The upcoming baby Defender will be based on JLR's upcoming EMA electrified vehicle platform

According to a media report, JLR is planning to extend the model lineup of its Defender brand with the addition of a smaller off-roader. The new 'baby Defender', as it is referred to, is currently under development and will join the model lineup in 2027, as confirmed by the company's CEO Adrian Mardell.

The new baby Defender will reportedly be offered as a four-door SUV and will be 420 mm shorter than the Defender 110 - making it around the same size as a Skoda Kodiaq.

The upcoming baby Defender will be based on JLR's upcoming EMA electrified vehicle platform, which will also underpin the next-generation iterations of other small SUVs such as the Range Rover Evoque and the Discovery Sport. The new EMA platform allows JLR to offer the models with either a hybrid powertrain or introduce their fully-electric versions at a later stage.

JLR recently underwent a major restructuring, with the Discovery, Defender and Range Rover nameplates becoming brands in their own right. The company took a step-back with the 'Land Rover' name, making use of it as a Trust mark. It has also changed its name from Jaguar Land Rover to 'JLR', while introducing a simplified new logo.

Source: Autocar UK

The SUV was cleaned and ready as promised even though additional work was done.

BHPian BlackPearl recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The annual service for the Defender was due in July but I did not want to go to the local Land Rover dealer this time. Last year I had taken the vehicle to a Land Rover specialist in West London called Tony Fowkes Automobiles for changing the tie rods and track rod. I was very happy with the work they had done, although the labour was as costly as that at Land Rover official dealership. I wanted them to do the 96K miles/96 months service once they confirmed that they could update the Land Rover online service history.

Dropped the vehicle in the morning and got a confirmation that it would be ready by evening though it was a major service.

In the afternoon I got a call from them that the rear brake pads were wearing thin. I already knew that as it was called out during the MOT in April this year. Requested them to go ahead with the replacement.

The car was ready as promised even though additional work was done.

The car was cleaned and ready by the time I reached in the evening. They had updated the online service history as well.

Land Rover Online Service History

Ready to be driven off!

Andy Fowkes, the person in charge of the vehicle, said that the Defender is in excellent condition and I do not have to worry about anything!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

There was a beautiful Mini, a vintage Land Rover and the latest Defender.

BHPian swapszone recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have organised many meets and drives in Mumbai for the last so many years. So when I moved to the UK, I was not sure how I can continue my car craze.

I moved to the UK in April. I was the latest entry to the UK and instantly thought of meeting all the like-minded people. But somehow the meets never happened due to the time constraint and most of us are not even in the same city.

But the meet discussions again started taking shape. Since I was located centrally for everyone to travel, we finally decided to meet on a Monday Evening!

Most preferred to meet on a weekday and 19th June (since my wife had taken an off and I could leave my kids with her and I thank everyone for this) was the date finalised. Venue was finalised as Toby's Carvery at Old Windsor.

51morris (Praveen Sridhar) was to pick me up in his beautiful Mini and Vikas accompanied him. Below is the pic I clicked just when they picked me up.

And we were off to Old Windsor. But Praveen happen to put the Postcode as the location on the map instead of the actual location, we reached a bit further, but actually managed to find a good location, The Harvester at Old Windsor. It was a nice and scenic place located right next to River Thames. But BlackPearl (Sumitro Chakravarty) and arijitshikari (Arijit Shikari) were already waiting for us at Toby's, so we decided to head towards them.

And we lined up the cars for some pics there.

Then we headed back to The Harvester as we found it better to spend the evening there.

I was in Awe of the Mini. I've always loved it, and probably for the same reason I would have watched The Italian Job many times. Praveen did allow me to click some pics.

The Classic

Then Arijit also showed us what the Defender can do.

The Latest

And then Sumitro showed us how he got each and every dent on his many off-roading trips. It kinda felt like Towmater telling us his story.

The Vintage

After all the car pics were done, we headed back in for some food.

