Orange and white painted markers add legibility and contrast to the display, as do the specially shaped skeleton hands. A first for the Defy 21, the power reserve display for the 1/100sec chronograph is executed in the form of a liner window instead of a hand.

Through the specially engraved case back, the display offers a view of the El Primero 21 1/100sec movement with a custom oscillating weight, in the form of a miniaturized five-spoke Land Rover wheel.

Like the different modular packs offering Defender the perfect adaptability to different driving needs, the Defy 21 Land Rover Edition comes with two straps: the ‘Adventure’ strap with an all-terrain textured rubber, and the ‘Country’ featuring a gray rubber strap with a fabric effect and orange stitching.

Land Rover Just Made Sure the All-New Defender's Bumper is Paw-Proof

Jaguar Land Rover has developed a unique 3D-printed dog paw to help engineers assess the durability of future cars, with a little help from Yogi the Labrador and the new Land Rover Defender.

The ‘RoboYogi’ paw was used to test the rear bumper’s ability to withstand a dog’s claws scraping the paint before and after dog walks, with results showing it can withstand more than a decade of use by dogs – highlighting how Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles are designed to meet the demands of owners’ lifestyles.

Yogi the Labrador, a resident at the National Guide Dog Breeding Center, was tasked with jumping in and out of the new Land Rover Defender boot, with every step recorded by pressure mapping technology. The data allowed the team to benchmark this real-world outdoor scenario against ‘RoboYogi’; from how a mid-sized dog clambers in and out, to the pressure applied by the claws and the pads on its feet.

Nine-year-old Yogi’s paw was then used to model and 3D-print a spring-loaded replica, allowing the claws to follow contours and apply pressure evenly across the bumper. Spring-loaded claws also proved a cost-effective solution as they are easily replaceable.

The life-like paw is now used by Jaguar Land Rover to complete a standard 5,000 cycle abrasion test; during which ‘RoboYogi’ scratches the panel at random ten times followed by a linear scratch to one side, before repeating the process.

The new Land Rover Defender proved to be the ideal test bed because of its iconic side-hinged door featuring a flat rear bumper for dogs to climb onto, compared to the more traditional split tailgate or rounded boot opening on other Land Rover models.

Land Rover PH Reveals That the All-New 2020 Defender Will Set You Back P 6.090-Million (w/ Ordering Guide)

Coventry Motors Corporation (CMC), the exclusive distributor of Jaguar and Land Rover in the Philippines has announced that order books for the much-awaited all-new 2020 Defender are now open. Following this announcement, CMC has also revealed the preliminary specs and pricing of this new age icon.

“We are very excited to bring the New Land Rover Defender to the Philippines. This is a New Defender for the New Age, built with the best modern technology and safety systems while keeping the adventurous spirit and dynamic profile of a true all-weather, all-terrain vehicle,” said Chris Ward, President of CMC.

Land Rover Philippines will be bringing in both the three-door Defender 90 and five-door Defender 110 variants into the country bringing with them standard technologies such as Electronic Air Suspension, 3D Surround Camera with ClearSight Ground View, Adaptive Dynamics, and the Terrain Response system. It will also boast Lane Keep Assist, Emergency Braking, Driver Condition Monitor, 360-degree parking aids, and Tire Pressure Monitoring.

The all-new Defender features an unmistakable silhouette that’s familiar yet new. The minimal overhangs provide for excellent approach and departure angles, while designers re-envisioned familiar design cues such as the upright stance, Alpine light windows in the roof, and even the externally-mounted spare wheel with the side-hinged tailgate. Standard exterior features include LED headlights and 19-inch wheels.

Inside, the stripped-back personality of the original Defender has been embraced inside, where structural elements and fixings usually hidden from view have been exposed. Innovative features include a dash-mounted gear shifter to accommodate an optional central front ‘jump’ seat, which provides three-abreast seating across the front like early Land Rovers.

Embracing nostalgia aside, the new Defender is technologically advanced. It features Land Rover’s new Pivi Pro infotainment system—a next-generation touchscreen-based interface that’s intuitive and user-friendly. The always-on design guarantees almost instant responses and together with the Software-Over-The-Air technology, it can receive electronic updates down to the vehicle with no need to visit a dealership.

Land Rover’s new purpose-engineered D7x (for extreme) architecture is based on a lightweight aluminum monocoque construction to create the stiffest body structure Land Rover has ever produced. It is three times stiffer than traditional body-on-frame designs.

