• The new Defender tackles the Dubai desert. All photos courtesy Jaguar Land Rover
    The new Defender tackles the Dubai desert. All photos courtesy Jaguar Land Rover
  • Now that's just showing off.
    Now that's just showing off.
  • Ready for action.
    Ready for action.
  • Toying with the UAE desert.
    Toying with the UAE desert.
  • From the front.
    From the front.
  • Defenders on the construction line.
    Defenders on the construction line.
  • An International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent branded vehicle.
    An International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent branded vehicle.
  • Inside the cabin.
    Inside the cabin.
  • Defenders at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
    Defenders at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
  • The Land Rover's underside camera view.
    The Land Rover's underside camera view.
  • A Defender at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
    A Defender at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
  • Ready to roll in any weather.
    Ready to roll in any weather.
  • The driver's view.
    The driver's view.
  • A look at the whole Defender.
    A look at the whole Defender.

It's back: Covers come off the new Land Rover Defender


Simon Wilgress-Pipe
  • English
  • Arabic

If you're reading this, you've read the headline and probably won't reach the end of this sentence before looking at the pictures. No one would blame you.

Yes, the 2020 Land Rover Defender has been unveiled, with all the pomp and circumstance of a royal wedding, and not a minor one at that.

The manufacturer hasn't been shy about building up the event, with a series of advance publicity stunts, including one involving footage of the new vehicle tearing up the desert around Dubai.

This is no surprise, if the boasts being made about the Defender are, in fact, correct. It's said to be the most capable and durable Land Rover ever.

The covers came off at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, with a display showing the new vehicle descending an incline of 42 degrees. That's enough to make your average 4x4 need scaffolding.

The new Defender will potentially serve in an official capacity in the UAE as it was put through its paces before a group of all-terrain experts from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies when it came to Dubai in August.

This relationship dates back 65 years, to 1954, when the first specially adapted Land Rover entered service in the region as a mobile dispensary.

A distinctive silhouette makes the new Defender instantly recognisable from its Range Rover and Discovery peers, and this new version comes complete with the latest electrified powertrains.

The range comprises Defender, S, SE, HSE, First Edition and top-of-the-range Defender X, and they'll be available in the Middle East soon.

Prices start at around £40,000, which is currently around Dh180,000.