Land Rover made everyone wait an unprecedented long time for the new Defender, but it’s finally here. According to Stuart Frith, chief engineer of the new Land Rover Defender, the SUV has been worth the wait because it has to excel in every way.
Well after the presentation of the car, Techzle spoke to Stuart Frith. Given the changing structure of the SUV segment with less focus on off-road capability, we are curious to see how Land Rover intends to position the Defender in the market. “It was new to us that the Defender also had to perform well on the road. The first generation was so focused on the field. ” Still, according to Frith, it was ultimately less difficult than expected: “We also know how to turn a Range Rover Sport into a superlative SVR derivative.” Over the years, the British brand says it has been able to practice enough with SUVs that are specifically intended for the road. We should not expect such an SVR version from the Defender.
For the rest of the car, Land Rover looked closely at the competition. The Defender enters the segment bounded by the Jeep Wrangler and where we find the Mercedes-Benz G-class at the top. The Toyota Land Cruiser is located in between. “Of all those cars, we have always benchmarked the best features for the new Defender.” The engineer calls the Wrangler the most agile SUV on rocks, the G-class has a robust yet advanced drivetrain, according to Frith, and the Land Cruiser would perform best in the dunes. “We wanted our car to combine those talents and immediately transcend them. He must become the new benchmark in the segment. ”