At launch, the all-new Defender will come with the Ingenium P400 3.0-liter inline-6 gasoline engine. This new engine features a combination of an electric supercharger to deliver immediate response supported by a twin scroll turbocharger and Continuous Variable Valve Lift, which boosts power and helps the engine to breathe with maximum efficiency (total outputs are 400 horsepower and 550 Nm of torque). This powertrain also features Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology that uses a small integrated electric motor to harvest energy lost during deceleration and then redeploys it to assist the engine to maximize efficiency. This engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic with a twin-speed transfer box.

With such high global demand for the 2020 Defender, Land Rover Philippines is now starting to take reservations as early as today. A reservation fee of P 250,000 is required to secure a production slot. Once the client has confirmed spec and the vehicle is loaded into production, the reservation fee is converted to a downpayment and an additional payment is required to increase to 10 percent of the suggested retail price.

For the Defender 110, CMC expects customer deliveries to start by May 2020, while for the Defender 90, this will start July 2020. The high level of customization for the all-new Defender means several “packs” will be made available for customers (details below). This will determine the final price. The Defender 110 starts at P 6.090-million which opting for any of the packs ups the price to the following:

• Defender 110 Urban – P 6.21 million
• Defender 110 Country – P 6.26 million
• Defender 110 Adventure – P 6.34 million
• Defender 110 Explorer – P 6.51 million
• Defender 110 First Edition – P 9.29 million

All-New 2020 Land Rover Defender is an Icon Re-Imagined

Land Rover has released the all-new Defender. An icon re-imagined for the 21st century, it carries the same adventurous spirit and design, wrapped around a clever, capable, and safe platform.

Its distinctive silhouette makes the Defender instantly recognizable. Its upright stance, Alpine light windows in the roof, side-hinged tailgate, and rear-mounted spare tire are nods to its predecessors, while its minimal overhangs provide excellent approach and departure angles.

The stripped-back personality of the original Defender has been embraced inside, where structural elements and fixings usually hidden from view have been exposed, with the emphasis on simplicity and practicality. Innovative features include a dash-mounted gear shifter to accommodate an optional central front ‘jump’ seat, which provides three-abreast seating across the front like early Land Rovers.

As a result, the Defender 110 offers five, six or 5+2 seating configurations, with a load space behind the second-row seats of up to 1,075 liters, and as much as 2,380-liters when the second row is folded. The Defender 90 will be able to accommodate six occupants in a vehicle the length of a compact family hatchback.

User-friendly features include durable rubberized flooring and an optional full-length folding fabric roof that allows passengers in the second-row seats to stand up when parked.

Underpinning the all-new Defender is the new purpose-engineered D7x (for extreme) architecture is based on a lightweight aluminium monocoque construction to create the stiffest body structure Land Rover has ever produced. It is three times stiffer than traditional body-on-frame designs, providing perfect foundations for the fully independent air or coil sprung suspension and supports the latest electrified powertrains.

Permanent all-wheel drive and a twin-speed automatic gearbox, center differential and optional Active Locking Rear Differential ensure it has all the hardware required to excel in any terrain. Terrain Response also makes its debut allowing experienced off-roaders to fine-tune individual vehicle settings to suit road conditions, while inexperienced drivers can let the system detect the most appropriate vehicle settings for the terrain, using the intelligent Auto function.

The new body architecture provides ground clearance of 291 mm and world-class off-road geometry, giving the 110 approach, breakover, and departure angles of 38, 28 and 40 degrees (Off-Road height) respectively. Its maximum wading depth of 900 mm is supported by a new Wade program in the Terrain Response 2 system, which ensures drivers can ford deep water with complete confidence.

On dry land, Land Rover’s advanced ClearSight Ground View technology helps drivers take full advantage of Defender’s all-conquering capability by showing the area usually hidden by the bonnet, directly ahead of the front wheels, on the central touchscreen.

Powering the all-new Defender, is a choice between advanced gasoline or diesel engines. At launch, the P300 (300 horsepower, 4-cylinder) and more powerful P400 (400 horsepower, 6-cylinder) offer Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology, while those opting for a diesel have a choice between a pair of 4-cylinder engines: the D200 (200 horsepower) and D240 (240 horsepower). A Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle version will join the range next year.

The all-new Defender will be available in 128 global markets, including the Philippines. It should arrive at Land Rover showrooms by next year.