Meet the UK Team-BHP Gang... Vikas, Praveen, Arijit, Sumitro, Swapnil from the left to the right.

Sumitro has also posted a small write-up and some pics that we took after we finished our food, the same can be found here.

Now to compare the size of the cars, we did a test.

Dwarfing the Mini

And then getting Dwarfed by the Defender

So after having a wonderful time and making new friends for life, we left for the day with the thought of doing this more often and also hoping more people join us.

The Pic of the Meet!

From the left to the right... arijitshikari, 51morris, SwapsZone, austere_sly & BlackPearl

I Thank Arijit for dropping me back home.

I have created his new thread for all the UK Meets, in anticipation to have a lot of members participating. Taking the example of this meet, we are hoping to put faces to the names. The 5 of us had a great time and looking forward to more people joining us for the next meet.

Continue reading swapszone's meet-up experience for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

The Defender 130 competes with luxury SUVs like the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS.

Land Rover has introduced two new top-spec variants of the Defender SUV: Defender 130 V8 and Defender 130 Outbound Edition.

The Defender 130 is longer than the Defender 110 and the 3-door Defender 90. Land Rover has stretched the rear end of the SUV by 340 mm to create a 5.3-meter long, 3-row luxury SUV to take on the likes of the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS.

Defender 130 V8

The Defender 130 is available with three engine options. Besides the familiar mild-hybrid D300 diesel and P400 petrol engines, Land Rover is now offering the SUV with 5.0-litre supercharged V8.

Defender 130 Outbound Edition

The Defender 130 Outbound Edition adopts a 5-seat configuration by dropping the third row of seats. This helps liberate up to 2,516 litres of boot space with the middle row folded. This variant is only available with the D300 and P400 engines.

The Outbound Edition gets Shadow Atlast matte finish on the bumper and grille, while the side vents are finished in Anthracite. The SUV rides on 20-inch Gloss Black wheels, while 22-inch Shadow Atlas Matte wheels are offered as an option.

For the interior, customers can select from full Windsor leather or Resist fabric. The SUV gets an Ebony Morzine headliner, Robustec veneer and the cross-car beam finished in Brushed Satin Black Powder Coat.

Defender 110 County Exterior Pack

The County Exterior Pack is available on the Defender 110 SE and HSE trims. It comes with illuminated treadplates with a unique graphic, 20-inch Gloss White alloy wheels and a range of interior upholstery and trim options.

The Land Rover Defender 130 is available with two engine options: P400 3.0L petrol and D300 3.0L diesel.

Land Rover has revealed the prices for the Defender 130 in India. The SUV is available in two variants: HSE and X, with prices starting at Rs 1.30 crore (ex-showroom).

The Defender 130 is the extended version of the Defender 110. While it has the same wheelbase, the overall length has gone up by 340 mm. This has helped liberate space for a third row of seats.

The exterior design and the cabin layout are also identical to the Defender 110. The SUV features single-pod LED headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights, a panoramic sunroof, 20-inch alloy wheels and smoked tail lamps.

Inside, the Defender 130 comes equipped with an 11.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 4-zone automatic climate control, 14-way electrically adjustable front seats with heating, cooling and memory functions and a 360-degree camera.

In India, Land Rover is offering the Defender 130 with two engine options. These include the 3.0-litre petrol (P400) that makes 394 BHP and 550 Nm and a 3.0-litre diesel (D300) that put out 296 BHP and 600 Nm. Both engines are paired with mild-hybrid tech and a four-wheel drive system.

Land Rover Defender 130 ex-showroom prices:

• Petrol HSE - Rs 1.30 crore
• Petrol X - Rs 1.41 crore
• Diesel HSE - Rs 1.30 crore
• Diesel X - Rs 1.41 crore

One of the letdowns is seeing the engine bay half empty to the front. The Wrangler has the same engine & it fills up the space quite well.

BHPian Tutenkhamen recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Test drove the GC today. Its first impressions are indeed extravagant with a complete butch look and those massive allows with 265 width tyres. They look apt and give a very muscular stance.

