2007 Land Rover Defender Overview

Land Rover is a difficult company to understand. While DaimlerChryslers Jeep and Mercedes-Benz brands manage to make substantial coin selling, for all points and purposes, 30 year old designs in North America, although Jeeps Wrangler has just been significantly upgraded for 2007, Fords premium SUV marque cant seem to figure out how to do likewise with its age-old Defender.

Yes, the Defender is Land Rovers oldest vehicle currently in production. The current version dates back to 1990, where it was appointed the name "Defender", but make no mistake, its a direct descendant of the original Land Rover that made its debut as a production-version of a military vehicle back in 1948. Certainly the Mercedes-Benz G-wagon isnt as geriatric, but Jeeps Wrangler certainly is.

The Land Rover Defender has a pretty illustrious history that few other vehicles of any type can match: at one point, being the vehicle that 60 percent of the worlds population saw for the first time. While that number has dropped since, the same just cant be said about a Jeep, Mercedes or Toyota truck.

While the Defender hasnt been exported into America for almost a decade, its still alive and well in other parts of the world. Similar to how Mercedes announced that it would be extending the life of its G-Class off-roader even after its GL-Class, which was initially to supercede the archaic off-roader, was introduced, Land Rover just announced that it will be keeping the Defender as part of its product lineup by extending its life until 2010 at the very least. But once again, not in North America. One of the main reasons why Land Rover is still able to build the Defender in this day and age is that its classified by the European Union and FIA as a light commercial vehicle rather than a passenger car. Because of this, Land Rover is able to bypass the NCAP passenger and pedestrian safety tests.

No such luck with our system.

For Europeans, however, the Defenders update will be more of a minor freshening than a through-and-through overhaul. The boxy body of the truck wont be modified, but changes will be made to the interior, with a new dash and instrumentation, better seats and a forward-facing third row, plus the drivetrain. Upgrades to the HVAC system will ensure better airflow and temperature control, while minor changes have been made to brighten the look of the cabin.

"Defenders timeless exterior has become synonymous with functional design," commented Dave Saddington, Defender chief designer. "Every line and surface seems to be linked to the vehicles extraordinary capability, so we deliberately changed very little. But the interiors a different story. We wanted to change the heating system and instruments, as well as improve ergonomics, all of which gave us the opportunity to introduce an all-new facia. In doing so, weve worked hard to reflect Defenders unique purpose and versatility inside the vehicle too. The new facia is better integrated, more robust and functionally superior to the old unit, whilst still entirely in keeping with Defenders character."

The bigger changes are what Land Rover will be doing under the hood. Starting for 2007, a new 2.4-liter common rail diesel engine mated to a new six-speed manual gearbox will be offered, adding a more powerful (265 lb-ft of torque) yet more economical choice for buyers. After 2010, new emissions laws will be put in place for commercial vehicles. At that point in time, Land Rover will decide whether or not it is worth continuing with the Defender nameplate.

Since its launch, the Land Rover Defender has been built in several variations, ranging from a three-door hardtop "station wagon", popular for its use in commercial applications, a long-wheelbase hardtop wagon, a pickup truck, and a short wheelbase open-top version, a variant truly adored by off-roading enthusiasts. The updated model will carry forward the 90, 110 and 130 wheelbase versions, which support the models wide range of bespoke derivatives.

Of course, because the Defender is at its very heart a body-on-frame truck with live axles and a bulletproof, foolproof transfer case made of workhorse grade components, youd expect it to be extremely durable. Land Rover estimates that out of the 1.8 million Defenders and other variants built, two thirds (1.2 million) are still on the road today.

While other "Classic" off-roaders, such as the Hummer H1 and Mercedes-Benz G-Class dwindle in numbers, the Defender is still selling very strongly. Over the past several years Land Rovers oldest has averaged 25,000 units annually, much of which has been done through fleet sales. Those kind of numbers make the Defender significant enough to keep assembly lines churning them out at Land Rover Solihull plant, right alongside the LR3, Range Rover and all-new Range Rover Sport.

The decision to postpone the retirement of the Defender will ensure that 750 plant workers retain their jobs. The decision will also mean that a model that most people immediately relate to as one of the worlds ultimate off-roaders is still in existence, and while such a value is very high its difficult to quantify exactly how such brand recognition affects overall sales. For Jeep, its Wrangler is ultimately iconic. Its the model that leads sales in just about every country that sells the Jeep brand, and opens doors in markets where the DCX division is weaker than North America. Jeep will never drop it.

Why doesnt Land Rover see the same value in its Defender, and why doesnt it see the importance of such a vehicle in North America, to take its role as the iconic model in the Land Rover range? Such is difficult to surmise, as to most marketers and fans of the Land Rover marque, its a no-brainer. To Land Rovers credit, at least executives of the brand have been talking about including the U.S. and Canada in its plans for the next generation Defender... if there is one.