One of the letdowns was seeing the bonnet half empty to the front! It needs a straight six or a V8 to fill all that space. The 4-pot looks puny. For comparison, Wrangler has the same engine and it fills up the bonnet space quite well.

Onto the drive now. It does drive rather well. The stance is high, comparable to the Defender and the HUD is quite nice. Ventilated and heated seats are super welcome in our extreme weather spectrum.

Overtaking is a breeze, after all, 270HP is enough firepower and triple digits come in rather quickly. I think it must be doing lower 7s to 100kmph but after 130, the engine seemed to not have top-end grunt and felt strained.

Overall, without air suspension and a bit let down interiors, I would personally prefer a Defender P400 or D300 over this but of course, the latter options are 1.5x OTR than GC so there’s clearly a class difference here and tbh GC doesn’t have any competitors in its price range (77 ex-showroom) barring F-Pace P250 and it’ll be a tough call to choose between GC and F-Pace.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Reports suggest Land Rover could introduce an all-electric version of the Discovery as well, considering both models share the same platform and production lines.

According to a media report, British marquee Jaguar Land Rover is said to be working on an all-electric version of its premium 4x4 offering, the Defender.

Reports state that JLR will offer the full-electric powertrains across all three versions; the 90, 110 & 130. The all-electric Defender will be introduced alongside the SUV's refreshed lineup in 2025, with customer deliveries said to take place in 2026.

Apart from the introduction of the all-electric versions, the 2025 Defender will also be underpinned by a new platform. The Defender facelift will switch from the current D7 architecture to a more advanced MLA Flex platform, which is capable of supporting both fully-electric powertrains and IC engines. The MLA Flex platform currently underpins the new-gen Range Rover & Range Rover Sport. Their all-electric versions are due in 2024.

Reports also state that although the Defender will get a new platform, the SUV is expected to largely retain its design & styling, receiving just a mid-cycle refresh. The new Defender is also expected to have similar dimensions as the current models. The same goes for the inside, with only minor updates to the infotainment system and a few larger screens expected.

The all-electric powertrain on the Defender is expected to boost the SUV's off-road performance by controlling the electric power delivery through software management, along with advanced torque vectoring. Also, the flat underside of the electric Defender could aid in better ground clearance.

There are no technical details of the Defender EV yet. However, Land Rover is expected to offer a 100 kWh battery pack on its 4x4 SUV, which should provide at least 483 km (300 miles) of driving range on a single charge.

Apart from the Defender EV, reports also suggested Land Rover could introduce an all-electric version of the Discovery as well, considering both models share the same platform and production lines.

Source: AutoExpress

Defender Journeys kicks off with the ‘Konkan Experience’ on January 16, 2023.

Jaguar Land Rover has introduced its curated self-drive adventure program, Defender Journeys, in India.

Defender Journeys is a multi-day drive experience in the Land Rover Defender. It will include four scenic itineraries offering a chance to drive across some of the most iconic routes and off-road trails in India. There will be five Defenders deployed in each Journey, offering five drive slots.

Defender Journeys kicks off with the ‘Konkan Experience’ on January 16, 2023. It consists of a 7-day drive between Goa and Bangalore.

The 'Nilgiri Experience' will offer a chance to explore the forests and tea plantations between Bangalore and Coimbatore. The 'Coromandel Experience' will take participants across the Eastern Ghats from Coimbatore to Chennai, while the 'Malabar Experience' will be a journey between Coimbatore and Kochi.

Jaguar Land Rover will introduce more curated driving experiences throughout 2023.

Off-roaders were theoretically born during the Second World War, as demand for tough cars that could tackle all surfaces was the need of the hour.

BHPian Arsenic recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Off-Roaders Around The World

This series is inspired by the Automotive History series of the YouTube channel Ed's Auto Reviews. Do subscribe to their channel!

Previous instalments in this series - Crossovers Around The World

In the last instalment of this series, I showed some interesting and unique crossovers around the world. This time around, I reckon it's a better idea to discuss a much cooler high-riding vehicle: the off-roader.

An off-roader typically has body-on-frame construction, and needs a proper 4x4 drivetrain, usually with a low-range gearbox, in order to conquer rough terrain. Off-roaders were theoretically born during the Second World War, as demand for tough cars that could tackle all surfaces was the need of the hour in the US Army camp. This was when the first ever 'General Purpose' (GP, or 'Jeep' as we say it today) vehicles were born.

A quick note, I will include monocoque vehicles that were designed for off-roading, because a monocoque chassis doesn't fully limit off-road capability. In fact, I predict that body-on-frame construction as a whole will probably die out in the future as a whole. Reason? Monocoque construction gives cars better handling, and given that everyone wants to drive their Wrangler to Tesco, this translates into better sales.

Additionally, since the only off-roader that's exclusively a 3-door and is still sold in major markets across the globe is the Suzuki Jimny (with even that set to change next year), 5-door off-roaders will be included.

Lastly, a special thanks to GTO, who suggested that this list be expanded with more entries while it was still in the assembly line. Without him, this list would've been quite a bit emptier. Thanks for the recommendation!

Ready? Let's get crawlin'

The Americas & Europe

'Murica

The land of the bald eagle gave us some of the first mainstream off-roaders in the Chevrolet Blazer and Ford Bronco. These were pure, hairy-chested, gun-slinging, freedom-exporting metal brutes. Eventually, the iconic 'CJ' small off-roader evolved under AMC and later Chrysler into the Jeep Wrangler. With the off-roader craze back in full swing today, you'd expect to see some interesting offerings under each nameplate. So, here's the 2022 Blazer, Bronco and Wrangler together:

Did someone miss the memo?

Well, with the Blazer being just another bland crossover, that effectively leaves the Wrangler and Bronco to battle for the coolest off-roader from the USA. This one, I understand, will be a bit subjective. But I personally feel the Bronco looks a lot fresher and more unique, and in terms of nameplate revivals, this one absolutely hits the spot.

Brazil

This is the Brazilian take on the small off-roader; the Troller T4. The T4 was first introduced in 2004, and after Ford's acquisition of Troller, was redesigned in 2014 with it now being built on the same platform as the Ford Ranger.

The Troller actually looks really nice, so props to the Brazilians. The T4 came with a Dana 44 differential, Eaton gearbox and a 1352 Borg Warner transfer case. Unfortunately, just like in India, Ford ceased its Brazilian operations and closed down the Troller plant in 2021. Rest in peace T4, Ford should've exported you globally instead of killing you. Perhaps Troller would've been a household name in the likes of Bri'ain. Or it would've been the next Perodua Kelisa, but let's try to stay positive. If only...

Fun Fact: Troller made another vehicle as well, the 2-door Pantanal pickup. Only 77 were made, and each one was recalled in 2008 due to the possibility of cracks forming in the chassis! Eventually, Ford decided to take back all Pantanals ever made, rendering the pickup obsolete unless an owner wanted to keep theirs.

Bri'ain

One wouldn't expect the scone-devouring Bri'ish public to be big fans of off-roaders, given that they'd spill their cuppa quite a bit while going over rocks. Yet somehow, they have a brand whose entire philosophy is 'go anywhere'. Anywhere? Yes, anywhere. Especially your local FNG, because this is a Land Rover we're talking about.

Anyways, this is their pure off-road focused offering: the Defender, which is not actually built on a BOF chassis like the aforementioned 4x4s. Why? Well, you see, over time Land Rover has remained quintessentially Bri'ish, but now targets 'posh and refined' Bri'ish businessmen in Mayfair rather than shepherds in Derby. As a result, the Defender has also had to evolve. The new Defender is much plusher and softer, but still has Land Rover's iconic reputation and does a pretty decent job. Of course, that reputation does include the check engine lights replacing the owner's decorated trees at Christmas in addition to legendary 4x4 capability, but regardless at least their DNA, if slightly infamous, is retained. What, you want a reliable Land Rover? Go buy a Suzuki or something, peasant. *sips cuppa*

Alternatively, if you're too scared of your Defender getting a ding in the door while taking the road less travelled, perhaps the Bowler Wildcat is what you need. This is a beast of an SUV built on the old Defender powered by a proper 4.6L V8 with body panels made out of fiberglass and a roll cage which forms part of the main structure. You probably won't be seeing these parked too often at the Royal Ascot.

An honourable mention to the new Range Rover, which may have traded the most far-flung parts of the Scottish Highlands for Kensington High Street, but still retains its iconic silhouette and off-road prowess. It's certainly a lot more offroad-y than the likes of the Mercedes GLS and BMW X7, and comes with a PHEV option for the environmentally conscious, or for those who don't own a few petrol stations.

Deutschland

Ze land of ze bratwurst, Oktoberfest and ze DQ200 proudly present ze world's toughest rock and mall crawler: Ze Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen. Zis is an automobile crafted by the finest German engineers in ze world. Zis is a car designed to take you to a meeting at ze Deutsche Bank headquarters on a Friday, then conquer the rough terrain of ze Alps on Saturday, and finally take you to your local currywurst stall for a refreshing meal on Sunday.

Yes, it may still have visible rain gutters in 2022, and there was no need to stuff this Amazon carton on wheels with a ridiculous 4.0 twin-turbo V8 that takes the moving box from 0-100 in 4.5 seconds in the G63 AMG model, but this is a truly German car, in the sense that it is ridiculous and proud of it. It's a damn sight better than the Golf 1.5 TSI.

But is that the only German off-roader? Well, here's something interesting: you may not think of the Porsche 959 as an off-roader, but due to its rally roots, the 959 came with a 'G' (Gelände, or off-road) gear that meant that the shift pattern read G-1-2-3-4-5. This gear wasn't intended for on-road use, but with the limited clutch slip required to move the 959's engine onto its powerband, starting off in G was a breeze even on the track.

Россия

This is a Lada Niva. It is basic. It looks like it has arrived straight out of 1975. Yet somehow, I like it, even if it looks like a Maruti Zen with a lift kit.

It's worth noting that there are actually two Niva models: this Soviet tank, marketed as the 'Niva Legend', and a softer, yet almost as rugged, crossover branded as the 'Niva Travel'. However, the Niva Travel wasn't actually a Lada until 2020, when GM stopped marketing the 'Chevrolet Niva' and hence the rebranding as a Lada occurred. IMO the Niva Legend is a proper, barebones basic off-roader - it may not do your grocery runs, but it'll certainly take you through every Russian mountain you come across.

The Niva Travel, on the other hand, looks a bit more like a bizarre combo of a pre-2017 Daihatsu Terios and a first-gen Dacia (Renault in India) Duster, with the front grille slightly resembling that of the Toyota 4Runner. While the Niva Travel does appeal to someone who doesn't want a Soviet toaster on wheels, the more hardcore Legend certainly will appeal to hardcore off-roading fans seeking pure off-roading pleasure.

Asia

China

I'm not trying to get some social credit points deposited in my account, but I genuinely think this is the coolest-looking 4x4 on this list. That's a highly subjective thing, so remember, our views can differ!

This is a GWM Tank 300, and it's the Chinese take on the rough 'n' tough 4x4. Surely there must be something really good about it - even Doug DeMuro wishes these were sold in the USA! The 300 was the first vehicle from GWM's off-road focused 'TANK' brand, and say what you will about it slightly resembling a 6th-gen Ford Bronco, the 300 was actually released first. I promise I genuinely like this thing, the social credit is just an added bonus...

But what if you crave a Jeep Wrangler, but you only want to buy a Chinese car? This is the bizarre BAIC BJ40, China's odd copy of the Jeep Wrangler.

The Sino Wrangler is available in quite a few markets across the globe, including the UAE and our neighbors, Pakistan, where it is assembled through CKD kits assembled by local company Sazgar. Considering how much flak the Mahindra Thar has gotten for resembling the 3-door Wrangler which doesn't even form the majority of the Wrangler's sales, I wonder what FCA - sorry, Stellantis - thinks of this one. I don't think they'd be too happy...

Japan

Since South Korea isn't getting a mention this time, I thought I'd talk about two extremely cool off-roaders from the land of the rising sun: the Suzuki Jimny and the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.

Both cars are important examples of how to not lose an off-roader's key reputation of being a tough and solid 4x4. While the Jimny has attracted eyeballs globally for being a capable and aggressive yet small and cute boxy brute, the Prado seems to be the only large off-road SUV that isn't something you use to take little Timmy to his piano recital (Jeep Grand Cherokee, I'm looking at you) - well done Japan! Another well-done deserved for keeping the Toyota Land Cruiser's iconic off-road capability and toughness even though its interior has become a lot more comfortable and luxurious (GMC Yukon, I'm looking at you), reminding me of an awesome Australian quote - if you want to go to the Outback, you take a Land Rover. If you want to come back from the Outback, you take a Land Cruiser.

India

I'm genuinely proud of India here. See, the original Mahindra Scorpio was an iconic car but it never really had amazing road manners and the design looked pretty outdated by the late 2010s. So Mahindra decided to continue the Scorpio nameplate with a car that was just as macho as the previous generation but also had a much more livable interior and a much more modern-looking design.

The 2022 Mahindra Scorpio-N is truly remarkable, and I hope Mahindra exports these globally. Tata, take notes - that wasn't the Safari we wanted. Regardless, Tata's disappointing revival of an iconic nameplate shouldn't take anything away from the deservedly much-hyped Scorpio-N that genuinely impressed me.

And then of course, for those who don't necessarily care about the third row of seating or a large touchscreen, there is the Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha, one of which is a solid, brawny jeep that has a reasonably nice-looking cabin and decent road manners, while the other offers a well-built Mercedes-derived diesel engine and excellent off-roading capability that has left many impressed.

As I said last time when talking about the XUV7OO, well done Mahindra (and Force!)

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The stock exhaust of my SUV has been replaced with a stainless steel one. It looks really nice & the sound has become better as well.

BHPian BlackPearl recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It has been very long since this thread was updated. Quite a few things happened in between. Did a few green-laning trips with the Defender 90 and then decided this car was too nice for that. Bought an old Defender 110 for offroading and green-laning.

The MOT was due in April this year and I thought that it would pass with flying colours. However, that was not the case. Before going for the MOT, I got the vehicle checked by a Land Rover specialist in West London. The SA told that there is a small crack in the rubber boot near the side front tie road. It was supposed to be a small job but once everything was opened one thing led to another and finally the tie rod ends on both sides, the track bar, track rod and ball joint had to be replaced. If I had not been there in the garage to see everything I would have easily thought that I was being duped. The bill came to £669.

It had started with this one, the culprit!

Converting to Euro 6 compliant emission system

Office commute had started and I was driving to central London more than twice a week. Since the Defender was not Euro 6 compliant, I was paying £12.5 every day as ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) charge. Finally decided to get the vehicle Euro 6 compliant from a government-approved company called Cybrand. Booked a date with them. Only problem was that they were in Chester, quite a long drive from London. Had to book a hotel while the work was being done. But I must say that the work was extremely professional. They out an SCR system and changed the exhaust with a stainless steel one. It looks really nice and the sound has become better as well! The cost of the installation was £6600.

Here is a video of how it looks from underneath.

A few pictures

The invoice

Filling point for AdBlue

Ready after installation!

The details of the SCR System from HJS are here if anyone is interested in how it works. I am pasting it from their brochure instead of trying to explain it on my own.

After the installation Cybrand contacted the required authorities to update the database showing the Defender is now Euro 6 compliant in terms of emissions. It took 10 days to be updated online. I am now travelling to ULEZ zones in London without a worry.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.